All eyes in the computing world were on San Francisco yesterday, as Microsoft revealed details of their next new operating system. In a move that won’t surprise anybody who’s ever watched the “estimated time remaining” on a Windows progress bar, they have chosen to skip the number 9 and follow Windows 8 with Windows 10.

It may be a move intended to break the “even number” superstition that abounds in some IT circles – that even-numbered versions of Windows, or those released on an even-numbered year – are doomed to flop. (Whilst it’s been announced on an even-numbered year, Windows 10 won’t hit shelves until 2015 – an odd numbered year.)

Whatever the reason behind the numbering, Windows 10 is already being touted as a success, solving many of the issues that users had with Windows 8.

The biggest of these changes is the return of the beloved Start menu, removed in Windows 8 and much-missed by users. In addition to the standard applications list familiar to users of Windows 7 and before, it will bring up resizable tiles similar to those used in Windows 8 – a quick view of notifications from your email and Facebook accounts, weather forecast information and similar.

Designed to work across a wide range of devices, including phones, tablets and Xbox consoles as well as desktop and laptop PCs, the behaviour of the new OS will depend on which type of device you’re using. This means that, unlike with Windows 8, users won’t need to switch between touch screen mode and traditional interface mode; users of hybrid laptop/tablet machines will be able to spread live tiles across the screens which will be easy to use with either a mouse click or a finger press.

Windows 10 may be more tempting to businesses than its immediate predecessor – although businesses usually pick up on new operating systems a year after release, it’s been two years since Windows 8 went on sale and adoption in the workplace is still low. According to research firm NetMarketShare, less than 13% of all desktop PCs are running either Windows 8 or 8.1 – compared to almost 53% using Windows 7 and almost 24% still using the now un-supported Windows XP.

One interesting feature – familiar to users of Apple’s OS X – is the ability to have multiple desktops, grouping your applications to make multitasking easier.

The details we’ve seen so far are, of course, just the first preview, but we will certainly be keeping an eye on new information as it becomes available.

Whatever operating system you use, if you need IT services in London here at Tristar IT we’ll be happy to hear from you. Contact us today on 01707 378453 for a free quote and IT health check, and find out how we can help your business.