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Windows 10 Leaks Surface With Strange Controversy in Tow

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Fresh leaks of Microsoft’s Windows 10 operating system don’t reveal any new features. However, they are stirring up some unforeseen controversy and sharp criticism from longtime Windows users.

Pictures of what could be Windows 10 build 10014 surfaced this past weekend on Twitter, a social network that allows users to post text, images and video somewhat anonymously. User WZOR posted a series of images of Windows 10 10014. In one picture we see the Start Screen that’s already available to Windows 10 users. In another picture we see a bit of the Windows 10 set-up process.

What’s catching the attention of most Windows watchers and igniting a firestorm is a single screenshot that shows the Windows 10 Desktop. A darkly colored Windows Task Bar sits at the bottom of the screenshot. In the top of the Windows 10 screenshot is a recycle bin that’s partially covered by a window. It’s that Recycle Bin that has users fuming. The Recycle Bin in the screenshot is flat and gray, with a blue recycling emblem in its center front.

The consensus seems to be that Microsoft has gone too far in refreshing the icons included in Windows 10. Some, like The Verge’s Tom Warren, are calling for Microsoft to “fix the Windows 10 Recycle Bin.” Like user Airtel, a few people have noted that the icon looks like something Microsoft’s designers put together in its Paint Desktop app.

For one, it’s interesting to see how fickle the Windows community has become, especially since Microsoft will need to placate these users if it has any hope of Windows 10 succeeding. Windows 10 isn’t any less ambitious than Windows 8. Microsoft is trying to strike a balance between being ambitious and making common sense changes that’ll impact everyone positively. Any unreasonably negative reactions to features in Windows 10 could become a headache for Microsoft down the road.

Windows 10 10014 Recycle Bin leaked by WZOR.

Windows 10 10014 Recycle Bin leaked by WZOR.

Windows 10 attempts to right the wrongs of Windows 8, Microsoft’s last major Windows release. Windows 8 forced the mouse and touch-friendly Start Screen on everyone, along with Windows Store apps. Unfortunately, the Start Screen alienated some users. Windows 10 keeps the Start Screen, but introduces a small Start Screen to match the proportions Start Menu from past versions of Windows. In Tablet Mode, the Start Screen and any apps will act as full screen apps.

Read: Windows 8 vs. Windows 10: What You Need to Know

Also included in Windows 10 are new apps and experiences inspired by Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system. Battery Saver will give users a detailed look at what’s eating into their device’s on-screen time in between charges. Like its mobile counterpart, this version will automatically turn on when the user’s battery falls below a certain threshold. Storage Sense lets users see how much storage they’ve used and set default locations for where new things are stored.

A new Action Center lets users get a look at the notifications they’ve missed from their apps and quickly access settings.

The company started offering early builds of Windows 10 to enthusiasts in the hopes of getting feedback and making changes when necessary. The Recycle Bin is just one of the many things getting a complete redesign. Folders in Windows 10 have also received a redesign. The Title Bars around Windows Store apps are now solid gray and simplified.

Microsoft isn’t expected to release Windows 10 in final form until sometime this fall, giving them plenty of time to address the look of the Recycle Bin. Windows 7 and Windows 8 users will get the option to update to Windows 10 for free for the first year. Microsoft hasn’t yet said how much it’ll charge for the operating system after that.

Besides this main version of Windows 10, there’s a mobile upgrade coming too. It’s also called Windows 10 and it’s meant especially for tablets and smartphones running Windows Phone 8.1 today.

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