Microsoft announced Windows 10 this week, surprising consumers who anticipated that version 9 would naturally follow 2012's Windows 8 operating system.
The leapfrog launch of Windows 10 is the company's attempt to distance itself from the
poorly received 8, according to The Washington Post. It brings back the system's recognizable "Start" button that was abandoned in the previous iteration — something so many hardcore Windows users complained about — and also makes strides toward unifying mobile and desktop products.
"Still, despite all the talk of innovation and a break with the past, Microsoft was mindful to appease its core business users — who have been the most vocal opponents of the company's attempts to change Windows," The Post noted.
"Much of what the company announced Tuesday was aimed not at consumers, but at enterprises, with a strong focus on productivity and business features. Microsoft also said that it would give businesses the option to forego the constant stream of updates," the newspaper continued.
In introducing Windows 10,
Microsoft said on its blog that it tried to keep in mind not only how many ways its customers would be using the system, but on how many different devices they would be using it on, making functionality across platforms the name of the game.
"Windows 10 will run across an incredibly broad set of devices — from the Internet of Things, to servers in enterprise datacenters worldwide," the company said on its blog. "Some of these devices have 4-inch screens, some have 80-inch screens, and some don't have screens at all."
"Some of these devices you hold in your hand, others are 10 feet away. Some of these devices you primarily use touch/pen, others mouse/keyboard, others controller/gesture — and some devices can switch between input types," Microsoft added.
Time's Matt Peckham said Windows 10 will also allow users to run everything in one window, even Windows Store applications. Windows 10 will have a new Task View button that will allow users to toggle between open files and even bounce between alternate desktops, Peckham wrote.
Jumping from Windows 8 to 10 amounts to nothing more than a marketing gimmick, Peckham added.
"How do you get everyone's attention if you’re not the world's most sought-after smartphone or tablet maker, but still the world's largest operating system manufacturer by miles?" Peckham wrote. "You do something a little weird, say formally skip a version of your operating system, chronologically speaking."
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