By Joann Stern
The idea of Windows running on every device you own may sound
terrifying. Pop-up permission requests, virus update reminders and
blue screens of death everywhere? Thanks, but no thanks.
But Windows everywhere may in fact be--gasp!--a really great
thing.
That's what Microsoft tried to convince us on Wednesday at a
press event at its Redmond, Wash., campus. Windows 10, which
arrives this fall as a free update to Windows 7, 8 and 8.1 users,
will run on phones, tablets, laptops, even a massive
conference-room touch TV and a holographic headset. (Yes,
holograms! The company announced the HoloLens glasses contraption,
which it plans to sell later this year.)
Microsoft is imagining the future of computing way beyond the
mouse, keyboard and touch screen. I'm still not convinced I need
the Windows operating system on every device I own, especially not
my phone. But Microsoft is finally able to articulate a vision of
the future great enough that it can pave the next wave of personal
computing, alongside Apple and Google.
So, what does that mean for you now, and especially, later this
year when Windows 10 launches? Before Microsoft leaps 10 years
ahead it needs to nail the present. Windows needs to regain our
confidence, after losing it with Windows 8.
That's why I'm glad to see that some of the basic problems have
been fixed. The Start Menu is back (though increasingly cluttered
with live tiles and other new options). It is much easier to manage
multiple windows with virtual desktops. And the interface
automatically adapts based on the device you are using--and how
you're using it: When I docked the Surface tablet into a keyboard,
it prompted me to exit "tablet mode" and automatically launched the
traditional desktop.
But Windows 10 isn't just about righting past wrongs. Cortana,
Microsoft's Siri-like personal assistant, will be integrated right
into both the desktop's Start menu and the new Spartan Web browser.
You'll be able to speak to her-potentially even from across the
room--and online she'll be able to gather information from Web
pages, such as directions, menu items and reservation information
at a restaurant's site. (That new Web browser will have other
impressively forward-looking features, such as built-in commenting
and sharing.)
But like Google's Google Now, to take full advantage of Cortana
and Windows 10 you have to commit to using Microsoft's services,
including Office, Maps and Bing, even on your phone. That's where
Windows 10 for phones comes in.
The new version of Windows Phone 10 looks and feels like Windows
Phone 8, but includes features and apps that work just like they do
on a Windows 10 PC. For instance, Office for Windows Phone, which
will be free with Windows 10, is chock full of new formatting
features that make it easy to edit and create documents on the
go.
When it comes to core features, Android and iOS are still ahead,
or at least on par, however, and there are still many more apps
available for the bigger mobile platforms. It will take more than
operating system overlap to get me to ditch my iPhone or
Android-powered Moto X.
I may not choose Windows for my phone, but it may end up
powering the glasses on my head. Windows Holographic is Microsoft's
move to put the PC right in front of our eyes. With its HoloLens,
objects and interfaces appear on surfaces in the real world, and
you can manipulate them with taps in the air, or even your
voice.
I tried out a very early version of HoloLens and was captivated
within minutes. I explored a part of Mars and then embarked on a
home-improvement odyssey: Aided by a floating Skype window and a
lot of virtual arrows and on-screen instructions, the system guided
me through the process of hooking up a light switch.
I arrived in Redmond today expecting basic details on how
Windows 10 could right the wrongs of Windows 8. Instead, I saw a
vision of the company's next decade. More than anything, Microsoft
just declared how much work it has cut out for itself. But while I
hope it doesn't get too ahead of itself, it does appear to be
(finally) pointed in the right direction.
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