Microsoft today revealed the next version of Windows, and the updated operating system is skipping over Windows 9 completely and will be known as Windows 10.
An official launch is expected in mid-2015.
The new OS will be Microsoft's most comprehensive platform ever, Terry Myerson, executive vice president for operating systems, said during a small gathering in San Francisco today.
Redmond is building on the "One Microsoft" strategy first championed by former CEO Steve Ballmer last year by allowing Windows 10 to work across all devices. "One product family, one platform, one store," the company said as it flashed a screenshot of Windows 10 on phones, tablets, 2-in-1s, laptops, and desktops.
Myerson said Microsoft is starting a dialogue with the enterprise market today, so they'll have plenty of time to evaluate and implement Windows 10 before launch. The OS, according to Myerson, will include barriers between personal and company data so confidential info stays that way.
So for now, the focus is on the enterprise and keeping them happy, with details for consumers expected next year, likely around the Build conference.
Microsoft will launch its Windows Insider Program tomorrow, which will provide a technical preview for laptops and desktops. It's a "work in progress," said Joe Belfiore, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Operating Systems group, and needs feedback from the community.
The Windows faithful will be happy to know that the Start Menu is back in Windows 10. In a demo from Belfiore, it looked like a mash-up of the Start Menu we all know, with smaller versions of the Windows Live Tiles tacked on to the right. Those tiles can be re-sized and customized. The search menu will also be housed there, as well as on the task bar, so you can get results from your PC and the Web.
Ideally, the learning curve for Windows 7 users will be small. Add Windows 7 with a dash of Windows 8 and you get Windows 10. With Windows 8, modern-style programs launch in full-screen mode, making it a bother to switch between them and traditional desktop programs. With Windows 10, Microsoft is aiming for less of a separation between desktop and modern view, so apps will open in the same format as desktop apps, for easier re-sizing and placement.
On multi-tasking, a new button allows for a quick view of all open apps. With Snap Assist, meanwhile, snap an app to the side and Windows 10 will suggest which other open apps might be helpful. You will also be able to snap up to four apps at once.
If things are getting crowded on your screen, Windows 10 will let you "add a desktop" - one for work and one for personal, for example.
For more, check out the video below, and see PCMag's wish list for Windows 10 in the slideshow above.