Yusuf Mehdi, Corporate Vice President of Windows and devices groups, revealed the details of the new Windows 10 update on Microsoft’s blog on June 29, 2016. To celebrate its anniversary, the company will allow all its regular users and the people that haven’t decided yet to download the new upgrade for free. Also, Mr. Mehdi also announced a lot of different offers regarding hardware. However, both the free update and the offers are available until July 29.

During this period, if a student goes to a Microsoft store and buys a XBOX One, he or she can save up to $300. Moreover, if they buy a Dell PC that costs $699 or more, they can take home a free TV. HP, Samsung and the Asian monster, ASUS, also joined the party. In addition to the TV, the consumer can choose between a $150 coupon for HP devices or $100 worth of ASUS and Samsung hardware.

Windows 10 update
Microsoft revealed the details of the new Windows 10 update. Credit: Wccftech.com

The offers are really good, but the update is the big cake-equivalent in this party. Microsoft is bringing the big guns to the fight and wants to compete against Android, the most dominant OS on the market.

Windows 10 has been praised even by Windows XP lovers

When the company announced that their new OS was going to be free, users were divided into two groups, the excited ones and the skeptical. However, Windows 10 has been one of the best versions of the software, and even some tech old-school fans that loved XP switched to the latest version.

One of the most attractive things about the OS is the anti-virus. Windows has always had a built-in digital defender called “Essentials,” but it was kind of lacking. This changed in the latest version of the OS, the developing team not only improved Essentials, but it also added an anti-malware/spyware program that has been rocking digital reviews.

The new update is going to have user’s data safer than ever, well, as humanly possible. The company added something called Windows Defender Advanced Threat Protection (WDATP), but it remains unclear whether it’s going to be a complement, or if it’s going to replace the current security mechanisms.

Now, biometrics have gained massive popularity because of how practical is to unlock a smartphone by just sliding the finger across the display, and the company extended the options of this feature to websites. There are a lot of websites that require log-in, such as Facebook and LinkedIn, and sometimes, it’s hard to remember all those passwords which is why people use the same combination for everything. With the new update, users can have the OS use their biometrics, fingerprints or facial recognition, as the log-in mechanism for websites and apps which is great. But it will only work for sites that support the feature.

It is all about mobile devices

As of late, the tech market has evolved around mobile gadgets such as smartphones, tablets and so on. That is why the new update will bring Windows Ink, which is basically a sketch app that lets the user write or draw in their devices like they were using a pen and paper. It literally transforms a tablet into a notebook. One of the coolest things of this is that people will be able to use handwriting in Office, so it is great news for users that have beautiful handwriting.

Cortana is getting buffed big time. The digital assistant named after the fictional synthetic intelligence in Halo is going through some major upgrades. Windows 10 users will be able to use Cortana even with a locked screen. It sounds great, but if it can be accidentally triggered while in the pocket, it would be very annoying. Moreover, the company is extending the digital assistant’s turf to every Windows 10 phone, tablet, and PC, and it will be soon available on XBOX One.

Microsoft Edge wants to dethrone Google Chrome

Google Chrome is by far the most used browser in the world, and it has been for quite some time now. In contrast, everybody hates Internet Explorer. It is slow and really unpractical for developers. However, the new update could change things around.

Chrome is good, but it’s not perfect. In fact, the browser has developed really annoying problems in recent years. For instance, users will sometimes listen their computers’ fans working at top capacity as if the CPU was recreating the universe without apparent reason. Well, this happens a lot when Google Chrome is opened, the browser will sometimes devour the computer’s ram memory which not only makes everything slower, but it also consumes a lot of power. The latter is particularly crippling for mobile device users since it limits battery life.

According to Mr. Yusuf’s post, Microsoft Edge will be more efficient by doing the same work as the regular browser, but using less computer resources.

“Building on strong power efficiency already available in Microsoft Edge, the Anniversary Update includes even more power-saving improvements, using fewer CPU cycles, consuming less memory, and minimizing the impact of background activity and peripheral content. Microsoft Edge Lasts three hours longer than Google Chrome—long enough to finish the final movie in your favorite trilogy,” reads the article at Microsoft’s blog.

The free update plus the store offers are going to be available until July 29, and the full update is going to be released on August 2, 2016.

Source: Windows Blog