Windows 10: apps and features killed off as Microsoft reveals limits of new operating system

Windows Media Centre and the Hearts game are dead, joining the soon to be killed off Internet Explorer

Alex Kipman, who led the invention of Microsoft's hologram headset, at the Windows 10 launch (Microsoft)

Microsoft has revealed that it is killing off some of Windows’ most familiar things in its new operating system — including the ability to decide when your computer is updated.

The company announced yesterday that Windows 10 will be released at the end of July. With it will come all new features like a slimmed down look and integration with the company’s voice assistant, Cortana.

But it will also get rid some old features. Windows Media Centre and the game Hearts will be killed off, and a new browser called Microsoft Edge will take the place of Internet Explorer.

Users will also lose control over whether their computers get updated, The Verge reports. Instead of choosing to install new versions of Windows, the computers will download and install new updates automatically.

That won’t apply for the work-focused Pro and Enterprise editions of the software, where administrators will be able to defer new updates.

The updating process is likely a part of broader plans to move towards thinking of “Windows as a service” — rather than updating it every so often, Microsoft is instead marketing the operating system as a continually-evolving thing.

The company has also detailed the full system requirements for running the operating system. They are almost identical with Windows 7, so most people making the upgrade should already have a good enough computer to run it.

Geographical restrictions will also be put on some of Windows 10’s most famous features. Many countries won’t have access to Cortana initially, and the Xbox Music and Xbox Video entertainment apps won’t be available everywhere for licensing reasons.