Microsoft Corp will show off on Thursday the first major revamp of its Windows operating system since 2015.
Software that transformed Microsoft into a household name and controlled personal computers for years gained popularity with devices that use Apple and Google software but is still Microsoft's stronghold in the corporate market.
And the improved operating system can also appeal to people, who have helped drive PC sales to a much higher level this past year due to homework practices adopted during the Covid-19 epidemic.
Analysts expect that Windows 10's successor will be called Windows 11 and will contain business user updates that can make it easier to use both sets. It can also host PC player updates, another important customer base for Microsoft, including the Xbox app.
Microsoft may also provide more information on the launch event on Thursday in its updated Windows Store plans.
The company recently cut commissions on store-bought games to 12 percent, less than the 15pc required for mainstream apps, and has become a major critic of Apple Inc's App Store, charging 30pc commissions and requiring developers to use Apple in-app payments.
The rise of Microsoft-powered by Windows in the 1990s as PCs became common ground between businesses and consumers. But the app took the back seat to Apple Apple and Google’s Alphabet Inc as mobile phones that use PCs as the main computer tool for billions of users.
Windows remains one of the largest technology platforms in the world, with Microsoft's personal computer component, generating Windows revenue from businesses and consumers, accounting for $ 48.2 billion of its $ 143 billion revenue in its recent financial year.
Windows 10, the latest version, has 1.3 billion users, almost the total number of device base installed by Apple for 1.65 billion users but less than half of the 3 billion Android Alphabet users.
Between PCs and laptops, Windows lost some market share in 2020 to Google Chromebooks as schools opted for cheaper online learning devices but still saved more than 80pc market share, according to data company IDC.