In a post on their website, Qualcomm has announced their continued partnership with Microsoft and that future Windows Phones will be powered by the Snapdragon 810 processor. This is good news for Windows Phone users as a new flagship phone is expected later this year along with the release of Windows 10 for Phone. The performance and power of the Snapdragon 810 should make these a powerful option in the marketplace in 2015.
Could we be looking at the future of the Windows Store? Microsoft has updated a link to the Windows Store that points to a completely redesigned, modern app style look and feel that could be the precursor to what we can expect to see in the Windows universal store under Windows 10. While there is no way to know this for sure – only time will tell – it is certainly an exciting and much different look to the Windows Store and Windows Phone Store that you see online and in their respective apps today.
Yesterday I installed Windows 10 to start doing bug hunting and experimenting on what will be the next version of Windows for every device. As I posted yesterday, Windows 10 is certainly in beta and shouldn’t be installed on your production (day-to-day) PC unless you are willing to put up with odd behavior and bugs here and there. In my case, I installed it on a PC I do not use every day so it can be my test bed. This post will be the first in a series that outline the updating and development of Windows 10 until it is released later this year. For this first part, I’ll cover the installation process and my first impressions.
As a reminder, for those who want to try Windows 10 out yourself, you can do so by joining the Windows Insider program. It is free to join but the expectation is you will test and help report bugs. Also note that for you Windows Phone users, Windows 10 for Phone will not be available until February. Right now it is only for PCs and tablets.
Last week Microsoft gave everyone a surprise by releasing Windows 10 to the Windows Insider community. With hundreds of thousands in the program (and you can join for free too), there are a significant number of peeps running the next version of Windows on their PC or tablet. Just a reminder to everyone: This is a beta. While every indication is that Windows 10 right now is more stable than any previous beta, you can certainly expect there to be issues and challenges if you load it onto your PC or tablet. That’s the nature of the beast so if you aren’t prepared to live with that, don’t upgrade until it is available for free to everyone later this year.
As part of the massive Windows 10 event today, Microsoft showed off for the first time Office for Windows 10, a completely universal and touch friendly version of Office that will be coming to your smartphone, tablet and PC. It means that the Office experience, no matter which device you are using, will be the same, touch friendly and equally powerful. Finally!
If there were any doubts in your mind about Microsoft’s commitment to the mobile space, today’s Windows 10 event should have but those to rest. Not only did we get some insights into what Windows 10 will look like and now it will function on a smartphone, we also got a commitment to a new flagship Windows phone in 2015.
The magnitude of everything Microsoft announced today at the Windows 10 is hard to capture in one post. So I’m not going to even try. But there is one thing that stuck out almost immediately in the event. Windows is no longer just a Operating System. It is a Service. And as a service, the scope and depth of the platform took on new meaning for developers, enterprises and customers alike. This is a huge turn for Microsoft as a company.
Editor’s Note: This post will remain at the top of ClintonFitch.com until after the Windows 10 event on Wednesday. Please see newer posts and news just below it on the front page.
As I write this we are less than 48 hours from what arguably is one of the biggest events for Microsoft in many years. I’ve compared the excitement to this event to that of when Windows 95 was being rolled out and I don’t think I’m far off in that statement. There are a lot of people – Microsoft lovers and haters – who are looking forward to Wednesday, January 21st with anticipation.
I’m certainly one of them.
The main thrust of the event is clearly Windows 10 but there are likely to be a lot more things announced at the event, all of which in some what touch Windows 10 and the drive Microsoft has to be “Mobile First, Cloud First” and “One Windows for Everyone”. Here is a rundown of what I think we will see on Wednesday at the event when it comes to Windows 10, Windows Mobile and a few other bits-and-bobs. No matter what, it’s going to be a busy and big day.
As a reminder, you can watch the event live on Microsoft’s Live Stream of the event.