On Tuesday morning, Microsoft will host a product launch event in New York City where CEO Satya Nadella is expected to introduce the company’s answer to Google’s Chromebook. The event will focus on education, so we don’t expect to see any new Surface tablets or additions to the Surface Book line, but new devices and software should make an appearance.
We’ll be live from the event, which begins at 9:30 AM ET / 6:30 AM PT. You can follow along with the live stream and our live blog at the bottom of this post.
Of all the announcements rumored for today’s event, the new version of Windows might be the most intriguing. Back in January, something by the name of Windows 10 Cloud was found listed alongside Pro and Enterprise in an Insider test build. Much like Chrome OS, this edition of the Windows 10 operating system is expected to only run apps from the Windows Store, which would make it simpler to use and wouldn’t require nearly as much power from the computer.
In addition to Windows 10 Cloud (or Windows 10 S, or whatever the company ends up calling it), Microsoft is also expected to unveil a Chromebook competitor or possibly even a whole line of computers running on Windows 10 Cloud. Just last week a leaked document revealed the minimum specs for a device running on the new OS: quad-core processor, 4GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, battery larger than 40 Whr and optional pen and touch support.
With its education focus, the event will also presumably include a few segments dedicated to software as well, including the Office suite, OneNote and even Minecraft, which has taken on a life of its own in the world of education. Regarding Office, there isn’t currently a full-fledged version of the popular software on the Windows Store, so we wouldn’t be surprised to see Microsoft remedy this at today’s event.
An education-centric event might not sound very exciting on paper, but potential use cases for the new devices and the new version of Windows stretch far beyond high schools and college campuses. If you’re interested in affordable, easy-to-use hardware and software, you’re going to want to tune in.
