We’re thrilled to be in Taipei this week participating at Computex, the second largest technology expo in the world. It’s great to see all the new products and innovative technologies on display here, especially those from our partners.
This is an exciting time for Microsoft, our partners and customers. There is a wide variety of amazing Windows 8.1 devices, offering cool designs and all the features customers want in market now that will be great Windows 10 devices when upgraded. With an integrated, consistent user experience across devices, universal apps, frequent OS updates, and unique features that are enabled by new hardware, Windows 10 represents tremendous opportunities for our partners to grow their business through sales of existing Windows 8.1 devices and by delivering unique Windows 10 devices. We are working with partners throughout our expanding ecosystem to offer a great Windows 10 upgrade experience on existing devices, and to build a wide range of innovative new devices, across categories and price points, that bring Windows 10 capabilities and experiences to life for customers.
We were honored once again to host a keynote here at Computex, where we talked about our view of computing in a mobile-first, cloud-first world, and discussed how Microsoft is delivering on our vision with Windows 10, through the work we’re doing with partners to bring innovative devices to market and to deliver Microsoft services on Android devices and through new Internet of Things (IoT) devices and solutions. We demonstrated some key Windows 10 experiences, showcased several innovative Windows 8.1 gaming devices, 2-in-1s and tablets from our partners around the world, offered a preview of some cool new Windows 10 devices our partners are building and announced a new IoT partnership with Toshiba. For more detail on what we announced view the press release.
Some of the most premium and iconic Windows desktops and laptops are specifically designed for PC gamers who require high-end graphics hardware, high CPU performance, memory, power efficiency and enhanced audio. We showcased some incredibly well-designed desktops including the Dell Alienware 51 and the Origin Millenium that run on the most powerful chips and are equipped with unrelenting tools for efficiency, power cooling and noise control. We also showed powerful gaming laptops including the new MSI GT72 Dominator Pro, the first notebook to feature built in eye-tracking technology, that was announced here at Computex, and a new 14-inch Razer laptop with big razor-sharp touch-enabled displays, cutting-edge graphics, advanced cooling and other features that enhance game play no matter where you are.
2-in-1s are a category where we continue to see innovation from hardware manufacturers who are delivering thin and light devices with unique designs that offer powerful processors, a variety of screen sizes and resolution, and a multitude of storage options to market. There are convertibles with innovative hinges that enable up to 360-degree screen rotation, and detachables that offer a perfectly balanced notebook, in addition to a compelling tablet, in one device. These are incredibly versatile devices that take full advantage of Windows 8.1 now, and that will be amazing Windows 10 devices when upgraded. The currently available 2-in-1s we showed during the keynote include the Acer R13, ASUS T300 Chi, HP Spectre X360, Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga 12 and Toshiba Portege’ Z20t.
We showcased a few devices from our China technology ecosystem partners including the Cube I7 Core-M tablet, the Lengda H200 BT tablet and the Emdoor 8.9 2-in-1. Our work with these new partners has enabled us to offer an expanded portfolio of devices across form factors, price points and markets in the last year, and we look forward to continued innovation and success with these partners with new Windows 10 devices.
PC on a stick is a relatively new category in which our partners are delivering some really innovative devices. The new Compute plug from Quanta is a mini PC and power adapter in one that can be plugged into any outlet and connected to a TV to turn it into a smart computer that can be controlled using Cortana via a Bluetooth remote or headset. The Foxconn Kangaroo is an ultra-portable desktop PC powered by the latest Intel Cherry Trail processor, featuring a six-hour battery and a fingerprint reader that supports Windows Hello. It can turn a TV into a full Windows 10 PC, and be used as a set top box or streaming device.
In addition to PCs, there are thousands of IoT devices such as wearables, home automation, security and surveillance devices that are powered by Windows being shown here at Computex. We announced, with Toshiba, a new IoT solution for the transportation and logistics industry that utilizes a Windows IoT-powered driving recorder, an environmental data logger and Microsoft Azure IoT services to provide precise real-time tracking and monitoring of goods while they are in transit. We also featured Crestron Pyng, elegant home automation technology that utilizes Azure IoT services to connect lighting, shades, audio, thermostats, door locks and security systems, so that everything works together intelligently to make life easier. Connected devices and solutions like these can help make our lives easier and more productive, and help both individuals and businesses save time and money.
Windows 10 will be available on July 29, and our partners will have devices that light up new Windows 10 features in market later this year. During the keynote we unveiled a few of these innovative devices for the first time including: Acer’s new Aspire Z Series All-in-One PCs delivering powerful computing and enhanced audio in a slim 1.4-inch thin chassis. The ASUS Transformer Book T100HA 2-in-1 laptop with detachable keyboard that boasts up to 14 hours of battery life, with the tablet measuring at 8.45mm and 580g. The ASUS Zen AiO Z240 features the latest quad-core Intel Core i7 CPU, gaming-grade NVIDIA GTX960M graphics, a 3-D camera and a six-speaker stereo sound system. The new Dell XPS 15 designed with the same virtually borderless InfinityEdge display as the XPS 13. A new HP 2-in-1 ultra-portable “tablet first” detachable has an innovative magnetic hinge design that makes the device flexible and lappable, and with Windows 10, users can transition seamlessly from tablet to PC mode and back again in an instant. A game changing HP tablet for mobile productivity with revolutionary note-taking capabilities. The Toshiba PC, a 2-in-1 convertible with an Ultra HD 4k screen, 6th gen Intel Core processor and face identification and authentication camera that supports Windows Hello.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to innovation on Windows 10 devices. As we launch Windows 10 and continue to expand our partner ecosystem, there will be an incredible variety of PCs, tablets, phones and IoT devices, running Microsoft apps and services, available to help people be more productive in their digital work and life. We look forward to sharing many more cool devices and solutions in the future.
