Microsoft share price down, to launch Windows 10 this summer

Microsoft Corp announced on Wednesday it will start distributing its latest operating system this summer as the technology giant teams up with top tier Chinese companies to fight widespread piracy in the country.

During the Windows Hardware Engineering Community summit, Microsofts executive vice president Terry Myerson said that Windows 10 will launch in 190 countries around the world this summer. The operating system will be available in 111 different languages.

The latest version of the popular operating system will include a lot of new features, including a new start menu and task view. After the minimal success of Windows 8.1, which faced corporate criticism for being too difficult to work with, Microsoft is trying to implement the best features from Windows 7, which is currently the top desktop operating system in the world, while also making the platform easy to use on mobile devices.

Microsoft had previously announced that it plans to replace its Internet Explorer browser with project Spartan as Windows default browser. The company said Spartan was created to enhance experience on mobile devices, an area where the company hasnt had much success. However, the company said it would not completely remove its 20-year old browser.

Additionally, the company announced it had reached a string of strategic partnerships in order to tackle the heavily pirated Chinese computer market.

Microsoft said it would allow existing Windows users to upgrades to Windows 10 without any additional costs, regardless of whether they have a genuine or non-genuine copy of the operating system.

Lenovo, Tencent and Qihu 360 will help with the distribution of the new Windows 10, Microsoft said. The worlds largest personal computer maker, agreed to provide upgrade assistance at 2 500 service centers and select retail stores in China. Lenovo is also working with Microsoft on developing the latest Windows Phone.

Tencent, the top social network and also a leading gaming services company in China, agreed to offer free upgrades to users of Windows 7 and 8.1 and create a Windows 10 application for its popular instant messaging service QQ. The technology company will also bring its PC games, including “League of Legends”, one of the most played in the world, to Windows 10. Internet security company Qihu 360 will also provide similar services to its customers.

Additionally, Microsoft said it reached an agreement with smartphone maker Xiaomi to provide Windows 10 to some of its power users for testing purposes.

Microsoft gained 0.32% on Tuesday and closed at $41.70 on the NASDAQ, marking a one-year increase of 9.58%. The company is valued at $340.95 billion. On Wednesday the stock dropped 0.71% to $41.40 during pre-market trading.

According to CNN Money, the 33 analysts offering 12-month price forecasts for Microsoft have a median target of $49.00, with a high estimate of $55.00 and a low estimate of $38.00. The median estimate represents a 17.52% increase from the last closing price.