On January 21, 2015, Microsoft is going to do its level best to convince us that Windows 8 never really happened. The company’s official Windows 10 unveil is set for that date, and the rumor mill suggests Microsoft will do far more than simply take the veil off a modest update to its primary operating system. While the first Windows 10 event focused solely on the name and a few new features, the January 21 event will focus on the overall “Windows 10 consumer experience.” We should also hear about pricing (and whether a subscription model will be used), and a release date.
According to ZDNet, the upcoming event will also feature the new Windows 10 mobile SKU. This is the unified OS that will shrink Microsoft’s overall product footprint by unifying the Intel, ARM, and Windows Phone ecosystems. In theory, developers will simply be able to target one product rather than producing multiple variants of a program. Unlike current versions of Windows 8, this upcoming Windows 10 product won’t have a desktop at all — hopefully eliminating one of the major sources of confusion that pushed consumers away from Windows RT.
Also on the menu is the next Technical Preview of Windows 10. It’s not clear precisely what the company will feature; the current preview build is a fairly modest update to the Windows 10 ecosystem. Then again, I’ve previously argued that what really wrecks Windows 8.1 isn’t any single glaring flaw, but a multitude of smaller issues. The early Technical Previews have taken significant steps towards reincorporating Windows 7 features that users wanted while adjusting the overall icon and color schemes.
