Windows 10 review
New look, new apps, new browser – meet Microsoft's pivotal OS
OUR VERDICT
Feature-wise, Windows 10 is the new Windows 7. It's robust, pleasant to use and – perhaps best of all – free.
FOR
- Start menu is functionally excellent
- Action Center features are handy
- Settings app is finally a Control Panel replacement
- Universal apps are higher quality
AGAINST
- Will devs embrace Universal apps?
- Some Windows 8.1 features may be missed
- Expensive without free upgrade
Update: Not only is Microsoft scheduling automatic Windows 10 upgrades for legacy users, the company is trying to make it easier for users to wipe their slates clean before adopting the new OS. Read on into the "Latest news" section to find out more.
Windows 10 is an entirely fresh version of Microsoft's veteran Windows operating system (OS) – a version that is make-or-break for the company.
It was released on July 29, 2015 in seven versions, which I'll tell you much more about below, as well as giving you techradar's final verdict on all aspects of the new OS. Note that we've published a distinct Windows 10 Mobile review, which we've recently given a full upgrade.
Even though Windows 8.1 did improve a lot, there's no escaping that, withWindows 8, Microsoft was hugely complacent, riding on the coattails ofWindows 7. It drastically misread its audience with a fundamentally different interface that didn't make any reasonable sense and was hard to learn. It failed us. It failed itself.
Thankfully, 2016 Microsoft is starkly different from 2012 Microsoft. The key management of the company has shuffled. It has realized that people can choose other OSes. It's been creating software for Mac OS X, Linux, iOS and Android. As you'll see, it's allowing apps from other systems to be easily ported to Windows, too.
Latest news
Almost 10 months after release, Microsoft has continued to deliver on its promise of Windows as a Service, announcing its first Redstone (as it's reportedly known internally) update at its largely positive Build 2016 in the form of the Windows 10 Anniversary Update.
Earlier in the year, unfavorable press swarmed the internet, publicizing controversial decisions including Windows 10's arguably invasive collection of data, forced adoption of the OS on the latest hardware and a Windows 10update recommendation app that was not asked for.
In an attempt to patch things over, Microsoft revealed at its conference a suite of stylus optimizations (and apps to use them with) in Windows Ink, Android notifications and a full-on Linux development environment built right into the OS among much more.
- Stuck? Here's how to use Windows 10
However, more recently, as Windows 10 growth has started to diminish leading into the expiration of its free upgrade offer, Microsoft has enacted strong measures to keep its numbers on the rise.
By automatically scheduling upgrades without alerting users, the "Get Windows 10" app could send Microsoft down a slippery slope. On the bright side, the company also wants to make clean installing the OS a more streamlined process, which could prove an effective means of converting previously unconvinced legacy Windows users.
Despite sales being on the decline, 300 million installs in 10 months is nothing to scoff at, though we're curious as to how Windows 10 will fare once the price is raised from $0 to an entry-level cost of $119.
Windows is more than just an OS
Microsoft believes the future of Windows is as a platform for all. Like Android, the strength of Windows is in the thousands of companies that develop for it (see the section about Universal apps for more on the relationship with developers) and use it in their products.
That's why Windows 10 is no longer just an operating system for 32 and 64-bit PCs. It will also run on the ARM platform for smaller tablets and smartphones. Windows 10 is going to run on phones – it's the new version of Windows Phone, but it's not that clear whether Microsoft will brand new Windows Phones as 'Windows 10' or not. If you know what Windows RT was, then don't worry, because it's nothing like that.
Universal apps will run not only on PCs, but on Windows 10 phones, Windows 10 for IoT devices and Xbox as well.
Like Windows XP, Vista, 7 and 8 before it, Windows 10 is part of the Windows NT famil
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