Windows 10 launch confirmed for Summer 2015

Microsoft officially announced Windows 10 will be launched sometime this summer in 190 countries in 111 languages. The goal is to get as many people as possible to Windows 10, as we wrote earlier this year on DV Hardware, Microsoft will be offering Windows 10 for free to anyone running Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone 8.1 for the first year after it is released. The new blog post at the Windows Blog reveals more about upgrade initiatives in China, which has a very persistent Windows XP userbase.

Additionally, Microsoft announced Windows 10 will introduce Windows Hello, a biometric authentication method:

Windows Hello* will make Windows 10 more personal by providing instant access to your devices through biometric authentication – using your face, iris or fingerprint to unlock your devices – with technology that is significantly safer than traditional passwords. We’re working closely with our hardware partners to deliver Windows Hello-capable devices that will ship with Windows 10. We are thrilled that all OEM systems incorporating the Intel RealSense F200 sensor will fully support Windows Hello, including automatic sign-in to Windows. You can read more about Windows Hello here.

And said it will release a light-weight, free version of Windows for Internet of Things devices:

For the first time, a new version of Windows for small footprint IoT devices will be available – for free – when Windows 10 launches. Windows 10 will offer versions of Windows for a diverse set of IoT devices, ranging from powerful devices like ATMs and ultrasound machines, to resource constrained devices like gateways. Through key partnerships with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Intel, Qualcomm and others, we will provide great options for commercial devices builders, hobbyists and students.