Windows 10 is officially confirmed for release on July 29, and now we’re getting a glimpse of the hardware that will launch with the new operating system.
Microsoft showed off some new third-party hardware running Windows 10 at Computex in Taipei today — including new form factors for Windows 10 PCs, never-before-seen computers and recently announced hardware optimized for upgrade to Windows 10.
The machines included two detachable 2-in-1 computers. The ASUS Transformer Book T100HA is an update to the existing Transformer line, with a thinner design, a more powerful processor and a USB Type-C port. The HP x2 (pictured above) is a “tablet first” computer with a magnetic hinge to quickly transition between tablet and laptop modes.
An updated Dell XPS 15 was also shown off for the first time. The larger computer will include the same edge-to-edge display as the XPS 13 and be optimized for Windows 10.
Representing desktops on stage were options for Acer, ASUS and Toshiba. The recently announced ASUS Zen AiO Z240 with an i7 Quad-core CPU, USB Type C port, voice recognition and a 3-D camera will be available later this year.
A new Toshiba PC includes biometric technology to use Windows Hello for seamless logins.
A couple new form factors were introduced as well. The FoxConn Kangaroo quickly turns any TV into a Windows PC, with a built in battery and a fingerprint reader for use with Windows Hello. The Quanta Compute Plug packs a mini-PC into a power adapter so you don’t have to worry about it fitting on your TV. Just plug in the wall wart, run an HDMI cable to your monitor and you’re good to go.
Nick Parker, vice president of the OEM division at Microsoft, also showed off the new NVIDIAGeForce GTX 980 Ti GPU and announced a collaboration between Microsoft and Toshiba to build Windows- and Azure-powered devices for the Internet of Things. The partnership will lead to more home-automation devices that run on the Azure Internet of Things services or are built on a Windows backbone.
