Build 2014: What to Expect from Microsoft’s Developer Conference

Microsoft

Build 2014: What to Expect from Microsoft’s Developer Conference

Microsoft Build 2014 conference will take place at San Francisco from Wednesday through Friday. Developers who were willing to pay the required fee have already registered themselves. The Build 2014 conference would have been a public debut for Microsoft’s new CEO Satya Nadella. But Nadella was at San Francisco event last week to reveal Office for iPad.

San Francisco: During Build Conference 2013, Microsoft officially launched Windows 8.1 update and announced the convergence of its various device platforms. At the Build Conference 2014, a lot would be heard about the same on everything from Xbox one to Windows Phone. Will Windows 8.2 be revealed or would Microsoft abandon the debacle of Windows 8 and give us Windows 9 instead?

It has been a persistent rumor but it is unlikely at the moment. What is sure is that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will be launched as Microsoft has already leaked it by mistake.

With the new update Start Screen will boot straight in to the desktop. Shutdown has returned to Start and the taskbar bridges a smooth transaction between the old and new interfaces. It is 700 MB and all the updates satisfy disappointed desktop users. The leak occurred as Microsoft strived to get the update in to the hands of the hands of partners, developers and its own employees.

The Windows 8.1 Update 1 release date is April 8, some sources said. There will be a talk about DirectX 12 at GDC 2014 by Microsoft which may provide further details of this at Build. A supposedly official account leaked the details on Twitter. Regarding phones, Microsoft has quite a few things to offer going by its recent acquisition of Nokia (and its new found devotion to Android). Also expected is the Windows Phone 8.1 update early this year.

New Nokia handsets – the Nokia Lumia 630 and 930 – are expected to be launched at the event. The event may throw up a new Surface mini or Surface 3 which might debut alongside the updated operating system. Techradar had reported earlier that the Surface Mini had been held up because Microsoft had to draft in developers to help with the Xbox One.