Microsft’s Windows operating system powers more than three-quarters of the world’s PCs, but is often nullified as less visually consistent compared to Apple’s macOS. Microsoft has been working on these issues and gradually reviewing the aesthetics in the operating system. The software giant has just released a new version of Windows 10 Insider Preview on the development channel. Windows 10 Insider Preview build 20161 brings visual and functional changes including improvements to the Start menu and notifications, easier tab change in Microsoft Edge, some bug fixes and more.
Starting with the improved start menu, Windows 10 Insiders in the development channel will no longer see solid background colors covering the tiles. Instead, there is consistency in terms of backgrounds for each of the tiles, adding a more minimal and non-intrusive appearance. In keeping with Microsoft’s fluid design, the tiles are also partially transparent. This applies to both light and dark themes and any other accent color as part of a theme.
The next major change comes in the way you use Alt + TAB in Windows. Generally, pressing the two buttons together allows you to toggle between open applications. But now, all open Edge tabs will also appear along with active apps. To use the feature, you will need a Canary or Dev build for Edge along with Windows 10 Insider Preview build 20161. This feature can be reversed by those who don’t like it.
Microsoft is also adding a “Programmable Taskbar” to provide a more personalized, ready-to-use experience for new devices. From the first boot, the icons on the taskbar will change, adding shortcuts such as Your phone or Xbox apps for Windows accounts with linked Android devices or an Xbox Live account, respectively, instead of the standard layout of the bar homework. To clarify, existing users won’t see a new taskbar and the Programmable Taskbar will only be available on newly configured devices.
The Windows 10 Insider Preview 20161 build also improves the handling of notification alerts. This includes a highlight logo from the app in the toast message to help you quickly identify which app sent the message along with a cross button to dismiss the notification.
Additionally, there are new changes to Settings, including Control Panel information that is now added to the Settings app on the About page. Also, you can now copy the machine specifications by clicking the Copy button at the bottom.
For users with 2-in-1 PCs, there will no longer be a toast notification asking if they want to switch from PC mode to tablet mode (and vice versa). Instead, it will automatically switch to tablet mode. Additionally, the tablet mode feature will be removed from the quick action grid on non-touch devices.
Microsoft will also release updated Windows SDK with each new build of Windows 10 Insider Preview released on the development channel. The latest SDK can be found here. In addition, developers can also access previous SDKs archived in Flight Hub.
Source: Windows Blog
