Windows 10 won't arrive until summer but Microsoft consumers likely won't mind the wait or be complaining if reports on what the latest OS will boast are on target and if Redmond provides the features and changes it says are in development.
Microsoft is promising to decrease the disk requirements, via compression technology, by as much as 45 percent, which means expanded room for data as well as a substantial revamp of its recovery image process.
As one report notes the disk storage change has been long in coming. In addition to tapping more efficient compression, Microsoft is eliminating recovery images that typically gobble up big space. That move alone could free up between 4 GB and 12 GB.
When compared to Windows 8.1, Windows 10 will require 6.6GB less room. In addition, Microsoft is striving to reduce crapware as well as make re-install a quicker process with a new refresh and reset approach.
"We are also redesigning Windows' refresh and reset functionalities to no longer use a separate recovery image (often preinstalled by manufacturers today) in order to bring Windows devices back to a pristine state," states Microsoft in a blog about its Windows 10 changes.
One of the biggest changes though will be the elimination of having to use passwords for account and security features. Microsoft is reportedly tapping biometric authentication technology for Windows 10 on mobile devices.
Called Windows Hello, the technology will rely on user ID verification and use a fingerprint, facial recognition or fingerprint to open apps, access specific online features or connect with enterprise content. The goal, according to Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's corporate VP of operating systems, is to make the OS more convenient for users and safer as a system.
"We understand how critical it is to protect your biometric data from theft, and for this reason your 'biometric signature' is secured locally on the device and shared with no one but you," states Belfiore in the blog posting announcing the Windows 10 build strategy. Windows Hello also comes with "enterprise-grade" security, meaning Microsoft wants it to work across businesses in all industries.
Microsoft is also pulling in Passport to Windows 10, a much more secure sign-in technology for admins, app makers and website owners.
"There is no shared password stored on [Microsoft's] servers for a hacker to potentially compromise," explained Belfiore.
Both Passport and Windows Hello will be optional, and users can decide whether to use the tools or not.
"You -- uniquely you -- plus your device are the keys to your Windows experience, apps, data and even websites and services, not a random assortment of letters and numbers that are easily forgotten, hacked or written down and pinned to a bulletin board," Belfiore wrote.
