There is so much being written and spoken about the launch of Windows 10. Microsoft’s latest iteration of its operating system has spent the longest time in the beta testing phase compared to its counterparts and the tech giant seems determined to get it right this time.
So why should you and I be interested in upgrading our current version of Windows to Windows 10? Here is a roundup of what the reviewers are saying.
The last Windows ever
Yahoo’s Ed Bott says “Windows 10 is the next major release of Microsoft Windows. It is also, in a sense, the last major release of Windows, because with Windows 10 you’ll get updates and upgrades automatically, for free, for as long as that device is alive.
“Critically the Start Menu is back. It contains standard Windows software and Windows apps. Modern UI apps, as they used to be called. Or Metro apps, if you want to go right back to the beginning.
But this time the Start menu is improved, and it may even make Windows apps useful. Look to the left and you’ll see a list of your most-used apps, just as in Windows 7. At the bottom we see an ‘All apps’ shortcut, plus shortcuts to File Explorer, Settings and – conveniently – shut down and standby.” says Matt Egan from PC advisor.
Hello Cortana
While it’s not available in Canada as of Wednesday’s launch, Microsoft says that Cortana will be coming to Canadian members of Windows Insider later this summer. Since localization is an important part of the intelligent assistant, Microsoft will have these users test it first. So far, we know that Canadian Cortana will “love hockey.”
“Microsoft’s virtual assistant is now incorporated within Windows’ search and you can – of course – control it by voice. So you can ask Cortana to complete various tasks for you. It finds your files, it finds your folders. It has become quite brilliant – say you type Linkedin into the menu, well you it will offer you the ability to open the site in your default browser (even if it’s Chrome) or you can search for Linkedin in Bing.” ~ Dan Grabham from TechRadar.
Best of both worlds
“Windows 8 was a bold reimagining of Microsoft’s operating system, but the Start screen proved contentious. The colorful Live Tiles offered useful notifications and information, but they were designed with touchscreen devices in mind: much of the work we do in Windows involves keyboards, mice and large displays chock-full of windows and apps. Windows 8’s Modern apps demand a full screen’s attention, oblivious of our need to multitask. The Windows 10 Start menu gives us the best of both worlds,” says Nate Ralph from CNET.
Will your old software work on Windows 10?
Mr. Bott assures us “I have run across a few very old programs that don’t work properly, but 99 per cent of what I use daily runs just fine on Windows 10. And yes, that even includes familiar programs like Google Chrome and Apple’s iTunes.”