Windows 10: Microsoft Gives Sneak Peek Of New Devices

Microsoft gave attendees of Computex 2015 a preview of new devices from HP, Dell, Toshiba, and other hardware partners that will be released with Windows 10 installed.

Nick Parker, vice president at Microsoft’s OEM Division, revealed the new products at the end of the keynote speech that first focused on the new, already known concepts of Windows 10 such as Cortana, Edge, and Windows Hello.

With the release of Windows 10 coming in July and upgrades being free to users, Parker sees a big window of opportunity for Windows.

“600 million of those PCs of that 1.5 billion installed base of Windows users are over four years old. That is real opportunity for us to build solid business and solid new growth from.”

Parker said that while some existing products will run Windows 10 once the upgrade is available, the new devices that were revealed were built with the Windows 10 operating system in mind.

A total of nine new products, including all-in-one PCs, tablets, convertibles, and some ultra-small form factor PCs, were debuted for Windows 10 at Computex 2015.

Asus released multiple devices earlier in the week, and Parker highlighted multiple all-in-one devices, the Acer Z3-710, the Asus Zen AiO Z240, as well the previously announced Transformer Book T100HA.

The T100HA is a follow-up to the T100 Windows 8 2-in-1 device, and will be equipped with Windows 10 the USB Type-C port that is included in Apple’s 12-inch MacBook.

The Zen AiO Z240, which will have a top-of-the-line Intel i7 processor, 3D camera, and a graphics chip Microsoft deemed suitable for gaming, was also released by Asus during its own event, but Microsoft gave it some time in the spotlight for how well Windows 10 will work with the new devices for at-home use.

The Acer Z3-710 is just 1.4 inches thick, and is an all-in-one device with a built-in battery.

With the introduction of so many all-in-one PCs for Windows 10, Parker said that the devices had been a great “growth category” for Windows.

Another new Windows 10 2-in-1 device was the latest member in the x2 series from HP. The device is ultra portable at 11.6 inches, has magnetic hinges for flexibility, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Like the new HP tablet, which is said to have “revolutionary note-taking abilities” using Windows 10, the device will have pen functionality that allows users to write directly in Edge, Microsoft’s new substitute for Internet Explorer.

Windows Hello, the new face-recognition program within Windows 10 that hopes to get rid of the need for passwords, will be put to work with yet another 2-in-1, the Toshiba Astera. It also has a high-resolution 4K screen.

From Dell, Parker revealed details about a new version of a 15-inch XPS laptop being developed for Windows 10. Like the 13-inch XPS, it will have the “virtually borderless” InfinityEdge display.

As the July 29 launch date for Windows 10 gets closer, Parker said consumers can expect to see more products announced from Microsoft’s hardware partners.

Among those will be more smartphones that will be compatible with, and maximize, the capabilities of Windows 10.

[Photo By Nick Statt / CNET]