Users running Windows 10 on the Fast Ring of the Windows Insider Program are now seeing the new icons. Microsoft started revolutionizing icons with Fluent Design through its Office apps. However, these services (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.) just scratched the surface. In December, Redmond announced new icons for hundreds of apps across the OS. Keeping in line with the ethos of Fluent Design, these icons will roll out in stages. The first are now available to testers on the Fast Ring. So far, Alarms & Clock, Movies & TV, Calendar, Voice Recorder, Mail, Groove Music, and Calculator have received the refresh. Modernity is the focus of the new icons, with colorful and sleek elements in their design. However, with hundreds of icons still to change, we are seeing a problem. Specifically, we hope Microsoft can roll out the icons quickly. Currently, Insiders see some apps with slick modern icons and others with older icons.
Potential Issues
The result is a jagged visual experience on Windows 10. Microsoft can ease this transition by ensuring the new icons are all introduced within a space of a few months. Hopefully that’s the case but Fluent Design evolution has been relatively slow. Alternatively, Microsoft could decide to keep all the icons on the insider until the roll out is complete. Either way, the icons certainly add a new flourish to the Windows 10 experience.
