Microsoft's Windows 10 Event, Creators Update, and Surface Studio FAQ
On October 26 Microsoft held its annual media event where the company announced new products, revealed some more about what's coming next to Windows 10 and its growing ecosystem. We'll be running through everything that was unveiled so you won't miss out on anything.
An update for creators
The big Windows update, codenamed Redstone 2, is now officially known as Creators Update. It's a cool name, we agree. There are a bunch of improvements and new functionality Microsoft has been working to add to its popular operating system, including new and more advanced 3D support, Beam integration to allow everyone to become the next big game streamer, as well as some social enhancements.
- Read more about the Creators Update
- Dolby Atmos support coming to Xbox One with Creators Update
- Microsoft announces "MyPeople", a new taskbar feature coming to Windows 10
Microsoft is all about 3D
A big part of the Creators Update is 3D and Holographic virtual reality. The company demonstrated how it'll be possible to use a Windows 10 Mobile handset to capture an object in reality, send it to a Windows 10 PC for editing to take place in the revamped Paint 3D application. It's some advanced stuff and we bet professionals will be able to work some magic with the added functionality.
Microsoft is working to improve 3D support in a number of areas, including apps, Office, Edge, HoloLens, and more.
- Windows Capture 3D will let you easily bring objects around you into your digital workspace
- Windows Holographic VR takes you to an immersive world
- 3D in Edge on HoloLens can bring digital objects to life in the space around you
- Microsoft's going to make meetings less dull with 3D in Office
- Microsoft announces Paint 3D, a massive update to the classic image editing suite
Beam all the games
The company is pushing gaming on Windows 10 with the addition of some neat new Beam enhancements. The streaming platform is now baked into Windows and can be quickly accessed, not to mention the addition of Xbox Arena.
- Beam game broadcasting will be directly integrated into Windows 10 and Xbox One
- Xbox Arena is coming to PCs, allowing gamers to create custom tournaments
New Surface Book
Microsoft announced a new and more powerful Surface Book, which offers improved graphics and better battery life. Of course, like anything labelled as an improvement, the new 2-in-1 starts at a premium price point. If you're more than happy with your current Surface Book, you'll be okay by sticking to what you already own.
Read more about the new Surface Book
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New Surface Studio
The Studio is a new all-in-one that is part of the Surface family. You've got a 28" PixelSense display with an aspect ratio of 3:2, built into the thinnest LCD ever on an all-in-one, 32GB of DDR4 RAM, an Intel i7 CPU and a 2TB hybrid storage drive. It's a little pricey, starting at $2999, with the high-end model being priced at $4199, but this product is clearly aimed at professionals and creatives.
There's also a cool new Surface Dial that can be used with the Studio and Surface tablets.
Read more about the new Surface Studio
Where can I buy all of the things?
You can pre-order the new Surface Book, Surface Studio or accessories by hitting the link below:
Pre-order everything from Microsoft's event
What we didn't see
There was no phone, no mention of mobile at all really. As well as that, Home Hub was also absent. It was an interesting Microsoft event, and one that contained much fluff, numerous stories and numerous explanations surrounding the new Surface Studio. We couldn't help but feel slightly underwhelmed after it was over, especially for Windows 10.
As the name of the update suggests, this was an event for creatives.
Rich Edmonds was formerly a Senior Editor of PC hardware at Windows Central, covering everything related to PC components and NAS. He's been involved in technology for more than a decade and knows a thing or two about the magic inside a PC chassis. You can follow him on Twitter at @RichEdmonds.