windowscentral.com
The best of Microsoft in 2016
Zac Bowden
This is Microsoft's 2016.
Microsoft had a tremendous year in 2016, with several jaw-dropping
announcements that have taken the technology industry by storm. Many
have even called Microsoft the new Apple, which is a compliment in and
of itself. Still, with 2017 fast approaching, it's time to take a look
back at Microsoft's biggest moments in 2016 and prepare for an entire
new year.
Windows 10 Anniversary Update
This year saw Microsoft release its first major feature update for
Windows 10. Dubbed the "Anniversary Update", this release featured
improvements to the Start Menu, Action Center, Settings and Microsoft
Edge, and introduced new features such as Windows Ink, Windows Hello in
the browser, and a whole lot more.
The Anniversary Update began rolling out on August 2nd for all Windows
10 users, and now accounts for around 86% of the Windows 10 market.
That's incredible, and excellent news for developers as it means they
don't have to worry too much about fragmentation between the different
Windows 10 releases.
Windows 10 Mobile also benefited greatly from the Anniversary Update, as
it was the first Windows 10 Mobile release that felt complete. It mended
several software bugs, improved performance, and brought full Windows 10
and Windows 10 Mobile much closer together.
Universal Windows Platform
The Universal Windows Platform went even more universal this year, with
Microsoft announcing Universal Apps for Xbox One. This unleashed a whole
new market of apps for the Xbox, essentially turning it into a very
basic PC. Developers can now build apps that target Full Windows 10,
Windows 10 Mobile, HoloLens, IoT and Xbox One.
That's an incredible feat, especially considering that Microsoft is one
of the first building a universal platform that works across this many
types of devices. Developers can now build apps for over 20 million Xbox
One's, using the same tools and assets used to build apps for full
Windows 10. Impressive.
Not only that, but Microsoft announced a new feature called Xbox Play
Anywhere, which allows developers to build one game for Xbox One and
Windows 10, and have that game sync cloud saves and licenses across
those devices. This means Xbox Play Anywhere games can run on both Xbox
One and Windows 10, incredible!
Project Scorpio
Microsoft surprised the entire gaming industry this year by announcing
its brand new console, scheduled to launch in the fall of 2017, a whole
year early. Microsoft originally had no plans to announce Project
Scorpio in 2016, but with looming pressure coming from Sony and the
PlayStation 4 Pro, the company felt they needed to get something out
there and let gamers know Microsoft is serious about 4K gaming.
The Project Scorpio announcement delivered, hyping up gamers across the
globe, and even piquing the interest of gamers on other platforms.
Microsoft is building the most powerful console yet — even more so than
the mighty PlayStation 4 Pro — and delivering 4K 60fps at the "highest
quality pixels"… whatever that means.
Project Scorpio may have been one of Microsoft's biggest announcements
in 2016, and we can't wait to see what they've got planned for the
platform in 2017.
HoloLens goes on sale
Microsoft HoloLens was unveiled in January 2015, but it wasn't until
earlier this year that developers could openly go and buy one and have
them to use/develop on at home. HoloLens going on sale marked the first
step at bringing a fully featured HoloLens product to the market for
consumers, and although that hasn't happened yet, getting HoloLens into
the hands of developers allows Microsoft to build up a healthy ecosystem
of HoloApps that take advantage of the HoloShell.
What's more, HoloLens recently went on sale in a number of new
countries, including the United Kingdom, France and Australia. Now even
more developers can get building HoloLens apps!
Surface Studio
Microsoft blew our faces off with its Surface Studio announcement this
year. It was known for some time that the company were interested in
building an All-In-One PC, but we didn't know exactly what they had
planned. When the unveiling finally arrived, it got people talking.
The Surface Studio is a one of a kind All-In-One designed for
professionals and creators, and has essentially put Microsoft back on
the map for professionals whom are currently tied to Mac. What's more,
the unveiling video used a variation of the song "Pure Imagination",
which we think played a small part in making said unveiling video go viral.
With over 10 million views on YouTube, the Surface Studio unveiling is
the most viewed Surface unveiling video to date, beating the likes of
the Surface Pro 3, Surface Book and original Surface RT. That's no small
feat, and something we should all be impressed with.
Windows 10 Creators Update
The Creators Update is the next major version of Windows 10, scheduled
to launch in early 2017 and is bringing several new features designed
for creators. New features such as Paint 3D, HoloShell for VR, People
Bar, better syncing between devices, and a whole lot more are all
scheduled to show up with the Creators Update.
What's more, the Creators Update will be the first Windows 10 release
that features Cortana on IoT devices, allowing hardware makers to build
devices dedicated to Cortana, like the Amazon Echo and Google Home. This
is a big deal, and it's exciting to see Microsoft building Cortana into
more areas of Windows 10, including the set-up experience as unveiled
recently.
Microsoft has also improved the way major updates are delivered, no
longer requiring the user to download an entire new version of Windows
every time a major update is released. With the Creators Update, only
the new bits and pieces that have been changed will be downloaded,
shrinking download sizes dramatically and hopefully speeding up the
upgrade process overall.
Windows 10 on ARM
This is probably the biggest and most noteworthy announcement to come
out of Microsoft in 2016: they're bringing full Windows 10, with Win32
app support, to ARM phone processors. Yes, that means the Windows 10 you
know and love can run on the new Snapdragon 835 processor, opening up a
whole new world of opportunities for hardware makers.
Imagine a super thin Windows 10 PC with excellent battery, powered by a
Snapdragon CPU. Or maybe even a smartphone that transforms into a full
Windows 10 PC when docked — not Continuum, a full PC. These kinds of
devices are now possible now that full Windows 10 is coming to ARM.
The most important part about this announcement is that Microsoft is
also bringing Win32 support to these ARM devices. Microsoft's previous
attempts at ARM devices — Windows RT — saw classic and essential Win32
apps left out and led to RT's failure, but with Windows 10 on ARM,
Microsoft is building emulation right into the OS.
What's next?
Microsoft had a tremendous year in 2016, and now it's time to look
forward to 2017. What could next year possibly hold for Microsoft? Will
they finally announce a Surface Phone? Will we see full PC games on
Project Scorpio? Perhaps a Surface 4 with an ARM CPU? Who knows!
--
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
Feel free to visit my Web site
WWW.DavidGoldfield.Info
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