TL;DR: Microsoft will not have a Windows 10 presentation at its Build 2021 conference. Instead it will mostly focus on its cloud platforms, Azure, Teams, and developers. However, it did hint that it will "very soon" be announcing the most significant Windows update "the past decade."
Microsoft Build 2021 kicked off today. However, if you were waiting to hear what's next for Windows, you might have to wait a while. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that he has been testing "the next generation of Windows," but the company is not yet ready to reveal it.
"Soon, we will share one of the most significant updates to Windows of the past decade to unlock greater economic opportunity for developers and creators," Nadella said in his Tuesday keynote (below). "I've been self-hosting it over the past several months, and I'm incredibly excited about the next generation of Windows. We look forward to sharing more very soon."
Nadella did not define "very soon," but we can assume that it will not be before Build 2021 concludes this Thursday. He also did not elaborate on what to expect. His use of the term "next generation of Windows" instead of "Windows 10" seems to suggest we are looking at Microsoft's next major installment of its flagship operating system, but that's somewhat speculatory.
However, we do know Microsoft has been remodeling the Windows Store and tweaking its policies over the last several months. The Microsoft boss vaguely referred to the new build's focus on being more developer-friendly.
"Our promise to you is this: we will create more opportunity for every Windows developer today and welcome every creator who is looking for the most innovative, new, open platform to build and distribute and monetize applications."
His comments seem to reiterate the company's sentiment from last October that the Windows app store will favor developers as well as its more recent changes to the Store environment. It may even play a bit with its commissions. However, a lot may ride on how the lawsuit between Epic Games and Apple goes. A decision in Epic's favor could completely change the landscape where app stores are concerned.