Windows 10

Windows 10 review: the best of Windows 7 and 8

The best thing about Windows 10 is that it's simply Windows, through and through. It's as if Microsoft realized that devaluing the desktop in Windows 8 was akin to sacrilege, and Windows 10 is its penance. At its core, it's a union of the best qualities of Windows 7 and Windows 8 -- the desktop features of the former with some of the touch-friendly aspects of the latter. It's no wonder Microsoft is calling it an operating system that's both fresh and familiar. It's easy to use with a keyboard and mouse, but it's even better with touchscreen computers. The Start menu is back! And new features like Microsoft's Cortana virtual assistant and Edge browser breathe new life into Windows. Microsoft is framing the OS as "Windows as a Service," meaning it's never quite done and constantly evolving. Most importantly, Windows 10 proves that Microsoft's dream of delivering a single OS that can work across computers, tablets and phones might actually come true.

Pros

• Brings together Microsoft's best desktop and touchscreen interfaces
• Easy upgrade process
• Cortana and Edge alone are worth upgrading
• Changes to modern Windows apps finally makes them useful

Cons

• No major changes beyond the traditional Windows desktop
• Xbox One game streaming requires a robust network
• Still not many worthwhile modern Windows apps yet

But, critically, this will be the last time Windows users should ever need to go through such an upheaval. Never again will they need to move from Windows 10 to Windows 11 or beyond. Instead, Windows is becoming a service, and just as the Insider builds  progressively introduced new features and interface elements during the development of the new OS, the public release of Windows 10 will continue to develop over time. There may not ever be a Windows 11, in fact: major features that would previously have been saved up for a major release will now trickle out through Windows Update as they become ready.

This makes Windows 10 very much a moving target. It might work one way when you install it, but turn into something quite different in a year’s time. For businesses, Microsoft is providing options to keep things stable, but for consumers running the Home edition of Windows 10, Microsoft has taken the bold decision to disallow the skipping or deferring of updates. Like it or not, upgrading means taking an open-ended leap of faith.

Windows 10 review: It's free, no catch

In previous years, most of us only moved to new editions of Windows when we bought a new PC. With Windows 10, Microsoft aims to change that. If you’re currently running a non-enterprise edition of Windows 7 or 8, you will probably have already have seen a pop-up notification on your desktop inviting you to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 10.

For once, there’s no catch. As Microsoft moves to Windows as a service, it no longer wants to be held back by the inertia of huge numbers of customers using old versions of Windows. So for the first year (at least) of Windows 10’s availability, Windows 7 and 8 users are entitled to a free in-place upgrade.

Summary

Windows 10 is the ideal next step for Microsoft, bringing together the best elements of Windows 7 and 8. With new features like Cortana and Edge, extensive desktop interface refinements and Microsoft's free upgrade offer, it's a must-have for anyone who uses Windows.

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— January 28, 2016 — Add Comment — Windows