Windows 10 available as a free upgrade on July 29, 2015

Windows 10 available as a free upgrade on July 29, 2015

· New Zealanders using Windows 7 or 8.1 on qualified devices to get free upgrade

· The return of the Start Menu, plus innovative features, create a more personal, productive and fun Windows experience

AUCKLAND, June 2, 2015 — Today Microsoft announced that Windows 10 will be available July 29 in 190 countries as a free upgrade to people using Windows 7 and Windows 8.1,* enabling hundreds of millions of people to upgrade to Windows 10 for free.

Frazer Scott, Marketing & Operations Director for Microsoft NZ, says the July 29 launch of Windows 10 will be a significant moment for New Zealand, as it will bring a new level of personal computing to both individuals and Kiwi businesses.

“Windows 10 empowers you to be more productive with a personal and natural experience that works across all your devices – phone, tablet, laptop, Xbox and PC. It’s familiar, yet better than ever, and will deliver ongoing feature innovations and security updates,” says Scott.

“What’s more – it’s easier than ever to upgrade, because from the 29th July, there will be a new icon appear on your PC’s System Tray: the Get Windows 10 App, which will provide an easy path to follow for getting your upgrade underway.”

Scott says there are currently around 2 million devices in New Zealand running either Windows 7 or 8.1, and Microsoft is forecasting hundreds of thousands more new Windows devices to ship to the New Zealand market this year.

“Windows 10 is a new generation of Windows designed to empower you to do great things,” said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft, from the company’s Redmond headquarters earlier today.

“Windows 10 starts to deliver 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,” says Myerson.

Familiar and Better than Ever
Windows 10 brings back the Start menu people know and love, while enabling them to easily find their files, pinned applications and favorites. Windows 10 starts fast, resumes fast and enables batteries to last longer than ever.

Providing the most secure platform, Windows 10 includes Windows Defender for free anti-malware protection, and a commitment to deliver free ongoing security updates for the supported lifetime of the device.

Optimised for both keyboard and touch, the Windows 10 upgrade is designed to be compatible with Windows device and applications.

A More Personal and Natural Experience
Windows 10 adapts to people for a more personal experience. Windows Hello** lets them log in to their PC without a password – providing instant, more secure access to their Windows 10 devices through biometric authentication.

Windows 10 also lets people interact with their device via the traditional mouse and keyboard, or through more natural ways such as voice, pen or gesture.

Be More Productive
Windows 10 will help people get more done with less effort than ever before. Microsoft Edge, the all-new browser designed to get things done online in new ways, offers built-in inking, sharing, and reading view.

Microsoft Edge offers quick results and content based on individual interests and preferences. Fast, streamlined and personal, Microsoft Edge empowers people to focus on just the content that matters to them and actively engage with the web.

With Office†, Windows 10 offers a consistent, touch-first experience across tablet and PC with new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Outlook.

Designed from the ground up to run on Windows, Office enables people to easily create and edit Word documents, annotate slides in real-time with inking features or easily present PowerPoint presentations, and create or update spreadsheets without a keyboard or mouse with new touch-first controls in Excel.

Work and Play the Way You Want Across Devices
Windows 10 offers a familiar and consistent experience across devices. Continuum enables devices to transform, enabling elegant transitions of a tablet into a PC, and back—and for a Windows phone to provide a rich desktop experience.#

Xbox on Windows 10 brings the expansive Xbox Live gaming network to both Windows 10 PCs and tablets. People can communicate with their friends on Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One while playing any PC game, and share content using Game DVR.

People can also stream games directly from their Xbox One console to their Windows 10 tablets or PCs. Games developed for DirectX 12 in Windows 10 will see improvements in speed, efficiency and graphics capability.

Upgrade Availability
On July 29, people can get Windows 10 for PCs and tablets by taking advantage of the free upgrade offer, or on new Windows 10 device retailers.

New Windows 8.1 devices will also easily upgrade to Windows 10 and many retail stores will help upgrade new devices. Starting today, people can reserve their free upgrade if they choose. More information is available at Windows.com.

Windows 10 for other devices will be available later this year.

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