Digits.
In a blog post, Windows boss Terry Myerson on Thursday gave new details about how Microsoft planned to launch Windows 10, the next version of its operating system for PCs and mobile devices. The July 29 release of Windows 10 should cement Microsoft’s hold on computers, though the company has faced several challenges in breaking into the mobile market.
BEIJING—Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi Corp. showed signs of slowing growth Thursday, as it announced smartphone sales of 34.7 million units in the first half of the year, less than half its full-year target.In a new Windows blog post Terry Myerson, Microsoft VP of Operating Systems, gave us just weeks notice that Windows 10 will now have a staggered roll-out and the vast majority of upgraders will actually have to wait in line. “Starting on July 29, we will start rolling out Windows 10 to our Windows Insiders,” explains Myerson. “From there, we will start notifying reserved systems in waves, slowly scaling up after July 29th. Broken down further, Windows 7 is the most popular (60.98%), well ahead of the newer version of the system, Windows 8.1 (13.2%) and, even more surprising, Windows XP (11.98%).
Xiaomi faces a challenging year as China’s smartphone market becomes more saturated and as competition picks up from local rivals like Lenovo Group Ltd. Each day of the roll-out, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all Windows 10 users.” Yes that means the Windows Insiders (Windows 10 beta testers) are the only day one candidates and everyone else should brace themselves for a longer wait.
First in line, Myerson wrote, would be people who participated in Microsoft’s “insider” program for Windows 10, essentially a crowd-sourced stress test of the software. After spending a few days with the latest builds, it’s easy to see why Microsoft is increasing its pace of releases, and it’s also easy to see why the Windows Insider Program is needed.
It will include several new features, such as a new “Start” menu, integration of the Cortana intelligent assistant, a new look Windows Store, new Maps, Photos and Xbox apps, the Microsoft Edge web browser, a “Continuum” mode and even the now famous Candy Crush game. – AFP Relaxnews Xiaomi Chairman Lei Jun said in a statement the figures were an “excellent report card” against the industry conditions. “Even with the China smartphone market slowing down, we did a stellar job of posting a 33% growth on last year’s numbers,” he said. That said, while Windows 10 itself has continued to impress with each new beta, Myerson’s blog post is representative of wider Microsoft failings during this time – most notably a complete failure to clearly convey the launch details themselves.
My Surface managed to pick up the update on Wednesday morning (for reasons I don’t understand) and I’ve now made it onto the build Microsoft released Thursday. Microsoft’s cautious approach is understandable given the ubiquity of Windows, and the fact that the company wants to avoid some of the snags that have plagued previous operating system upgrades.
Microsoft’s efforts at bug smashing are bearing fruit as well: My Surface no longer makes an annoying popping noise while it’s sleeping, for example. For everyone else, you’d better have clicked that “Get Windows 10” prompt that mysteriously showed up in your Windows toolbar to reserve your digital copy of the OS, because those will also be rolling out in waves.
Then again you can rise above this latest case of Microsoft foot in mouth because there’s a simple workaround to ensure you are part of the free day one upgraders… And Microsoft did indicate that there will be a path for power users to grab Windows 10 manually on or after July 29, though no specifics on how that might work were provided. The lowercase “e” icon that now stands for Edge will be instantly familiar to anyone who has used Internet Explorer, though that similarity actually belies a rendering engine that has been rebuilt from the ground up. Internet Explorer 11, which is still included with Windows 10 for sites that work better with the older browser, suggests people try Edge the first time they open it.
Editorial staffers at the new media pioneer Salon.com said Thursday they had voted to join the Writers Guild of America, East, following in the footsteps of employees at Gawker Media who moved to do the same last month. “In the wake of the Gawker staff’s vote to organize with the WGAE, we see an opportunity to help establish standards and practices in Internet journalism. Launching this way lets Microsoft iron out these issues slowly, relying on its most dedicated and enthusiastic users to help spot the bugs—instead of facing a potential backlash by releasing a “finished” OS to everyone simultaneously. It’s an exciting moment for our field, and we want Salon to be at the forefront of change,” read a letter posted to the union’s website that was signed by 26 members of the website’s editorial staff. “Salon has, from its very inception, proudly embraced progressive values and a commitment to our workers and to labor. Edge still features the same clean design that it sported as Project Spartan, though it now has a new menu for sharing Web pages along with a handful of other new features.
Edge’s settings menu is also home to a new theme drop-down that lets people choose from the browser’s default light theme or a dark theme that turns its user interface black and dark gray. Legere seemed to praise Sprint for keeping its chin up in the hypercompetitive industry—but then he quickly called out the company’s “All In” marketing efforts as a fail. The app itself doesn’t actually do any of the heavy lifting for the user, but just provides a set of instructions about how to set up apps like OneNote and Skype on a Windows Phone handset, iPhone or Android smartphone.
Yep, you heard that right—Microsoft is providing instructions for using its competitors’ mobile platforms inside Windows 10, if only for the purpose of getting them to use the company’s services. Legere’s Twitter account that followed a typical theme: People are generally frustrated with their telecom service, either because of excessive fees or substandard service; T-Mobile is the “uncarrier.” In other words, we’re not like those other guys you hate. The Phone Companion app also lets users see how much storage space is left on their device when they plug it in and in some cases move data to and from their phone.
Thursday’s update brought a new tips feature that suggests people use new features in Windows 10 so they can familiarize themselves with the operating system. In one, he said he was tired of T-Mobile’s “Uncarrier bull—,” and said the uppity rival is worse than Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the Nos. 1 and 2 carriers, together. “You say one thing but behave completely differently,” Mr. It tries to tell users about things they haven’t tried, but it doesn’t have that data on longtime Windows 10 users, so it starts educating them from scratch. The heated exchange reflects the cutthroat nature of the telecom business: an endlessly revolving door of customers going from one carrier to another and trying to squeeze out the most data for the least amount of money, all while owning the latest hot, expensive smartphone at little cost. The past several builds have also brought small fit-and-finish improvements, like a change to Cortana that causes the virtual assistant’s icon to bounce slightly and prompt a user to interact with it when they log in.
But the plans aren’t necessarily any simpler to understand, and they allow plenty of room for the rivals to snipe at each other over hidden fees and shoddy service. My Surface Pro 3 is still waiting to get firmware updates from May and June because of a bug in the way updates are handled, and I recently erased its contents in order to try and get an update. Shyp, which helps customers mail packages, on Wednesday became the latest startup to convert its workers from contractor status to part-time or full-time employees, wading into what has become a central concern in Silicon Valley.
The San Francisco on-demand company sends couriers to people’s homes or businesses to retrieve and package items they want to ship, typically charging a $5 fee and the cost of postage. All of that said, if you absolutely must have Windows 10 now and you’re not afraid to get your hands a little dirty with updates, this is the best time yet to give it a shot. (Just be careful.) Shyp said it has hundreds of couriers in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Miami and New York, all of which it will convert to employee status early next year. When the company expands into Chicago this summer it will hire all of its couriers, making them eligible for benefits like health care and workers’ compensation. Shyp’s move adds weight to a debate about the sustainability of dozens of startups that rely on a cheap, flexible workforce to deliver food, shuttle commuters and cart packages.