Microsoft is promising the next update to Windows 10 will be its biggest in years.
During his keynote at Tuesday's Build developer conference, CEO Satya Nadella teased that major changes are in store for the operating system. "Soon we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators,” he said. “I’ve been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I’m incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows.”
The comment is pretty interesting on two levels. For one, Windows 10 has only existed for six years, going back to the initial release in July 2015. So according to Nadella, the update should be bigger than anything Microsoft has released since the 2009 launch of Windows 7. (Windows 8 arrived in October 2012.)
In addition, Nadella describes the update as the “next generation of Windows,” which indicates Microsoft is preparing to go beyond incremental changes and tweaks.
Nadella didn’t reveal much else, except to tease that the updated OS will benefit software developers everywhere. “Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications. We look forward to sharing more very soon,” Nadella said.
The comment might be connected to how Redmond is reportedly developing a new version of the Microsoft App Store for Windows 10. According to Windows Central, the company is refreshing the store with a new interface while also relaxing the rules on how developers can publish apps on the platform. This includes giving developers the option to use any third-party payment solution to charge customers.
Other rumors suggest Microsoft is also preparing to update the visual design on Windows 10 via a project codenamed Sun Valley, and add better touch controls for tablets. The company recently decided to shelve Windows 10X—an operating system for dual-screen devices—and instead fold the features into Windows 10.
Despite the hype, PCMag's software analyst, Michael Muchmore, says to keep your expectations low: The so-called generational update may just amount to cosmetic changes, such as rounded window corners, new fonts and icons, along with features scraped from Windows 10X.