Johannesburg - Software giant Microsoft plans to make its Windows 10 operating system available on July 29 in 190 countries.
“Windows 10 starts to deliver on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink and holograms,” said Terry Myerson, executive vice president, Microsoft in a statement.
The launch of Windows 10 comes after version 8 of Microsoft’s popular operating system was unveiled to the world in 2012.
Subsequently, an upgraded Windows 8.1 was unveiled in 2013 to the public.
Both Windows 8 and 8.1 have become synonymous with Microsoft’s tiled approach towards the operating system, which marked a departure from the operating system’s previous look-and-feel of version 7 and XP.
Windows 10, meanwhile, builds on Windows 8 and 8.1 by still retaining the tiled look, but also reintroducing the likes of the famous start menu.
In addition, Microsoft is promising that Windows 10 will have faster boot times, enable longer battery life, be more data secure , and be optimised for both keyboards and touchscreens.
Web browser Internet Explorer will also be killed off by Microsoft in Windows 10. The company is replacing Internet Explorer with its all-new browser Microsoft Edge, which promises to deliver a better web experience.
Other features that Windows 10 is expected to be packaged with includes Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana, which is a competitor to Apple’s Siri technology.
Cortana has predominantly been available for smartphones carrying the Windows Phone 8 software and this marks its first branching out onto desktop and laptop devices.
The version 10 operating system will also have Windows Hello, which greets people by name and lets them log in to their PC without a password.
The software giant is promising free upgrades for Windows 7 and 8.1 users to version 10. But this upgrade is only available for PC and tablet devices on July 29.
Watch the video below about Windows 10: