Windows 10 Performance

According to Yusuf Mehdi, Microsoft’s lead marketing executive, in a blog post mentioned that from the launch of Windows 10, their focus was on moving people from having to choose, to loving Windows. With the release of every new build of Windows 10, they have seen customer satisfaction improve as they have made fixes and added new capabilities and experiences. He added that they are humbled that customers are choosing and loving Windows 10, and there has never been a more important time for a secure, reliable platform that can empower people to create, educate and communicate wherever they are.

Over one billion people have chosen Windows 10 across 200 countries resulting in more than one billion active Windows 10 devices. This means one in every seven people on the planet is planning, creating, ideating, executing, moving, shaking and doing great things with Windows 10.

Because no matter who or where in the world or life they are, Windows 10 provides them with the features and flexibility they need to achieve more. From the high-powered developer who needs the most advanced technology available to the business professional who needs to be productive at work and home, to the student in a developing market who is looking for a low-cost device for learning and self-improvement—Windows 10 is the platform to meet all these needs.

With 100% of the Fortune 500 now using Windows 10 devices, it has become a critical platform for driving business transformation in the enterprise and beyond. As companies transition from Windows 7 to Windows 10, they are making a commitment to running their business more efficiently, more securely, and positioning themselves to offer better products, services and solutions to their customers.

Windows 10 Features

New Windows 10 features and security updates are now delivered faster than ever before. Microsoft evolved from releasing a version every three years, to releasing multiple versions per year. Also with the recent decoupling of the new Chromium-based Edge browser from Windows 10 they can now deliver new builds to customers outside of the normal Windows 10 release cadence—and to more versions of Windows.

With Windows 10, Microsoft focus has always been to put the customer at the center, to listen to feedback, and to have that feedback shape the development process. One of the strongest examples of this customer focus is their Windows Insider Program which now has over 17.8 million Insiders, with members in every country of the world.

Microsoft have also strived to make Windows an open, inclusive and accessible platform that can empower everyone to achieve their goals. Their Windows Accessibility team focuses on human-centered design, a method where engineers and designers work to deeply understand peoples’ needs, and then co-design and continuously iterate on solutions directly with them.

From PCs, to Mixed Reality, to Xbox and more

Freedom of choice has always mattered to Microsoft—because they know it matters to you. Windows 10 is the only operating system at the heart of over 80,000 models and configurations of different laptops and 2-in-1s from over 1,000 different manufacturers. But that’s not all. Windows 10 also powers Mixed Reality and HoloLens—transforming the way people build, design, learn and experience the world around them.

Also not only is Windows 10 the most popular PC gaming platform on the planet, but it also powers the entire Xbox family of consoles, including the fastest and most powerful Xbox Series X, which will be available later this year.

Windows 10 has enabled new category creation with devices like the Surface Pro, Surface Book and Surface Hub 2S. Microsoft is committed to keep driving to innovate with devices like Surface Neo, a new dual-screen device which will run Windows 10X, which enables unique experiences on multi-posture dual-screen PCs.

OEM partners and tools

Windows is a diverse and powerful canvas that gives their OEM partners the flexible tools they need to deliver innovation to the world which can be seen in their latest and greatest devices, all built on Windows 10:

• The Acer ConceptD 700 workstation is also built to handle heavy content creator workflows with ease, thanks to an Intel Xeon E processor and up to NVIDIA Quadro RTX 4000 graphics to address the needs of film makers, animators and AEC (architecture, engineering, construction) designers with powerful and stable performance for 3D computer-aided design.
• The ASUS ExpertBook B9 is built for professionals who do business on the go, weighing in at just 865 grams with a 14.9mm-thin profile. In addition, the B9450 integrates a Trusted Platform Module 2.0 (TPM) security chip to keeps business-critical data safe, while a built-in IR camera allows for biometric logins.
• The latest version of the popular XPS 13 from Dell  is aimed at helping you innovate, collaborate and accomplish more in the next decade with the new 25% brighter XPS InfinityEdge display that delivers more screen space to multitask throughout the day and  a new design that delivers a 13.4-inch display in an 11-inch form factor—fitting neatly on an airplane tray.
• In the Secured-Core PC family, the HP Elite Dragonfly has built-in Tile technology, which allows users to use an intuitive app to help you find your device near or far even when your PC is turned off. It also contains ocean-bound plastics in the speaker covers, and the outer box packaging is 100% sustainably sourced.
• The Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 has up to 10th Gen Intel Core i7 with Intel Iris Plus graphics. It also includes hands-free login and auto-logoff via IR camera and Windows Hello, plus an adjustable Smart Battery that transitions capability based on usage behavior, temperature and whether the device is plugged in.
• Combining productivity with a premium experience, the Samsung Galaxy Book Flex α provides the experience of a laptop with the mobility and flexibility of a smartphone. The 2-in-1 PC delivers a super-bright display that allows you to enjoy the screen’s 100% color volume and vibrant picture in almost any lighting with up to 17.5-hours of battery life.

