Microsoft announced Windows 10 Anniversary Edition today at the Build 2016 developer conference, giving developers and users a look at upcoming changes to Windows. The update will include more Windows Hello features, push the Windows Store front and center with a tool for converting traditional Win32 apps, and offer all sorts of new features for Windows Ink: Microsoft’s stylus support.
This free update is coming this summer, but will be available to Windows Insider subscribers soon.
The keynote began with a quick burn on Apple.
“On behalf of the entire Windows team, we’re happy to welcome all of these customers to Windows 10,” said Terry Myerson, Microsoft VP of the Windows and Devices group. “Whether they have a new PC, a five-year old PC, or a brand new Mac, welcome, join us, on Windows 10.”
Myerson was clearly making a reference to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who recently said it was “sad” that so many people are still using 5-year-old PCs. But the keynote quickly pivoted to talk about new features in Windows 10, notably about changes to the Windows Store.
Ever since Windows 8 there have been two kinds of Windows apps: the traditional Win32 applications most of us spend our days using, and the apps that have been referred to as “Metro,” “Modern,” “Windows 10 Store,” and “Universal” apps at one point or another. These Universal apps are offered in the Windows Store, and take advantages of APIs that other applications don’t have access to, doing things like interfacing with Cortana and showing updates in the Start Menu via their icons.
But Microsoft is announcing that Win32 applications can now be submitted to the Windows Store, thanks to a new technology that will convert them into Universal apps. Such developers will also have access to the Windows 10 APIs.
“Every innovation … is only as powerful as the ecosystem that rallies around it,” said Kevin Gallo, Director of Windows Developer Platform at Microsoft. The company is hoping these changes will bring more developers to the Windows Store ecosystem.
The most visually interesting updates related to Windows Ink, Microsoft’s stylus for touchscreen devices. A showy presentation by Bryan Roper demonstrated the upcoming new feature, and managed to do the impossible: make sticky notes interesting.
“We want to combine the naturalness and the speed of a piece of paper with the power of the PC,” said Roper.
During the presentation Roper wrote, by hand, “Call mom tomorrow” in a sticky note. Windows 10 recognized the word “tomorrow” and instantly highlighted that in blue, then added a reminder to Cortana to “call mom” with a deadline of “tomorrow.” Other features included markings on a mountain map staying in place on when the topography was rotated.
A particularly cool feature that editors will love: markup done with Ink becomes actionable in Word. For example: if you cross out text, Word will delete it.
“I’m going to re-visit some childhood trauma here with teachers marking red on my paper,” joked Roper, before crossing out a bunch of text. It disappeared with a smooth animation.
There’s also Ink integration with PowerPoint, allowing you to use a ruler to draw straight lines and other design elements.
The virtual ruler was everywhere: a new app called Sketchpad that offers all sorts of Ink integration, including that and other tools for drawing free-hand in a precise way.
“The tech is not getting in the way, it’s enabling, and that’s the goal,” said Roper.
Another new feature: third party apps will be able to take advantage of Windows Hello, meaning transactions can be confirmed using biometrics. Support for this feature is also being added to Windows Edge, and websites can implement support for the feature. USAA is also going to support the feature.
But developers who want to confirm identity within their Windows apps will also have access to the fingerprint scanner and other biometrics features supported by numerous PCs.
It’s going to be interesting to see how these and other developments turn out, and we’ll be watching closely. Stay tuned.
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.
I've spent a good amount of time digging into the spec sheet of the new M6 MacBook Pro (14-inch), and for all intents and purposes, this is a classic Apple "chip and connectivity" refresh. It's not a full redesign. The chassis, Liquid Retina XDR panel, speakers, ports, and battery, all of them carry over unchanged.
However, the M6 brings more cores, stronger on-device AI, higher memory bandwidth on the larger configs, and modern wireless. Here’s the practical rundown of what actually improved, and whether those gains are worth your money.