Windows 10 is launching in late July. The good news is that we don't have long to wait until Windows 10 is released, as Microsoft has finally confirmed that its new operating system will be launched this summer. Given that the company has yet to release a consumer preview of the OS, sticking with a less-developed Technical Preview, it means that Microsoft is working on a tighter schedule that with previous generations of Windows.

"We continue to make great development progress and shared today that Windows 10 will be available this summer in 190 countries and 111 languages," wrote Terry Myerson, the Windows chief, on a Microsoft blog.

Windows 10 will be FREE. For the first year after launch, anybody running Windows 7, 8 or 8.1 will be able to upgrade to Windows 10 for free. It’s a classic move from Microsoft, as it helps people sell computers and laptops now, with consumers safe in the knowledge that they’ll get the new OS when it launches for no additional cost.

We don’t have other pricing information, but if Microsoft sticks to current prices, expect to pay around $100 for a home-user licence.

Windows 10 Cortana. When Cortana first arrived in Windows 10 preview builds, it was rough. Features, general usability, and the look and feel was really early, but Microsoft has been steadily improving things ever since. The software giant is now testing out even better ways of bringing some of the popular features of Cortana from the phone over to the PC. During a media event at Microsoft Build today I got a closer look at some of the changes coming over the next few weeks. Microsoft is heavily tweaking the Cortana user interface and more closely integrating it into the Start Menu and general Windows 10 experience.

Some small, but noticeable, changes include new Cortana animations as you activate the digital assistant. If you use the "hey Cortana" command then a miniature version of Cortana appears while it dictates commands. The look and feel of Cortana is steadily improving alongside these changes, and even the recent public preview builds of Windows 10 show some of that progress.

Windows 10 and IoT. For the first time, a new version of Windows for small footprint IoT devices will be available – for free – when Windows 10 launches. Windows 10 will offer versions of Windows for a diverse set of IoT devices, ranging from powerful devices like ATMs and ultrasound machines, to resource constrained devices like gateways. Through key partnerships with the Raspberry Pi Foundation, Intel, Qualcomm and others, we will provide great options for commercial devices builders, hobbyists and students.