Windows 10 Release Date: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

For all you Bill Gates fanboys out there, the big day for Windows 10 is coming soon. Microsoft has announced that the newest operating system will be released on July 29. It will be available online in digital form and in stores.

Here’s what you need to know:


1. Windows 7 & 8.1 Users Get the Upgrade for Free

The company has been teasing the release of Windows 10 with users ever since it was first announced back ing January 2015. As of today, June 1, you can register for Windows 10. You won’t get the system until July 29. It will be free for Windows 7 and 8.1 users. Sadly, it won’t be available for mobile users in July, with no date being announced for that roll out.


2. The Old Start Menu Will be Returning

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Gates shows off a mobile PC prototype in 2005. (Getty)

While it will be slightly “fuller,” according to Microsoft, the old start menu will be returning to Windows. If the Charms Menu is still your think, a simple change in the Settings and Control Panel will bring that back for you. Also gone is Internet Explorer, finally. It’s the era of Microsoft Edge, the new web browser designed to compete with Google Chrome. According to Microsoft’s press release:

With Windows 10, we start delivering on our vision of more personal computing, defined by trust in how we protect and respect your personal information, mobility of the experience across your devices, and natural interactions with your Windows devices, including speech, touch, ink, and holograms.

We designed Windows 10 to run our broadest device family ever, including Windows PCs, Windows tablets, Windows phones, Windows for the Internet of Things, Microsoft Surface Hub, Xbox One and Microsoft HoloLens—all working together.


3. Meet Cortana, Microsoft’s Answer to Siri & Google Now

Already familiar to Microsoft mobile users, the company’s digital personal assistant, Cortana, will be coming to desktop. The service will be built into Edge. Bill Gates and his cronies have said that Cortana will be a more secure service than its competitors. The service is voiced by actress Jen Taylor, who voiced Cortana in Microsoft’s hit game Halo.


4. Get Ready to Save Significant Storage Space

Windows 10 Release Date

(Getty)

The compression free algorithm being used in Windows 10 will allow for users to save between 1.5GB and 2.6GB. In a blog post, the company says “Through the capacity savings of system compression and recovery enhancements, Windows devices can be lightweight and highly mobile, yet, when you need it, have the full capabilities of the Windows OS.”


5. There Will Be a ‘Flipping the Bird’ Emoji

(Getty)

(Getty)

According to Emojipedia, as part of the new emojis being made available with Windows 10, one of them will allow you to flip people off via text. The middle finger emoji isn’t supported by Android or Apple right now. So there.