by Microsoft has unveiled what they call a ‘broad vision’ to empower a new wave of creativity. This will be achieved through various channels, including a major software update. The update will be coming to more than 400 million Windows 10 devices. As well its all new Surface Studio, Surface Dial and, a more powerful, Surface Book.
“At Microsoft, our mission is to empower every person and every organisation on the planet to achieve more,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “With Windows 10, Microsoft Surface and the medium of Mixed Reality, we aim to empower the builders, the makers and the creators with the tools to create, collaborate and express themselves in new ways.”
Surface Studio Turns Your Desk Into a Creative Studio
Surface Studio is a new class of device. It is designed for how people naturally create and bring ideas to life on its ultra-HD 4.5K screen. The 28-inch PixelSense Display immerses the user in 13.5 million pixels of pure, true-to-life colour. And, the Zero Gravity Hinge allows the screen to adjust to each stage of the creative process. When the screen transitions from Desktop Mode to Studio Mode, it sits at a 20-degree angle. This is the same angle as a standard drafting board, making it ideal for sketching, writing and designing.
Surface Dial — A New Spin On Creativity
Surface Dial is a new peripheral designed for the creative process. It integrates with Windows 10 to work with Surface for a faster and more intuitive way to scroll, zoom and navigate. When you place the Dial directly on the screen, it brings up a set of digital tools specific to the app that is open. This allows people to move more seamlessly through their workflow.
For example, with Surface Dial, artists can change the colour or the size of their brush tip. This can be done as they paint, without ever moving the pen away from the screen. The combination of Dial, pen and touch creates a more immersive and tactile way for people to create in digital environments. Partners like BlueBeam Inc., Drawboard, Mental Canvas, Siemens PLM Software, Silicon Benders, Smith Micro Software, Inc. and StaffPad have already optimised their software to take advantage of the new experiences Surface Dial provides.
The Most Powerful Surface Book Yet
Microsoft also introduced Surface Book with Performance Base, making the most powerful laptop in its class even better. The three new Surface Book models feature 6th Generation Intel Core i7 processors. They also pack more than twice the graphics processing power as the original Surface Book.
With Surface Book with Performance Base, engineers can spin 3-D CAD models with thousands of parts. Designers and developers can render large files quickly, and gamers can play more of their favourite games.
The Windows 10 Creators Update
Empowering Everyone To Create, Share And Experience In 3-D
With the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft unveiled a comprehensive vision across hardware and software to bring 3-D to everyone.
Microsoft introduced a new way to bring your ideas to life with Paint 3D. Building on the popularity of Microsoft Paint, with more than 100 million monthly users on Windows, Paint 3D will be your all-new, easy-to-use 3-D art studio. The company also introduced the new online community Remix3D.com, connecting creators and creations around the world. Remix 3D will enable all-new scenarios for creators. These include the ability for Minecraft players to share their 3-D creations broadly with the Remix 3D community.
To inspire a new wave of creativity, Microsoft is partnering with Trimble. Together, they will bring the 3-D modelling program Sketchup — and its millions of creators and creations from 3D Warehouse — to Remix3D.com.
To bring your ideas to life, Microsoft is also adding support for 3-D in Word, Excel and PowerPoint. All of this will take place over the next year. This means, with the Windows 10 Creators Update, Office features will work seamlessly with 3-D models.
Everyone is welcome to start creating and sharing in Paint 3D today by joining the Windows Insider Program at insider.Windows.com. To learn more about 3-D in Windows 10, go to http://www.Remix3D.com.
Empowering Everyone To Experience Mixed Reality
Mixed reality blends the virtual world with the real world. This changes the way people create, communicate, learn and play across virtual reality, augmented reality and everything in between. To demonstrate the possibilities of mixed reality, the company showed a proof of concept. They did this together with Houzz — a leader in home renovation and design. Using the Microsoft Edge browser on HoloLens, Houzz users could preview products in their own home before they buy. Microsoft Edge was the first browser to bring inking to the web, and will be the first browser to fully embrace 3-D.
The Creators Update will be the most powerful and affordable way to experience mixed reality. Microsoft announced that HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer and ASUS will ship the first VR headsets capable of mixed reality through the Creators Update. Coming in 2017, these accessories will contain built-in sensors to enable inside-out, six-degrees of freedom for simplified setup. They will also allow you to move more easily around your home as you experience virtual worlds —no markers required.
Windows 10: The Best Platform For 4K Gaming And In-Game Broadcasting
Gaming has exploded in popularity as both spectator entertainment and as a sport. The Windows 10 Creators Update will make it easy for every gamer to create and enjoy live game streams and customised eSports tournaments on the fastest, most reliable multiplayer network, Xbox Live.
The Creators Update will include Beam system integration on Xbox One and Windows 10 for interactive broadcasting and viewing of gameplay on Xbox Live, with even more features yet to be announced. And with interactive broadcasting, you don’t just watch your favourite streamer play, you interact in real time right along with them.
The Creators Update will also bring the power of user-generated tournaments via Arena on Xbox Live. Here anyone can define the rules of competition, invite friends and track tournament progress seamlessly across devices. Whether it’s on Windows 10 or Xbox One.
A Faster Way To Connect And Share With People Who Matter Most
With the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft is putting the people you care about most at the centre of your experience — right where they belong — with Windows MyPeople. Now, with the Windows 10 Creators Update, your most important friends, family and co-workers will be instantly accessible across any Windows PC.
With MyPeople, you can pin your favourite contacts to the Windows task bar. Then, easily drag and drop any document, photo or video right on top of the contact for easy sharing. Get unique notifications, called “Shoulder Taps,” from your most important people and easily open and see an integrated view of emails, IMs, shared documents and more, all in one place. The Windows MyPeople experience will be integrated across Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps for easy sharing.
One thing is clear from Microsoft’s latest announcements, they’re directly challenging Apple’s creative market. Furthermore, they are calling the Cupertino company out on not updating their computer offerings fast enough to keep up with the needs of the modern creative.
