Phoenix IT Company Weighs in On Windows 10 Timeline

Microsoft Windows has been an all-time favorite computer OS for 35 years now. In a couple of weeks, Windows 7 OS will retire. Post this development, only Windows 10 and Windows 8.1 will remain operational. Today, we will share with you a clear roadmap on what to expect from Microsoft’s Windows 10 timeline and its release.

Looking back at the journey of Windows OS

Windows 1.0, the first Microsoft Windows OS, was launched on November 20, 1985. It was Microsoft’s reaction to Macintosh’s first PC-based graphic user interface (GUI) in 1984. This rivalry between Apple and Microsoft made them two of the biggest companies in the world. Combining these two companies’ values will give you the 10th best economy in the world. The world depends a lot on Microsoft and Apple, and Microsoft making major changes to their premier product can have a big impact on the world over. 

Over the years, Windows has been the leading single piece of software until mobile OSs came into being 20 years later. The Windows 3.1 OS launch in 1992 made Windows the most widely-used GUI-based OS, but Microsoft didn’t find true success until Windows 95 in 1994. With the release of Windows 95, Microsoft was left with no real competition.

After a few years of smaller updates, the company’s best-selling OS, Windows XP, was released. This OS turned out to be a mega-hit. More consumers started using Windows XP as compared to other operating systems. It created new benchmarks for individual and personal use cases and began an era of a modern OS. Five years after Microsoft retired Windows XP, you’ll still find 1.5 percent of computers running the OS.

Windows Vista was the successor of Windows XP, but the excellent Windows 7 operating system became more popular. While Windows 7 was a hit, Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 received lukewarm responses. But, Windows 10, which succeeded Windows 8, continued to be a popular version for four years now.

What is the Future of Windows?

Windows 10 is the  #1 PC OS globally, with over 60 percent of PCs now running the OS. So, what will be its future? The last 20 years have shown that the maximum gap between Microsoft OS rollout is four years. Microsoft plans to upgrade Windows 10 to get well-prepared for the future. Before the Windows 10 release, businesses faced the challenge of training their workforce to adopt a new OS every three to four years. The functionalities and features that end-users now expect would take more time to develop. By keeping the Windows 10 OS as a base for future enhancements, the company can offer superior functionality and security. 

There are more user expectations from today’s operating systems. Hence, it is imperative to update features, deploy dedicated patches, and ensure security updates. Maybe when Windows 8.1 retires in 2023, Windows 10 can be rebranded as just Windows and become Windows-as-a-service. Consequently, Windows 10 is set to evolve into one of the most agile products from Microsoft. 

With the retirement of Windows 7, we enter a new desktop computing phase. If you are interested to learn more about current Windows platforms, including windows server offerings, call expert IT professionals at MyTek, a Phoenix IT company, today at 623-312-2440.