The much awaited Windows 10 operating system (OS) has finally been launched by Microsoft Corp. on Wednesday.
Windows 10 according to the company, will be available in 190 countries as a free upgrade for users of genuine Windows 7 and Windows 8.1. Enterprises will however have to pay for licensing.
The OS is designed to work across desktops, laptops and smartphones and the free upgrade strategy is a move to put Windows on as many devices as possible, in a bit to break Apple and Google's hold on mobile devices. Microsoft aims to have 1 billion devices running Windows 10 in two to three years.
The OS also comes with a feature called Cortana which can be used to control apps with your voice and get real-time notifications on your app tiles.
Cortana is Microsoft’s personal digital assistant, comparable to Apple's Siri, and Google Now. It is designed to help users quickly manage their lives and easily get things done on Windows 10 PCs, tablets, and phones, Microsoft said
Windows 10 brings back the start button, which may help the company appease users who were displeased by the removal of the popular Start button in Windows 8. It also comes equipped with Microsoft's new browser, 'Edge'.
Microsoft hopes to build search and gaming capabilities into the Windows 10 interface.
Windows 10 will however, meet stiff competition from Apple's iOS and Google's Android operating systems, which currently control a large chunk of the mobile market.
Recall that Microsoft skipped Windows 9 to unveil Windows 10 in a move to put some distance between the new operating system and its immediate predecessor Windows 8 and its variant Windows 8.1.
New PCs and tablets running Windows 10 will go on sale on July 29, while the operating system will be made available on smartphones and other devices later this year.
Add your comments here.