Microsoft shows 'versatile' Windows update

As part of its efforts to catch up with Apple and Google, Microsoft has announced a refresh for its Windows 10 operating system.

Microsoft will try to make Windows 10 more versatile with new features for creating memories, exploring virtual scenery and "hopscotching" from personal computers to mobile devices.

The added bells and whistles will roll out later this year as part of the Fall Creators Update, provided free to 500 million personal computers, smartphones and tablets powered by Windows 10.

Microsoft previewed the update on Thursday in Seattle during its annual conference for applications developers.

The company did not specify when it would be available but released a preview for early testers.

The latest changes come on the heels of a free update that began to roll out in April.

"We are building Windows to be the platform that empowers everyone to create," Terry Myerson, Microsoft's top Windows executive, wrote in a blog post .

Some of the coming tools represent another step in Microsoft's attempt to catch up with two of its biggest rivals, Apple and Google.

Story Remix will automatically identify the best photos and videos to help people create highlights of their experiences.

Microsoft is also opening up Windows 10 so it works better with smartphones and tablets running on Apple's iOS and Google's Android software.

A growing dependence on those mobile devices has reduced the role Windows-powered PCs play in people's lives.

The update includes a multifaceted clipboard to copy text, images and other content on a PC and paste it on a phone, even iPhones and Android, as though the PC and phone were one.

The tool is similar to what Apple already offers with Universal Clipboard in iPhones, iPads and Mac computers.

Another feature will let users start working on a document on a Windows 10 PC and pick up where they left off on a rival phone.

In an announcement that evoked some of the loudest cheers in Thursday's crowd, iTunes software will be added to the Windows Store.


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