Microsoft’s Windows 10 will finally be available on July 29, complete with full Cortana and Xbox integration support.
It was only nine months ago when Microsoft revealed it would dive straight into Windows 10, an operating system that united desktop, mobile, and gaming devices across a single platform. Since then we’ve learned of several features worth getting excited about – not the least of which was a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users. The only remaining question was when it would finally be released, but now we have the answer: Windows 10’s availability date is July 29, 2015.
To switch to Windows 10, you’ll have to reserve the upgrade in the Get Windows 10 app – which should be sitting in your taskbar now. From there the app will notify you when the upgrade is available, which can be scheduled for a convenient time.
That’s well and good, but what kind of features will Windows 10 offer? First of all, Halo‘s Cortana will arrive on your devices as a digital personal assistant and answer to Apple’s Siri. Internet Explorer will be removed in favor of Microsoft Edge, a streamlined browser with built-in commenting and Cortana integration. Windows 10 users will also get access to the full Office 2016 suite, including universal applications for Word, Excel, and Powerpoint.
On the gaming front, the Xbox app will let you stream PC games directly to your Xbox One or Windows 10 tablet. Video capture and editing is also supported with Game DVR, as is playing with friends across devices. Finally Windows 10 is designed to fully support DirectX 12, which will herald several Xbox exclusives arriving on PC at later dates.
And that’s not even getting into features like the upgraded Windows Store or updated apps that function between devices. Combined there’s a very solid chance of Windows 10 being the most popular Microsoft OS since the beloved Windows 7. Will you be getting the upgrade at launch?
