What to expect from Windows 10 Creators Update

By Gadjo Cardenas Sevilla

Formerly codenamed 'Redstone 2,' Microsoft's next update to Windows 10, coming in early 2017, is called the 'Creators Update,' and this says a lot about the direction the company is trying to go to. The PC market continues to shrink, yet Microsoft expanded its Surface Pro and Surface Book lines while introducing what they believe is a creator's dream machine, the groundbreaking Surface Studio desktop.

There's a lot to discuss regarding Microsoft's entry into the PC desktop game and I'll reserve that discussion until I've had an opportunity to see the hardware for myself and judge what it can do. Grabbing a key slice of the creative market and moving users to Microsoft hardware looks like a good gamble, specially since Microsoft is unique in offering a fully fleshed out multi-touch and pen-input capable OS which it introduced over four years ago with Windows 8 and the first Surface devices.

The Creators Update to Windows 10 will feature a renewed focus on productivity and creativity. This includes 3D and mixed reality capabilities in compatible hardware as well as the ability not just to enjoy Virtual Reality (VR) experiences but event the tools to help create content in this space. Just look at the new Surface Dial accessory and the new software Microsoft is rolling out to coincide with this, and you can imagine designers, engineers, animators, developers and artists interacting with these objects directly on their displays.

Microsoft is also anticipating the growth of eSports and game broadcasting and putting this capabiluity native to the OS which speaks to a new generation of users who don't just want to game on their PCs but who also want the power to instantly share that experience. 

While Microsoft is targeting a very specific market of users (who don't think twice about paying the big bucks for hardware and software because these are the tools that earn them money), I like how they are positioning Creators Update as something anyone can get in on. Just look at their video above, doesn't it make you want to try out the tools to draw, write, paint or interact with technology more intimately? 

You can trace the evolution of Microsoft's OS business. Make Windows 10 a touch-first OS that can work on a wide number of new and even legacy devices. Improve the features and push productivity and services forward first, which make Windows 10 gain wider adoption and then unveil gorgeous hardware that doesn't just compete with the current competition but blows it away in terms of creative potential, interactivity all while focusing on the multi-touch and convertible aspect of the OS which are its unique advantages.