Windows 10: Make Or Break For Microsoft

It was around the final quarter of 2014 that Microsoft began openly laying the groundwork for the 2015 release of its Windows 10 operating system (it will make its official debut on July 29th this year). Since that time, the company has been steadily releasing Technical Previews after another so that users not affiliated with Microsoft could do some testing of the operating system and then provide some (hopefully) helpful feedback. Fast forward to this month and just a few days before the OS debuts, Windows 10 looks to be ready, at least based on its latest build.

Make no mistake about it -- if Windows 10 manages a successful launch, it would definitely do wonders for Microsoft’s current state. The company knows that it failed big when it launched Windows 8, the predecessor of Windows 10 (there is no Windows 9), about three years ago. Many Microsoft users complained when they no longer can locate the Start menu in the Start screen. What’s worse, the Microsoft team incorporated the interface with loads of hidden features that were kinda useless and just downright confusing. During that time, sales of PCs were already dropping, and the release of Windows 8 did not help much in improving it. 

But with the upcoming launch of Windows 10, Microsoft gets another chance at getting back to its game. Also, this new OS, which unifies software apps for both personal computers and mobile devices, may be the company’s best and only way to get into the mobile market. 

And to do that, Microsoft will need to have a product that should be more or less fully formed by the time July 29 rolls in. This is why the Technical Previews that the company released throughout the last few months play such a crucial role. They give the Microsoft team the opportunity to further discover bugs and fix them, and at the same time, try out some new features and gauge how testers respond to them.

Interestingly, in preparing for the upcoming July 29th launch, Microsoft has ceased releasing any previews for now. Instead, the company wants testers to focus on testing the Windows 10 upgrade process, which means that new features and fixes will be delivered via Windows updates.

And despite having July 29 as its official launch date, Windows 10 will actually be deployed in multiple phases. Those who signed up under the Windows Insider Program will likely get the OS first, and then on the same day, various manufacturers of PCs will be releasing new products that have Windows 10 pre-installed. As for others, they may have to wait for a number of weeks or months. The next to receive their Windows 10 upgrade will be the users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 who have reserved the new OS.