From 1.0 to 10 and beyond

From pioneering seamless touch and pen experiences to enabling biometric log-in with Windows Hello, and with experiences like the Your Phone app, enabling Android users to connect their phone to their PC—Microsoft strive to meet people where they are.

Also, this innovation continues, bringing Windows to the cloud to make Windows 10 through Azure and virtual machines available on nearly every platform, from Mac to iOS or even Chromebooks. They will strive to make Windows the most accessible operating system on the planet regardless of where Microsoft users are, or what device they are on.

Reaching a billion people with Windows 10 is just the beginning. Microsoft will invest in Windows not only within Windows 10 for PCs but also across many other Windows editions, serving diverse customer needs including Windows IoT, Windows 10 Teams edition for Surface Hub, Windows Server, Windows Mixed Reality on HoloLens, Windows 10 in S mode, Windows 10X and more. (Source: Windows Blog post)

Future of Windows 10

Windows 10’s May 2020 Update is nearly here. Code-named 20H1 during development, this is Windows 10 version 2004. It’s much bigger than Windows 10’s November 2019 update but still feels like a collection of useful improvements.

Microsoft is close to releasing a final, stable version of the May 2020 Update.  When it is, you can head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and you’ll be offered the update.

If you want the update early before testing is finished, you can join the Release Preview update track on your Windows 10 PC by heading to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Insider Program, enabling Insider builds on your system, and selecting “Just fixes, apps, and drivers.” You’ll receive early versions of Windows 10 updates and apps before they’re released to the wider public.

More Control Over Optional Updates

Windows Update automatically installs many updates, but some updates are optional. Now, there’s a new screen that shows all these updates in one place.

Hardware driver updates, big feature updates like the May 2020 Update itself, and monthly non-security quality updates like the C and D updates.

To find this screen after updating to the May 2020 Update, head to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update > View optional updates. You can then choose which updates you might want to install.

Windows Update will still automatically install many hardware driver updates, but sometimes there are additional updates that may not automatically be installed. In the past, you had to dig through the Device Manager and select a specific device to update. Now, all optional hardware driver updates will appear on this screen. Microsoft says “if you’re having a problem, one of those optional drivers might help.”

New Cortana Experience

Microsoft is advertising a “new Cortana experience” with a “brand-new chat-based UI.” You can now type queries to Cortana rather than say them out loud. The history of your conversation with Cortana will appear as if it was a chat window, so you can see the results of recent queries just by opening Cortana from the taskbar.

The Cortana panel is now a more normal window, too. You can resize it and move it around on your desktop by dragging the title bar, just like other windows. It supports both Windows 10’s light and dark themes, too.

Beyond the new design, Microsoft says it has “updated Cortana with new speech and language models” as well as “significantly improved performance” of the voice assistant. Microsoft says you’ll be able to use Cortana in any of its supported languages, even if your Windows operating system is set to use a display language Cortana doesn’t support.

Cortana Loses Support for Smart Home Skills

Cortana is now all business. Rather than trying to be a do-everything smart assistant that competes with Amazon’s Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple’s Siri, Cortana is focusing on productivity.

Microsoft says that “as part of Cortana’s evolution into a personal productivity assistant in Microsoft 365,” it’s making some changes. Many “consumer skills” like support for music services, connected smart home devices, and other third-party skills have been removed.

Cortana can still help you send emails, review calendar items, find files, search the web, set alarms, and open apps. Cortana can still tell you a joke, too. But don’t expect Cortana to control your smart home’s lighting or music-streaming service anymore.

You can now download and use Amazon Alexa on any Windows 10 PC, so there’s still a way to accomplish these tasks from Windows.

There are various other new features coming up for windows 10 which you can check at here.