HONG KONG: Over 1 million people have registered for the Windows 10 technical preview, a free download Microsoft Corp and they’re using it more actively than any previous Windows test build.
After two months, the Technical Preview has roughly 450,000 “highly active” users who access the operating system every day. The average user spends around two hours per day in the Windows 10 Technical Preview, compared to roughly one hour for the Windows 7 Beta at a similar stage in its development.
“It’s terrific for us to see this, because that hardcore usage will help us fix all the rough edges and bugs,” Gabriel Aul, an engineering general manager at Microsoft, wrote in a blog post. Along that line, Aul said Microsoft has fixed nearly 1,300 bugs due to user comments and automated reporting.
The company has also made some feature tweaks in response to feedback. For example, users can now set a folder as the default when opening File Explorer, and can turn off recent files and frequent folders in the Home menu.
Microsoft says it will have more changes to share on January 21, when it will talk about the consumer side of Windows 10. Aul said Microsoft held off on a new Technical Preview build this month so it could work on polishing a major new build in January.
Why this matters: The record engagement levels are a kind of validation for Microsoft as it’s tried to appease opponents of Windows 8. While Windows 10 still has a long road ahead, support from early adopters is always a good sign, and will hopefully result in a more polished operating system when it launches next year.
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