Microsoft announced Windows 10 on Tuesday at an event in San Francisco, marking the next major upgrade to Windows and the return of the Start menu.

Windows 10, which skips a number in its sequential order (many believed it would be called Windows 9), is the first major update since Windows 8, which was considered a failure by many and virtually ignored by businesses. It will also be the name of the next mobile operating system for Windows Phone.



Windows 10 will be available in late 2015.

Although it's unclear why Microsoft decided to name it Windows 10 instead of Windows 9, perhaps there's one obvious reason: the company wanted to distance itself as much as possible away from the previous version.

The latest software will run on a variety of devices and is what Microsoft is calling "our greatest enterprise platform ever." Does that mean it's giving up on touchscreen capabilities? "Absolutely not," an executive told attendees.

Users will be able to switch between tablet and "mouse and keyboard mode," he said, adding that "[we're] committed to supporting these touch scenarios."

Microsoft also emphasized that more 1.5 billion people are using Windows today, but added its now a "new time for Windows."

Windows 10 will come with customizable live tiles in the new Start menu — the removal of it on Windows 8 was among one of the biggest criticisms of the platform. Microsoft said the experience should feel "super natural" to Windows 7 users.

Microsoft also announced its Windows Insider Program, a developer's program to allow enterprise people to evaluate it early, and will be available starting on Thursday. Members of the program will have access to the tech preview build.

The news of an updated Windows system doesn't come as a complete surprise: Microsoft's invitation to its press event hinted at "what's next for Windows and the enterprise." Leaked images of the new software — under the code name "Threshold" — started leaking out over the weekend.

Other features include task view, which supports multiple desktops, and Snap Assist, which lets you grab apps from multiple desktops. The command prompt has also been improved.

Windows 8 was panned by many users and critics, which aimed to combine the touchability of a tablet with the desktop functionality. Microsoft has been struggling with mobile hardware, too: in 2013, the company took a $900 million charge by cutting the prices of its Surface RT tablet in 2013 amid weak sales and demand.

Windows 10 could be the company's best chance at re-engaging its most important customer: the enterprise. company's chance at a turnaround and an attempt to distance itself from its latest challenges. It comes at a key time, too: Apple and IBM recently announced a partnership to bring mobile tech to businesses, Google is working with Samsung to do the same and BlackBerry still has its hat in the ring too.

http://mashable.com/2014/09/30/microsoft-windows-10/?utm_cid=mash-com-li-pete-photo