Microsoft’s Build conference began this Monday, hosting major announcements by the tech giant, like Alexa and Cortana being now able to talk to each other, the Windows 10 timeline that will be added to both Android and iOS, and a powerful keynote led by CEO Satya Nadella in which he addressed the different ways AI is changing the world as we know it.
One of the undeniable highlights of this annual conference was Nadella’s input on the revolutionary ways artificial intelligence is changing the way the world is being developed. He also noted the effects this technology has had on lifestyle nowadays, spanning from thermostats and HoloLens to intelligent cloud and edge services.
The executive drew a comparison between AI and the industrial revolution, a time when humanity drastically shifted in only 20 years from being basically horse-powered to using automobiles and machinery as vehicles for development, exploiting electricity and fuel in order to achieve progress. However, AI and the cloud are just as revolutionary today, yet invisible as pointed out by the keynote speaker.
Windows 10 is now being used by over 700 million people
At this year’s Build conference, Microsoft announced that there are now around 700 million Windows 10 users all around the world. The stats are impressive due to the fact that last year it was reported that there were about 500 million users. However, in 2015, Microsoft announced that for the ongoing year at the time, the company’s goal was to reach 1 billion users. Speculation and projections suggest that this goal will be reached next year.
Upcoming Windows Timeline feature for Android and iOS
This feature will be added to Android through the Microsoft Launcher app and iOS users will get it as an update of the Edge app. The feature will allow users to pull up tasks or files that were being previously worked on as long as users are connected to their Microsoft accounts.
Your Phone app
This app will allow users to screen what is being displayed in the screen of their phone to their PCs serving as a mirror feature, allowing users to answer text messages and other media from the comfort of their Windows 10 devices.
The experience on this feature may vary depending on whether the user has an iOS or Android device, due to Android’s lack of restrictions, Microsoft will be able to mirror more features and be more dynamic. This feature will be released to the public this fall.
Higher numbers for share developers
At this Build conference, Microsoft revealed that now app and consumer apps, with the exception of games, will now receive 95% of the revenue earned by the app.
Microsoft revealed in a blog post “The new fee structure is applicable to purchases made on Windows 10 PCs, Windows Mixed Reality, Windows Phone, and Surface Hub devices and excludes purchases on Xbox consoles.”
Source: Forbes