What to expect from Microsoft’s Build 2018 conference

We are just days away from Microsoft’s annual developer conference. Microsoft will kick-off Build 2018 on 7th May 2018 and will go till 9th May 2018. Microsoft has lined-up speakers from a variety of backgrounds who will address both online and in-person attendees. The company will share its roadmap for this year and what users can expect to see in the near future. Looking at the list of speakers one can expect to see things ranging from Windows to Azure to Artificial Intelligence.

Microsoft Build returns to Seattle May 7-9, 2018. Developers, join us as we explore the future of technology. #MSBuild https://t.co/e6X6Vejr77 pic.twitter.com/zf660MM3cI

— Microsoft (@Microsoft) February 8, 2018

Windows

Microsoft just rolled out a new update for Windows 10 devices. However, this doesn’t stop the company from talking about the future of Windows and the upcoming Redstone 5 release. We already know that the company is working on a new Control Center probably coming later this year.

Apart from that, Microsoft is expected to talk more about Cloud Clipboard, Windows Sets, and Fluent Design. The company will also cover how developers can take advantage of new features and integrate them into their apps. We might also see the first showcase of Windows Sets on stage.

Apart from Sets, Microsoft is also expected to showcase more on Fluent Design which was announced last year at Build. Along with this, the company might also share the future plans for Fluent Design and might share plans to integrate it into more apps, probably Win32 as well.

Microsoft is also expected to shed some light on the Windows 10 Mobile situation, however, don’t expect anything related to hardware from the conference.

Windows Mixed Reality

Microsoft has been working hard with third-party OEMs to make Mixed Reality tech accessible for everyone and Build might be the perfect opportunity to do so. With developers in the audience, Microsoft might target Mixed Reality as a platform that will interest the developers and encourage them to integrate their apps with the technology. Apart from that, the company has promised better social integration in the Mixed Reality devices so we might get a glance at the new features.

Microsoft is also expected to share hardware plans and might showcase new or prototypes they are working on and what it will mean to the developers. However, it is unlikely that the company will launch or show HoloLens 2 (sorry to disappoint!)

Cloud, Azure, AI, and more AI

Microsoft has been dominating the Enterprise Cloud workspace and the company will showcase its plans for the future at the conference. Also, Microsoft is expected to talk more about Azure Cosmos DB which was recently announced. Apart from this, the first Keynote will be delivered by Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella so you can expect some Cloud-related announcements.

One of the major area to focus on during the conference will be Artificial Intelligence. Microsoft has been working on AI for a while now and has successfully managed to get AI on almost every platform (Cortana). So don’t be surprised if the company focuses on AI during most parts of the conference.

Universal Web Apps and Progressive Web Apps

UWP and PWA are two major sections Microsoft has been focusing on ever since the launch of Windows 10 S. We can say it’s working for them since recently Apple released iTunes as a UWP app on the Microsoft Store. Also, we have recently seen Twitter take advantage of Windows 10 APIs to use features such as notifications, share dialog integration and more. Microsoft is expected to talk more about PWA and how other developers can bring their apps as PWA on the Microsoft Store.

Cortana skills and Bot Framework

Microsoft recently released the Cortana Skill Kit as the public preview in the US. This year at Build Microsoft is expected to take more about the future of Cortana and how developers can take advantage of it to add more skills. Also, Microsoft might just announce partnerships with more companies to launch smart speakers with Cortana.

Microsoft also will talk about the future of Bot Framework and what new might be coming soon. Also, Microsoft did previously encourage developers to take advantage of the Bot Framework to develop bots which can do various actions. The company might announce new changes to the Framework to attract developers.

Office 2019, Office 365 and Graph APIs

Last year Microsoft revealed that there are over 100 million Office 365 users. With that in mind and the fact that Microsoft just announced Office 2019, we can expect the company to talk more about the upcoming Office 2019. Microsoft might also share the possible release dates of Office 2019 preview and the official rollout during the conference.

The company is also expected to share future plans about it’s Intelligent Graph APIs. Microsoft Graph is used by businesses across the world and recently the company developers to leverage the device data as well. With this, Microsoft might share how developers and businesses can deploy Graph APIs and leverage Microsoft Graph.

Visual Studio

Microsoft has already announced Visual Studio 2017 for both Windows and Mac so we don’t expect the company to launch a new version during Build. However, we might see Microsoft talk about the new features of Visual Studio and how developers can use them while working on their projects. Microsoft might also talk about the future plans of Visual Studio and what new features and improvements we can expect in the future.

Project Emma

Last year, Microsoft showcased a watch that helped people with Parkinson’s disease write without problems. Named after Emma Lawton who is a graphics designer with Parkinson’s disease, this watch was made by Microsoft Research innovation director Haiyan Zhang, who built it just for her.

For those who don’t know, Parkinson’s disease is a long-term degenerative disorder of the central nervous system that mainly affects the motor system. Symptoms of Parkinson’s are shaking and loss of motor control. The disease is incurable and affects more than 10 million people.

With Build 2018 being a developer focused event, Microsoft might bring this project back to life and help people with the disease to write again.

What’s more?

We don’t have an agenda of Build so we can’t say what exactly to expect from the three-day event. However, we have created a list of possible announcements which we might see during the event. That said, there will always be an element of surprise and for that make sure you follow us as we will be on the floor covering the conference.