Microsoft have now released the latest addition to their operating systems which is downloadable for free for most PC owners currently running Windows 7 or higher (8 or 8.1). Find out how to upgrade and if you’re eligible for a free upgrade here. But is it something we should all be rushing to upgrade to?
Windows 10 brings features that many of us have been waiting for after the release of Windows 8 which has left many users frustrated by the poor user experience. In particular it’s navigation around windows that is difficult to use- especially if you’re used to the ‘start menu’ style. It seems Microsoft have learnt their lesson with the ‘start’ menu because it’s back in Windows 10. It includes a detailed local and web search bar (which can be activated by voice) and a Windows 8 style tiled icon arrangement backed up by the classic ‘all programs’.
Also included in Windows 10 is Microsoft’s critically acclaimed audio assistant ‘Cortana’. Cortana is the Microsoft alternative to Apple’s ‘Siri’ and Android’s ‘Google Now’. You can watch a pre-release demonstration of what Cortana can do on a desktop Windows 10 here.
Another included feature is Microsoft’s new web browser ‘Edge’ which by all reports so far is quick, clean and nice to use. That’s right- the death of internet explorer is upon us and ‘edge’ is the new way to go. See a video about Edge here.
So Windows 10 has some great features but should you upgrade as soon as possible to leave it a while and see how things go; we got the low-down from one of our technology managers Rob French;
Should I upgrade to Windows 10 straight away?
“Do not upgrade if you use your PC for critical information, for example if you’re using it for business or important personal documents. Wait for some updates to roll-out that’ll iron out any issues, remember this is the last version of windows as we know it and you will just get updates from now on giving new features. There’s no rush, if you are eligible for the free upgrade you have a year to update so the best thing to do is hang on for a while and make sure that any problems are fixed before upgrading.”
Do you have any other thoughts on Windows 10?
“Personally I have upgraded one of my laptops to take it for a test run and so far, Outlook has stopped sending emails and I had to fix this which took an hour, seems to be a common issue but this is the sort of thing will be fixed by Microsoft in an upgrade after a while. I don’t use voice to control the laptop so Cortina is turned off at the moment, though this feature could develop into something really interesting in the future. Speed wise, I’ve noticed it’s slightly slower than Windows 8.1pro but Microsoft will be ironing out speed-bugs as new releases come out. I have seen no benefits so far, remember the OS is just what you run your programs on, and it’s these programs that are the most important to most users not the OS.”
What are your thoughts on Windows 10 so far- have you already upgraded? Perhaps you need some consultancy on your tech. Get in touch with our friendly team on 01404 548 405 for advice and help. You can also email us on info@cosmic.org.uk as well as getting in touch via Twitter or Facebook!