14 DAY TRIAL // With Windows 10 Creators Update already available for download, the next big thing for Microsoft’s operating system is Redstone 3, which is expected to launch in the fall with improvements for PCs and smartphones alike.
Redstone 3 is expected to bring a major overhaul of the user interface as part of what’s being called Project NEON, which includes new visual effects, animations, and other redesigned UI parts for generally improved experience across apps and the OS itself.
Screenshots posted today on Thurrott show an early version of Redstone 3 with visual improvements for several apps, including the Mail client.
As you can see in the first screenshot at the end of the article, there’s a new design for the Mail app with a highlight animation when hovering a specific menu item, with translucency and blur also more widely used now. What’s important to note is that this is an early version of the app and more refinements are expected, especially because there are parts that need to be revised and where screen space is not used in the most efficient way.
App animations
Then, there’s a new iPhone-like parallax effect that some apps might be coming with, as is the case of Groove Music in the screenshot below. When moving the app window around, the wallpaper behind is also subtly moving thanks to an effect that’s expected to be included in many other apps should developers want to. Users will probably be allowed to choose whether they want to enable this effect or not.
And last but not least, there are visual improvements for the tablet mode of Windows 10 as well, with a screenshot showing a soft splash animation when tapping a live tile on the screen.
These are obviously just early versions of Redstone 3 and a lot could change until this fall when it launches, but insiders should be able to give a try to the revised UI with early preview builds shipping in the coming months.