New Windows 10 UI teased in video celebrating 1 billion users

While Windows 10 is overwhelmingly the post popular desktop operating system on the planet, its design has remained largely the same since its release in 2015. 

That all looks set to change soon, with Microsoft widely expected to unveil a new user interface at its event on 30 March. 

Rumours of a redesigned Start Menu and new app icons have been circulating for some time now, and has been all but confirmed in an Instagram post from Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer Panos Panay:

View this post on Instagram

The team made this video to celebrate making it to 1 billion MAD on Windows 10 and I wanted to share it with all of you. Now at a time when so much of our work and communication is taking place through our devices, it’s especially humbling to know that Windows can help empower a billion people to stay connected to the things and people they care about #Windows

A post shared by Panos Panay (@panospanay) on Mar 19, 2020 at 12:47pm PDT

The short video was released to celebrate Windows 10 having hit 1 billion devices earlier this week, but it hints at a number of features which could be on their way.

These include improvements to live tiles to make them genuinely useful, an increased range of accessibility tools and easier multitasking. 

Microsoft has confirmed that its upcoming event will be online-only as a result of the coronavirus outbreak. Given the software focus, we’re also expecting more news on Windows 10X, a version of the operating system specifically designed to work with dual-screen devices. The company has already unveiled the Surface Duo and Surface Neo, both of which would take advantage of this.

However, while the visual enhancements will likely take most of the headlines, it’s clear Microsoft has work to do on improving the stability of Windows 10. 

The operating system has been plagued with issues in recent months, with an update only last week leading to severe slowdowns and crashes. Driver updates are a frequent cause of these problems, but this is expected to be addressed in the next version of Windows 10, which should change the way in which they are delivered.

Lifelong Windows fans have been forced to consider alternatives as a result of recent issues. In addition to introducing a more intuitive UI, it’s hoped this update will make such problems a thing of the past.