With the launch of Windows 10 just over a month away, Microsoft is gearing up for what may be the most significant update to its operating system since the release of Windows XP in 2001.
In the past, Microsoft has released different versions of Windows for PC and mobile, but Windows 10 will be used across all Microsoft devices, including desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones – as well as the Xbox games console and HoloLens, Microsoft's new wireless holographic headset.
It is also the first time Microsoft will offer Windows "as a service". The company is doing away with its traditional sales model, whereby customers buy a copy of Windows, and then either buy it again when a new version is released or stick with the old version. Now, when a customer buys a copy of Windows 10 they will receive regular updates that will keep the operating system up-to-date at no additional cost.
Windows 10 also comes with a raft of new features, such as a new Start menu that combines the Windows 7 Start menu with live tiles from Windows 8, a new web browser called Microsoft Edge, and integration with Microsoft’s personal assistant Cortana – already on Windows Phone – which will pop-up with notifications and act as a search tool.
Given that this will be, as Microsoft developer Jerry Nixon put it, "the last version of Windows", Microsoft is keen to get it right. For this reason, the company launched its 'Insider' programme in September 2014, giving early adopters and enthusiasts the chance to experience Windows 10 before its public release, and provide feedback.
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