1.5 million people have given Windows 10 a whirl, 450k use the Technical Preview daily

By Adrian Diaconescu December 18, 2014

windows insider program has 450k highly active members windows10start — Image used with permission by copyright holder

No less than 1.5 million people have already signed up for the Windows Insider program, despite Windows 10 needing an extra nine months or so to hit general availability. Of the 1.5 mil, almost a third of testers appear quite taken with 8.1’s paramount sequel, being described as “highly active” by Microsoft veteran Gabriel Aul in a recent blog post.

The rough number of steady previewers is 450,000, who are “really using the build day to day and putting it through its paces.” User engagement is up considerably compared to Windows 7 or 8.1 beta, or Windows 8’s Developer Preview.

Of course, this time around, Redmond welcomes suggestions from average consumers, not just skilled developers, and the firmware update pace aligns perfectly with optimization work performed backstage.

The Technical Preview rolled out as version 6.4.9841 on October 1, moved to build 6.4.9860 three weeks later, and then 6.4.9879 roughly a month ago. A big bump in kernel stability is being prepped for the next release, which is why Microsoft is taking its sweet time before making Windows 10.0.9888 and 10.0.9901 available to the masses.

Both software packages have leaked online in recent weeks. Microsoft says it’s fine with that, but those thinking of upgrading early should be wary. Anyone using the leaked builds won’t be able to automatically install the next official build, having to rely on manual upgrades via .Iso files instead.

January 21 is shaping up like a big day in Windows 10’s road to market, and Gabe Aul further hyped next month’s event by saying “we’re super excited to show you what we’ve been up to”, and “we’re really focused on making the next build something that we hope you’ll think is awesome.”

Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Microsoft has quashed almost 1,300 bugs based on reports and upvotes received from Technical Previewers. Hopefully the quick pace of fixes will mean a solid final release next fall.

Topics

Adrian Diaconescu

Former Digital Trends Contributor

Adrian is a mobile aficionado since the days of the Nokia 3310, and a PC enthusiast since Windows 98. Later, he discovered…

Computing

Power up your tech game this summer with Dell’s top deals: Upgrade for a bargain

Dell Techfest and best tech on sale featured.

One of the best times to upgrade your tech stack, be it your desktop, a new laptop, or some high-resolution monitors, is when great deals are to be had. Well, I'm here to share that thanks to Dell's top deals, you can power up your tech game and have most of the summer to make it happen. Maybe you're happy with your current system or setup. That's excellent, but you're likely considering upgrading somewhere, and that's precisely what these deals are all about. Dell has a smorgasbord of deals on laptops, desktops, gaming desktops, monitors, accessories, and so much more. We'll call out a few of our favorite deals below, but for now, know that you should be shopping this sale if you're interested in anything tech-related.

What summer tech should you buy in Dell's top deals?

Computing

I love the MacBook Pro, but this Windows laptop came surprisingly close

Apple MacBook Pro 16 downward view showing keyboard and speaker.

There are some great machines in the 15-inch laptop category, which has recently been stretched to include the more common 16-inch laptop. The best among them is the Apple MacBook Pro 16, which offers fast performance for tasks like video editing and the longest battery life.

The Lenovo Yoga Pro 9i 16 is aimed not only at other 16-inch Windows laptops but also at the MacBook Pro 16. It offers many of the same benefits but at a lower price. Can it take a place at the top?
Specs and configurations

Computing

How to set an ‘Out of Office’ message in Microsoft Teams

Person using Windows 11 laptop on their lap by the window.

Many people use Microsoft Teams regularly to communicate with colleagues both inside of the office and remotely. It is considered one of the most efficient ways to ensure you can stay in contact with the people on your team, but what if you need to let people know you’re not readily available? Microsoft Teams has a method for you to set up an "Out of Office" status for your profile to let staff members know when you’ll be gone for the afternoon, for several days on vacation, or for an extended period.
Where do I go to set up my ‘Out of Office’ status for Teams?
It is important to note that your Microsoft Teams and Outlook calendars are synced. This includes your out-of-office status and automatic replies. So, whatever you set up in Microsoft Teams will reflect in Outlook. Similarly, you can set up your out-of-office status in Outlook, and it will be reflected in Teams; however, the former has a more straightforward instruction.

First, you can click on your profile icon in Teams and go directly to Schedule an out of office, as a shortcut. This will take you to the settings area where you can proceed. You can also click the three-dot icon next to your profile icon, then go to Settings > General, then scroll down to the bottom of the page. There, you'll find out-of-office settings and click Schedule.