Microsoft Build 2021 Day 1 Highlights: Major Windows 10 announcement

Microsoft Build 2021 is scheduled from May 25 to 27. Due to the pandemic, the annual developer's event is taking place remotely and is completely open and free for everyone. On the very first day, Microsoft has announced some big updates for Windows, Azure cloud and other Microsoft technologies. Kicking off the event, Satya Nadella stated that the upcoming Windows update would be the most significant in the decade. Keep reading to know more about other announcements and Microsoft Build 2021 highlights.  

"Our ambition is to be the platform for platform creators" - Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft 

Microsoft Build 2021 Highlights

Focusing on developers, remote collaborations and better communication possibilities, Microsoft has announced several updates for its current software and hardware technology. Through platforms such as Azure Cloud, GitHub and Visual Studio, Microsoft wants to empower the developers.

Microsoft Windows Upcoming Update

Satya Nadella teased a big update to Windows. He says that the update will focus on creating better opportunities for both creators and developers. Just like every year, Windows will receive two updates this year. The first one, termed 21H1, is currently rolling out to some windows devices and brings along some security features and fixes bugs. The second one, which is expected to be the big feature update, would be released in the second half of 2021 and is called the 21H2 update. 

"Our promise to you is this: We will create more opportunities for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications" Satya Nadella during his keynote speech. 

Qualcomm ARM Kit 

Windows is all set to proceed with ARM-based systems. In collaboration with Qualcomm, they launched a Snapdragon Developer Kit, which is based on the Snapdragon 7c computing platform. It is aimed at facilitating developers for creating Windows-compatible apps on ARM platforms such as Surface Pro X or Galaxy Book S.

Essentially, Microsoft wishes to create an ARM-based Windows experience, just like what Apple did with M1. It would give more power and functionality to Microsoft's devices such as the Surface lineup. The kit would be available to purchase in some time at the Microsoft Store.

IMAGE: QUALCOMM DEVELOPER NETWORK

Improved MS Teams and Outlook 

During the pandemic, companies and enterprises around the world have switched to remote work, using digital platforms such as MS Teams. During his address, Satya Nadella also revealed a new category of "cross-device collaborative applications" that would be coming to Microsoft's video conferencing platform.

In the coming time, users would be able to send and receive messages across Teams and Outlook. A new feature called shared stage integration would give developers access to the main stage in a Teams meeting. Media API's would give developers access to live audio and video, for translations and transcription purposes. 

Microsoft Edge 91 - The faster and better browser

The new version of the Microsoft Edge web browser was announced during the first day of Microsoft Build 2021. Among other features, performance improvement and the ability to run on low-end devices remain significant. The new browser is currently available through the beta channel.