Microsoft Confirms Windows 10 Event In January

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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.

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Kevin Parrish
15 Comments Comment from the forums
  • gggplaya
    Quit it with the freaking apps already, no one wants that crap unless you're actually on a tablet. It doesn't have to all be the same flavor of windows. Apps for touchscreens, no apps for non-touchscreens. It's that simple.
    Reply
  • Morbus
    It's not "apps", it's "programs".
    Reply
  • damianrobertjones
    Quit it with the freaking apps already, no one wants that crap unless you're actually on a tablet.

    You QUIT IT! You DO NOT and NEVER will speak for all of us. I'm actually happy with a whole heap of apps from the silly Weather app all the way to x or y. There's a place for 'apps'.
    Reply
  • srsly
    There are some inherent advantages to apps, one big one being that since they're boxed into managed containers, you never get winrot because they can't screw with system folders and registry...

    Also screenshots of win10 show apps running on desktop like native programs, so there's really no difference from a user perspective at that point.
    Reply
  • alextheblue
    Quit it with the freaking apps already, no one wants that crap unless you're actually on a tablet. It doesn't have to all be the same flavor of windows. Apps for touchscreens, no apps for non-touchscreens. It's that simple.

    Why? It's just a name. With Windows 10 you can download "apps" that run in a window on the desktop, and are operated with a keyboard and mouse. On the same Windows 10 you can download apps that run full screen and use the touchscreen, say for a tablet. You could even potentially run the SAME app and interact with it either way depending on the device you're using and user preference.

    You've got this illogical fixation on keeping touch software and non-touch software artificially separated. You even go so far as to insist they use separate naming conventions. Who says you can't use multiple methods for input? Same program, same store, same popular naming convention. I say leave it up to users based on their device and needs. If it makes you feel better, ask for an option in Windows 10 that replaces all references to "app" with "program".

    It's like traveling back in time and listening to arguments for DOS vs Windows.

    "You keep your damn mouse software! Real men use DOS and keyboard only... it's faster and more efficient."
    Reply
  • JOSHSKORN
    Give us Windows Media Center or I'm staying on Windows 7.
    Reply
  • pbryd
    I have the developer preview and I'm stumped as to why MS insists on using 'apps' as opposed to programs.
    Reply
  • nikolajj
    I have the developer preview and I'm stumped as to why MS insists on using 'apps' as opposed to programs.

    Can you tell me the technical difference, and why it is a bad thing?

    On your PC, you are running apps every day, like Office, Photoshop, your browser.
    Reply
  • MidnightDistort
    It isn't so much the apps that are problem it's the fact it looks like something that AOL tried to do in the 90s. At least thats why i never liked W8x besides the clunky UI. Thankfully W10 is pretty easy to use and can get rid of the modern app junk.
    Reply
  • johnnyb105
    Windows 10 Win 8 Win 8.1 its all about the same you want a start menu download classic shell its easy you want a player for media or movies VLC PLAYER and many more free on the net ....Its not a matter if we like it or not this is the direction MS is moving in. Yes windows 7 Still works great and a matter of fact so does 10 8 and 8.1 Win 7 wont be phased out till 2020 so you got time and choices to make 3 OS 3 FLAVORS OR LINUX.....
    Reply