Just days after Microsoft indicated that no more builds of Windows 10 will be pushed off to Insiders this year, unnamed sources are now talking about a large-scale event that will take place in January. This event will happen later in the month and will reveal the Consumer Preview of Windows 10 “Threshold.”
Microsoft is expected to announce the upcoming Windows 10 event before the end of the year. The event will be longer than the previous San Francisco showing in September, allowing Microsoft to take more time in revealing what’s in store for consumers. Microsoft is also expected to talk about a new feature called Continuum, Windows 10 for phones and tablets, and perhaps even the dashboard of Xbox One.
Previous rumors indicated that Microsoft would launch the Consumer Preview build in Q1 2015, followed by a possible launch of the retail version in late Q2 2015 or early Q3 2015. As we’ve already seen with the Technical Preview, the new operating system will include a new Start Menu, a better environment for mouse and keyboard users, better visual effects and more.
News of the upcoming press event arrives after Windows 10 Build 9888 recently reared its head. The platform is supposedly more polished than the current Build 9879, feature new visual effects when maximizing and minimizing/closing windows, and offer new context menus. Currently, these menus are found on the Taskbar and Start Menu, but they’re expected to be provided throughout the platform.
The 9888 build also provides a new search field in PC Settings, allowing users to search for specific settings rather than having to guess using the menu on the left. The zPC Settings app and the PC Settings app are also now combined, providing one destination for all the PC settings, leading to speculation that Microsoft is trying to ditch the Control Panel.
The beauty of Windows 10 is that it’s meant to run on a number of devices, not just desktops and laptops. That said, it will be interesting to see what Microsoft has in store for mobile devices during the press event in January. We’ve already heard that Microsoft is looking to create one operating system for a multitude of form factors, and it will be exciting to see that vision come to fruition.
