The US software company has focused on its core business market while unveiling an "early technical preview" of next-generation Windows software slated for release next year.
Microsoft executives said the naming decision to skip right from Windows 8 to Windows 10 was intended to reflect that the new software will be a big leap and not a small change.
While pulling back the curtain on an early technical build of Windows 10, Microsoft heralded the operating system as a blend of what was best in the previous two iterations.
"This is what Windows 8 should have been," analyst Rob Enderle of Enderle Group in Silicon Valley said after attending the unveiling event in San Francisco.
"Now, they have the most advanced platform to deal with a the concept of bring your own device," he said.
An "Insider Program" for developers who want to dabble with Windows 10 and provide feedback has started.
"Windows 10 represents the first step of a whole new generation of Windows, unlocking new experiences to give customers new ways to work, play and connect," said Microsoft Operating Systems Group Executive Vice President Terry Myerson.
"This will be our most comprehensive operating system and the best release Microsoft has ever done for our business customers," Myerson claimed.
Pressure has been on Microsoft to win over companies that have shunned the current version of Windows, which was radically overhauled to adapt to the popularity of computing devices with touch screen controls.
While Windows 8 was tuned into personal lifestyles, rich with smartphones or tablets, it was not a hit at companies where people still work using traditional computers with a keyboard and a mouse.
According to market analysts, more than a year after its release in late 2012, the number of businesses using Windows 8 was vastly outnumbered by those using Windows 7 and even using the earlier Windows XP.
Microsoft says the operating system is crafted to automatically adapt to whatever device someone is using, from Xbox consoles and desktop computes to tablets or tiny gadgets.
"Windows 10 will run across the broadest range of devices ever from the Internet of Things to enterprise data centres worldwide," Microsoft said, adding that it will provide developers with a converged platform that will allow them to write a single application that can run across the array of devices.
According to Microsoft the "start menu" - missed by users of Windows 8 - will make a comeback, providing quick one-click access to the functions and files that people use most.
The software can apparently segregate personal and work activities on mobile devices, allowing companies to wipe their information as needed but leave anything else untouched.
"Windows 10 is also the first platform to aggressively handle biometrics up through eyeball recognition," said Enderle. "I had a list of things Microsoft needed to do, and they ticked off everything," he added.
Microsoft's Windows remains the dominant platform for traditional PCs but has been overtaken in the fast-growing mobile segments of tablets and smartphones by Google's Android and Apple's iOS.
Source: AFP via I-Net Bridge
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