On Wednesday of this week, Microsoft will kick off its Build conference with a keynote featuring the top execs from the company. With Windows 10 on the horizon, HoloLens making waves and a cloud platform that is growing by leaps and bounds, the conference is going to be packed with content.
Seeing that the event sold out quickly, this is an indicator that developers are once again excited about what Microsoft has to offer. With Windows 8 fading from the limelight, it’s Windows 10’s time to shine (on all platforms) and Build is the event where developers learn what is new and how to work with the new features.
Windows 10
There is still a lot unknown about the OS including when it will ship. The company has broadly said ‘this summer’ but that is a large timeframe. We are optimistic Microsoft will give us a date for its release but don’t hold your breath at this point.
Another question we hope the company will address is the cost of the OS. Microsoft has said that upgrades will be free for the first year but for the enterprise, new licenses and what happens after one year, it’s all still a mystery.
We are also still waiting to see what is happening on the messaging front too. The company said that Skype will be baked into the OS and with new Messaging options (that include Text and MMS), there are clearly some new features the company has been holding back from discussing.
Many are hoping that next week will also see the release of a new build of Windows 10. Considering that a build went out last week – and at the January 21st event, it was a few days after the keynote that a BUILD was released – we may not see one drop during the event.
The builds for phone do raise a few more questions here as Microsoft has said that the Universal Office apps will arrive by the end of April but it is believed that you need a newer version of the OS to download the apps. So, it seems plausible a new phone build could be released this week to deliver the Office apps.
Read More: Expectations and the questions we hope Microsoft answers at Build 2015.