After dedicating the first day of its Build 2017 conference to cloud services, Microsoft Corp. today shifted the focus to Windows 10, unveiling a slew of new updates for the operating system this morning that will affect both consumers and developers.

The upshot is that the company built upon the personal computer may have finally crossed the chasm into today’s multi-device world. “Microsoft essentially has fully embraced the usage model of moving between phone, tablet, PC, Mac, game console and in the future augmented and virtual reality headsets, regardless of the operating system,” said Patrick Moorhead, president and principal analyst with Moor Insights & Strategy.

A responsive new look

At the center of Microsoft’s vision for Windows 10 is the upcoming Fall Creators Update, which is expected to arrive around September. The upgrade is set to bring a new look powered by what the company refers to as the Fluent Design System. It’s a spiritual successor to the Metro interface from Windows 8 that aims to make the operating system more responsive on the growing variety of devices employed by users.

This includes Microsoft’s HoloLens mixed reality headset. The Fluent Design System can display interface elements in a way that provides the impression of depth and supports advanced animations that should arrive on more conventional devices as well.

Besides implementing the new features in Windows, the company will encourage other software developers to incorporate the design into their applications. Microsoft said that has the potential to make a big difference for users. A video published during the event (below) shows how the system can enable programs to make better use of screen space, use page transitions customized for different content types and animate important elements.

Cross-device features

On top of new graphical options, the Fall Creators Update will give developers the ability to extend core application features across devices. This capability is facilitated by an iteration of the Microsoft Graph service that was debuted alongside the Fluent Design System.

Originally designed as a centralized interface for accessing data from core Microsoft products, the platform is set to take on the role of a cross-device hub. It will enable applications to capture what a user is doing before they log out and let them pick up right from where they left off on another device. The same goes for content saved onto the clipboard.

Microsoft will employ the activity data collected along the way to support Timeline, a feature for bringing up old application sessions. Details are scarce, but given that Graph works with Office 365, there’s a good chance users will be able to rewind not only Windows software but also its cloud services.

“Microsoft has made a disruptive announcement in embedding its Graph technology into the next version of Windows 10,” said James Kobielus, lead analyst for data science, deep learning and application development at Wikibon, owned by the same company as SiliconANGLE. “Coupled with Office 365, Windows Timeline, Fluent Design System, and Microsoft’s powerful Bot Framework, Windows 10’s upcoming Fall Creators Update will enable developers to create richly immersive experiences and powerfully task-focused distributed collaborations.”

Supporting developers

Microsoft introduced the Fall Creators Update alongside new development tools designed to help application makers take advantage of the cross-device features. The most notable addition is Xamarin Live Player, which provides the ability to pair an Apple Inc. iOS or Google Inc. Android device with the company’s Visual Studio software workbench. This integration will enable programmers to quickly check how an app changes after an update.

With reporting from Robert Hof

Image: Microsoft