The company shared how it wants to be the first ever platform to be available on one billion devices, highlighting how Android and iOS are no where near this mark. Those systems are limited to just phones and tablets compared with the much broader range of devices Windows 10 will be able to run on.
With Windows 10 for phones, phablets, tablets small and large, computers, Xbox and wearables alongside versions for the Internet of Things and Microsoft’s HoloLens holographic system, Microsoft has an enormous range of devices to target which combined could allow it to reach its ambitious target.
Writing on the Windows blog after the Build keynote, Terry Myerson explains how the company is going to set about achieving the goal, saying “We will accomplish this by delivering Windows 10 with a free upgrade offer, making it easy for customers and businesses to upgrade quickly, and with great new devices (which we haven’t discussed yet).”
Much of this ambition will be driven by the new expanded Universal Windows app platform. Developers will be able to write one app and have it intelligently resize to fit whichever device type it is running on, whether it be a 4-inch phone or 40-inch TV hooked up to an Xbox One.
Additionally, the creativity of Android and iOS developers will now be able to make its way to Windows with new official tools for the porting and compiling of both Java/C++ Android code and Objective-C iOS code to Windows.
It remains to be seen how popular Windows 10 will be received by consumers but it has been attracting large amounts of attention. With a refreshed interface, new system sounds, enhanced tablet compatibility, Cortana built-in and a long-overdue replacement for Internet Explorer, it could be enough to get people to upgrade — especially when that upgrade will be free for Windows 8 and Windows 7 users.
