Windows 10 will make its public debut in just 7 days, and the whole world’s getting ready for this big moment, as it represents a crucial launch for Microsoft and its partners, who are expecting bigger sales from July 29 onwards.
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella says that he’s confident that Windows 10 can help the recovery of the PC ecosystem and explains that the new OS version has what it takes “to return Windows to growth,” especially because it tackles several platforms at a time and could attract both more users and developers.
In a conference call to announce the company’s financial results for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2015, Nadella has revealed that more than 2,000 devices running Windows 10 are already being worked on and some will become available from day 1.
“While the PC ecosystem has been under pressure recently, I do believe that Windows 10 will broaden our economic opportunity and return Windows to growth. First, we have an OEM ecosystem that is creating exciting new hardware designs for Windows 10. In fact, our OEM partners have over 2,000 distinct devices or configurations already in testing for Windows 10 upgrades as well as hundreds of new hardware designs,” he goes on to detail.
Can Windows 10 boost PC sales?
The biggest question is if Windows 10 can really boost PC sales, given the fact that it will be offered free of charge to those running genuine Windows 7 or 8.1 on their computers.
Some say it can’t, especially because it’s hard to find a reason to purchase a new computer as long as existing configurations can run the new OS flawlessly, but Microsoft points out that, in order to get the most out of the new OS, it’s always better to get a new PC.
Features such as Windows Hello, the new biometric authentication system bundled into Windows 10, will indeed require new hardware that’s not available yet, but it remains to be seen how many people will actually buy a new computer to benefit from them.