Nine things to know about Windows 10

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella has announced Windows 10 will be free of charge for some users. But who are they? What’s new? And what happened to Windows 9?

Here are nine things we think you need to know about Windows 10…

1. Who receives a free upgrade?

Windows 7 and 8 and Windows Phone users will be eligible for a free upgrade to Windows 10 for one year after its release.

2. When is it due to be released?

Autumn 2015.

3. What’s new?

Quite a lot. The same operating system will be brought to all devices: PCs; tablets; mobile phones; and the Xbox.

Cortana – Microsoft’s voice-controlled assistant – will be available on PCs.

Internet Explorer will be replaced by a browser codenamed ‘Spartan’. This will include a special ‘noting mode’, enabling users to write over, or make notes on, a Web page, then share it with other people.

4. Anything else?

Microsoft also unveiled a ‘HoloLens headset’; reality see-through lenses, which are expected to allow users to see 3D renderings