Microsoft hosting Windows 10 event on January 21

Microsoft is preparing to unveil new details about its upcoming Windows 10 operating system, with the tech giant sending out invitations to an event at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington on January 21.

The event, which will also be webcast live, will feature speeches by senior executives from the company’s operating systems group, including Terry Myerson, Joe Belfiore and Phil Spencer, as well as chief executive Satya Nadella.

It comes after the company first announced the upcoming operating system at an event in late September. At the event, Microsoft kicked off its Windows Insider Program, which has seen 1.5 million users (including 450,000 regular users) test preview versions of Windows 10, leading to 1300 bugs being fixed.

A key feature of Windows 10 is the reintroduction of the start menu on the desktop version of Windows, after the popular feature was removed in Windows 8 and 8.1.

For developers, it features universal apps and a unified app store allowing a single app to target all the devices that run any version of Windows 10, from smartphones to tablets, PCs and servers. On a PC, mobile and tablet apps will default to running in a window, rather than full screen.

Another major feature is the introduction of Linux-style multiple desktops for desktop PCs, along with a new “Task view” option to allow users to switch between any open app or file on any desktop.