REDMOND, Wash./PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp.
announced that Windows 10 will become available Wednesday as a free
upgrade1 or with new PCs and tablets. Windows 10
includes innovations such as Cortana,2 an Xbox app
and Microsoft Edge for a familiar, yet more personal and
productive, experience. The most secure Windows ever, Windows 10 is
delivered as a service and kept automatically up-to-date with
innovations and security updates. Windows 10 offers one experience
that will become available on the broadest range of devices,
including PCs, tablets, phones, Raspberry Pi, Xbox One, HoloLens
and more — with more than 2,000 devices or configurations already
in testing. The new Windows Store and Windows Software Development
Kit also become available Wednesday, opening the door to new and
innovative app experiences on Windows 10.
People
around the world will celebrate the launch of Windows 10 Wednesday
at fan celebrations in 13 countries and via a new yearlong
initiative to celebrate people and organizations making a
difference around the world. Microsoft encourages people to share
how they plan to #UpgradeYourWorld and to vote for a global
nonprofit to receive a cash donation by simply mentioning the
nonprofit in a post on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter and using the
hashtags #UpgradeYourWorld and #vote. More information on Upgrade
Your World can be found athttp://www.windows.com/upgradeyourworld.
"A new
era of Windows starts today. From the beginning, Windows 10 has
been unique — built with feedback from over 5 million fans,
delivered as a service and offered as a free upgrade,"
said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Windows and
Devices Group, at Microsoft. "Windows 10 delivers on our more
personal computing vision, with a natural, mobile and trusted
experience. Along with our partners, we're excited to deliver the
best Windows ever, which will empower people and organizations
around the world to do great things."
Windows 10: Best Windows ever
Windows
10 is fast and familiar — with the return of the Start menu and
Live Tiles for instant, streaming updates of what matters most.
Windows 10 is the most secure Windows Microsoft has ever released,
with enhancements to Windows Defender and SmartScreen to help
safeguard against viruses, malware and phishing and innovations
such as Windows Hello, which offers a fast, secured, password-free
way to log in.3 Keeping up-to-date is also simple,
as free updates will help people stay current with the latest
features and security updates for the supported lifetime of the
device.
Windows 10 is more personal and productive, with voice, pen and
gesture inputs for natural interaction with PCs. It's designed to
work with Office and Skype and allows you to switch between apps
and stay organized with Snap and Task View. Windows 10 offers many
innovative experiences and devices, including the following:
Windows 10: Best platform for
businesses
Feedback from millions of IT pros has
shaped Windows 10, the most extensively tested version of Windows
ever. Ready for corporate deployments, Windows 10 will help
companies protect against modern cyberattacks, deliver experiences
their employees will love and enable continuous innovation with a
platform that keeps companies up-to-date with the latest
technology. Businesses will be able to control the frequency of
their updates and select the features and functionality that are
right for each group of their employees.
Windows 10 includes built-in, enterprise-grade security, so
customers can replace passwords with more secure options, protect
corporate data and corporate identities, and run only the software
they trust. New management and deployment tools simplify device
management, help lower costs, and enable companies to power their
business with the enterprise strength of the Microsoft Azure
cloud.
Top apps available on Windows 10
The new
Windows Store will open Wednesday and begin accepting new apps for
Windows 10. The Windows Store offers one-stop shopping for popular
free and paid apps, games, movies, TV shows and the latest music,
which can work across all Windows 10 devices. The new Windows Store
is the only store where people can use Cortana to control apps with
their voice5 and get real-time notifications on
their app tiles. All Windows Store content is certified by
Microsoft to help keep devices safer. In addition to existing
Windows 8.1 apps such as Netflix, Flipboard, Mint.com, "Asphalt 8:
Airborne" and The Weather Channel, the Windows Store provides a
constant stream of new and updated Universal Windows Apps and
games, including Twitter, "Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition beta,"
Hulu, iHeartRadio, USA TODAY, "Candy Crush Saga" and others including
WeChat and QQ, which will launch soon.6
Easy upgrade, devices now available
Upgrading
to Windows 10 is easy for customers running a genuine Windows 7 or
Windows 8.1 PC or tablet. Starting Wednesday, people who reserved
their upgrade to Windows 10 will be notified in waves when their
upgrade is ready to be installed. For business customers, Windows
10 is available to start deploying within their work environments,
and starting Aug. 1, organizations that have volume licensing can
upgrade to Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
Retail
partners are ready to help people upgrade to Windows 10 with our
largest tech bench program ever, including more than 100,000
trained retailers and tens of thousands of stores around the world.
Free upgrade programs will be available Wednesday, with Windows 10
software becoming broadly available in retail stores around the
world between mid-August and September. Devices running Windows 10
will be available in some retail stores on Wednesday, with many,
many more devices to become available in the weeks and months
ahead.
Microsoft has also worked closely with retailers to introduce
programs to help people easily upgrade, including Best
Buy, Bic
Camera, Croma, Currys/PC World, Darty, Elkjøp, Fnac, Jarrir,
Incredible Connection, Media Markt, Staples, Yamada Denki,
Yodobashi and many more leading retailers from around the
world.
Information on upgrading, new and compatible devices, and apps for
Windows can be found athttp://www.windows.com. Additional information and
media assets are available athttp://blogs.windows.com/launch.
Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT" @microsoft) is the leading platform and
productivity company for the mobile-first, cloud-first world, and
its mission is to empower every person and every organization on
the planet to achieve more.
1
Limited time free
upgrade offer for qualified and genuine Windows 7 and 8/8.1
devices. Hardware and software requirements apply;
see http://www.windows.com/windows10upgrade for
details.
2
Cortana available
in select markets at launch; experience may vary by region and
device.
3
Windows Hello
requires specialized hardware, including fingerprint reader,
illuminated IR sensor or other biometric sensors.
4
An Office 365
subscription is required to edit Office apps on Windows 10 PCs or
larger tablets.
5
Hardware
dependent.
6
Some apps and
content sold separately. App and content availability and
experience may vary by region and device.
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