AMD CEO Spills The Beans On Windows 10 Release Date: End Of July

We've heard for quite a while that Windows 10 would be offered up for mass consumption sometime in the 2Q/3Q release window. Many reports have stated "this summer." Either way, AMD CEO and President Lisa Su cleared the air and stated when Microsoft's new operating system would become available. Is she taking a guess? We'll find out towards the end of July.

The revelation came during a conference call about the company's Q1 2015 financial results last week. Harlan Sur of J.P. Morgan asked the AMD CEO to help him understand "directionally" on the decline of two segments: computing/graphics and enterprise embedded/semi-custom. Lu answered that the semi-custom units are expected to be up in the second quarter. Shipments of Carrizo are also expected to be up in the same quarter.

"What we also are factoring in is, you know, with the Windows 10 launch at the end of July, we are watching sort of the impact of that on the back-to-school season, and expect that it might have a bit of a delay to the normal back-to-school season inventory build-up," she said, concluding the answer.

Keep in mind that Microsoft officially stated that Windows 10 will launch in 190 countries and 111 languages this summer. The date Lu referred to could be the time Microsoft hands the upcoming operating system over to OEMs. Because Microsoft stated "this summer," the company technically has until September 23, the first day of Fall 2015, to get the platform out to the public and keep the summer deadline.

Windows 10 will bring a number of great things to the platform including the Project Spartan browser, the Cortana AI, and Universal Apps that work on all Windows platforms. As we've seen in the previous Technical Preview builds for the desktop, Windows 10 has reduced the Start Screen to a mere Start Menu, which combines both Modern UI and old-fashioned desktop apps.

Windows 10 will be a huge launch for Microsoft, enough so that the company has enlisted testers in the community to load up Technical Preview builds and provide feedback. This is likely the most consumer-based hands-on input Microsoft has ever faced, and let's be honest; Windows 8 wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. Windows 8.1 cleaned up the mess somewhat, and Windows 10 looks to eliminate all traces of Windows 8 by not costing customers a single dime for the first year.

That all said, it's not surprising to see AMD and other vendors keeping an eye on Windows 10 development and what it will bring to the consumer market during the back-to-school season.

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Kevin Parrish has over a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and product tester. His work focused on computer hardware, networking equipment, smartphones, tablets, gaming consoles, and other internet-connected devices. His work has appeared in Tom's Hardware, Tom's Guide, Maximum PC, Digital Trends, Android Authority, How-To Geek, Lifewire, and others.