In September 2014 Windows announced the launch of the new Windows operating system, which has skipped a number to Windows 10. The new Windows 10 will span all hardware from smartphones to PCs and has several new features that hope to fix many of the problems users experienced with Windows 8. This blog looks into the upgrades to Windows 10 and how it will benefit businesses and developers.

Why Windows 10?

The next, presumed name for Windows was Windows 9 but Microsoft was keen to make a break with the past after the ills of Windows 8. This jump represents how far the Windows operating system has developed since Windows 8. Microsoft even went so far as to devise a car analogy to help users understand what the new Windows will offer. Microsoft wants users to think of Windows 10 as a Tesla, or more so, like you are getting an upgrade from a Prius to a Tesla - twice the energy efficiency.

What devices will it run on?

Windows 10 will focus further on universal apps which will run on all devices: tablets, smartphones, PCs and other embedded products.

Start Menu?

There is a start menu in Windows 10 that combines the modern interface of Windows 8 with the familiar Windows 7 display. You can customize the start menu to suit your needs by either moving the tiles around or resizing them based on importance. You can also make the start menu tall and thin or long and flat depending on your own taste.

What does it look like?

One of the usability issues with Windows 8 was the inability to resize the new-style apps - they filled the whole screen and it was confusing how to navigate between apps. In Windows 10 users will be able to resize the new-style apps and move them around the screen like the old Win32 app. The older Win32 apps will also adapt to the new interface and will fill all the available screen space like the newer apps.

What else is new?

Windows 10 has a feature much like the OS X's Mission Control that allows users to zoom out to view all the open apps on the PC. Users can also have many desktop configurations open and switch between them. For example, if you are working on one job within two apps and you have sized them to your liking, you can change to other apps without losing the settings and go back to the first apps with ease. You navigate between these desktop displays at the bottom of the screen.

Touch?

Microsoft stated they were not giving up on touch and users will still be able to use touch to scroll and pinch-to-zoom on laptops and desktops. There is also a new feature for those users that have two-in-one PCs where when they detach the keyboard they can change into tablet mode. The change to tablet mode changes the UI to better suit tablet use, such as apps filling the screen and so on.

What about businesses and developers?

Windows 10 will benefit businesses in several ways:

Windows 10 will feature enterprise grade security, identity and information protection

Developers will get one application platform aka one-way to write a universal application that targets the entire product family.

Management and deployment for enterprise customers was simplified.and many more

What is the release date?

Microsoft has predicted that the launch of Windows 10 will be sometime in the middle of 2015. Currently a select group of people are conducting a technical review on the operating system offering feedback to Microsoft on the usability.