Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc confirmed on Thursday that Microsoft plans to hold a Windows 10 event in January. Previous reports said that the company will reveal the January Technical Preview of Windows 10 next month, as well as offer a preview of Windows 10 for devices based on ARM and Intel chips. The event is currently scheduled for Wednesday, January 21.
According to LeBlanc, the company will discuss “the next chapter” of Windows 10. The event will be streamed online and include members of the Operating Systems Group that will talk about the “consumer experience.” These individuals will include Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore and Phil Spencer, as well as Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
“As we get closer to the event in January, watch for another blog post from me on where to tune-in and watch the live webcast. As you can imagine, we’re pretty stoked to show you what’s next for Windows 10!” LeBlanc wrote on the Windows Blog.
Sources told Mary Jo Foley that during the event, Microsoft will reveal its version of Windows 10 that will run on both ARM- and Intel-based processors. This version will not include a desktop and will rely on the Start Screen and Modern UI apps only.
Meanwhile, the January Technical Preview that will be revealed during the event will still be locked to the Insider program and not released to the general public. We expect the event to reveal “what we have accomplished so far” thanks to the Insider program.
Foley also indicated that the event may possibly see the inclusion of Cortana in Windows 10, which is Microsoft’s answer to Google Now and Apple’s Siri. Microsoft could also introduce Continuum for 2-in-1 devices, which is expected to help the operating system transition between a connected and disconnected keyboard.
Previously, Chief Operating Officer Kevin Turner indicated that Microsoft will reveal more about the Windows 10 end-user experience in early Spring. After that, the company will release a “developer preview” in early summer, and then launch the retail version of Windows 10 in late summer or early fall. Previous rumors pointed to a Q2 2015 or Q3 2015 release for Windows 10.
News of the upcoming event follows the release of Windows 10 Build 9879, which will be the last test build released until January. As promised, the company has been updating the platform on a regular basis since its launch back at the end of September, the latest of which was released on Tuesday.
