Did you watch the Microsoft Build conference this year? The annual conference is aimed at developers, and focuses on software development – including Microsoft’s plans for the coming year. It is usually an interesting event that is worth following if you are in the tech industry. For example, TechQuarters, as a Microsoft Partner providing IT support services in London, always tune in so that they’re ready to update the services they give to customers.
This year’s Build had a few interesting takeaways. From updates to Windows 11, to whole new services for developers, there are definitely some things to get excited about. Here are 6 key takeaways from the conference:
- Windows 11 will soon have a way of restoring apps on a new PC
In this year’s Build conference, Microsoft announced that they would soon be adding an easy way of restoring one’s apps on a PC. This feature will be found from within the Microsoft Store (which was rebuilt for Windows 11). The intention of this feature is to make transitioning over to a new PC quicker and more seamless. When setting up a new PC, you don’t have to go through lengthy, individual installs for all your apps – instead, the Microsoft Store will have a record of all your apps, and will be able to restore them all simultaneously.
- Microsoft will make a native ARM version of Visual Studio 2022
Microsoft also announced that they will be making an Arm64 version of their integrated development environment, Visual Studio 2022. Arm is the primary architecture family used for designing and manufacturing processors for tablets, notebooks, and other lightweight computing devices. While Microsoft Visual Studio was designed for x86 (the architecture used for Intel and AMD), it has been possible to run it on tablet devices via emulation. Now, however, there will be a version of Visual Studio specifically designed for tablets, which means performance on tablets will be optimised, and all features of the software will be supported.
- Microsoft Dev Box is a new cloud PC for developers
Another great bit of news that will interest many developers is the announcement of a new Cloud-powered DaaS product known as the Microsoft Dev Box. This new product has been built on the top of Windows 365 – one of Microsoft’s newest services; an out-of-the-box Desktop as a Service (DaaS) solution that enables organisations to spin up Cloud PCs without any prior experience with the Azure cloud platform. The Microsoft Dev Box is a Cloud PC product that comes with the compute resources and configuration optimized for software development. The idea is to allow developers to access the resources they need remotely, so that they do not need to worry about the hardware they are using.
- Microsoft Teams’ New Live Share enhances collaboration
Microsoft also announced a powerful new feature being added to Microsoft Teams. Teams Live Share will provide users with a means of co-creating and co-editing work using complex tools from within a Teams meeting. For a little while now, Microsoft have been working on the ability to integrate apps into Microsoft Teams – including programs from developers like Frame.io, Hexagon, Skillsoft, and Parabol. One example is a 3D modelling app that was developed by Hexagon, which can be used within a Teams meeting using the Live Share feature – thus enabling meeting participants to engage in real-time 3D design whilst on a video call.
- Third-party widgets are coming to Windows 11
Another piece of good news for Windows 11; soon users will be able to add third-party widgets to the Windows 11 widgets feature on their PC. The Widgets feature was created to give users an easier way of accessing disparate information from within a convenient space on their desktop – for instance, widgets enable users to view their schedule, their to-do list, the weather, and local traffic all from within a collapsible window on their desktop. Currently, the only widgets available on Windows 11 are Microsoft-produced ones; but the company are working to introduce third-party development of widgets for users to have access to later this year.
