Windows 10 is here, and it's the best Microsoft OS yet. Here's why you should upgrade from Windows 8.1 right away
Windows 10 is here, and everyone at Alphr couldn’t be more excited. Traditionally, a new version of Windows is accompanied with a roll call of off-putting bugs and incompatibilities, but this time around there are plenty of reasons to throw caution to the wind and jump right in.
Why? Firstly, “Windows Insiders” have already helped to iron out many of the bugs in the pre-release builds of Windows 10, and secondly, Windows 10 delivers a truck load of new features and usability enhancements which leave Microsoft’s current OS, Windows 8.1, looking woefully clunky and out of date. Microsoft took its time, but Windows 10 looks to be the best version of Windows yet.
Don’t believe us? Well, here are the five key reasons why Windows 10 is better than Windows 8.
Why? Firstly, “Windows Insiders” have already helped to iron out many of the bugs in the pre-release builds of Windows 10, and secondly, Windows 10 delivers a truck load of new features and usability enhancements which leave Microsoft’s current OS, Windows 8.1, looking woefully clunky and out of date. Microsoft took its time, but Windows 10 looks to be the best version of Windows yet.
Don’t believe us? Well, here are the five key reasons why Windows 10 is better than Windows 8.
The Start menu is back – and better than ever
Sleeker, adaptive and more like Windows 7
Sleeker, adaptive and more like Windows 7
Yes, the Start menu you know and love is back. After struggling to convince users with the full-screen menu of Windows 8.1, Microsoft has relented. However, this time around, it has made a few welcome changes.
It’s great to see that the Start menu is now transparent and sleeker; it’s a lot easier to navigate when you want to do something quickly. Whereas the original release of Windows 8 hid the Shutdown and Restart controls in a hard-to-find Settings pane – leaving beginners unable to figure out how to turn off or restart their devices – Windows 10 has restored the power button to its rightful place: the bottom of the Start menu.
The live tiles of Windows 8 and 8.1 are still there, but they've been relegated to the side of a traditional pop-up Start menu, where they don't hog your entire screen. As before, enabled Modern apps are able to use the live tiles to present dynamic information, including everything from email notifications to news and weather alerts.
The default Live Tile area offers horizontal space for a grid of 4x4 medium-sized tiles, with the ability to scroll up and down to view additional tiles. You can also resize the menu: drag the upper edge to set the default height, and extend the side across the screen in multiples of four tiles. You can’t hide the tile area altogether, however.
There’s one other major addition: Windows 10 now provides an Uninstall link directly on the Start menu, for both desktop and Modern apps. This is a small but welcome step towards easier housekeeping.
If you liked the full-screen, tile-based Start menu, it’s still there – for certain devices. Those running Windows 10 on a device with a screen 10in or smaller will only be able to see the Start Menu in full-screen, while hybrid devices such as Microsoft’s Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3 will switch between the two depending on whether the OS is running in desktop or tablet mode. If you don’t fall into these camps, you can manually resize it by clicking and dragging the edge of the Start menu.
Improved multitasking
Alt+Tab like never before – and no more full-screen apps
It’s great to see that the Start menu is now transparent and sleeker; it’s a lot easier to navigate when you want to do something quickly. Whereas the original release of Windows 8 hid the Shutdown and Restart controls in a hard-to-find Settings pane – leaving beginners unable to figure out how to turn off or restart their devices – Windows 10 has restored the power button to its rightful place: the bottom of the Start menu.
The live tiles of Windows 8 and 8.1 are still there, but they've been relegated to the side of a traditional pop-up Start menu, where they don't hog your entire screen. As before, enabled Modern apps are able to use the live tiles to present dynamic information, including everything from email notifications to news and weather alerts.
The default Live Tile area offers horizontal space for a grid of 4x4 medium-sized tiles, with the ability to scroll up and down to view additional tiles. You can also resize the menu: drag the upper edge to set the default height, and extend the side across the screen in multiples of four tiles. You can’t hide the tile area altogether, however.
There’s one other major addition: Windows 10 now provides an Uninstall link directly on the Start menu, for both desktop and Modern apps. This is a small but welcome step towards easier housekeeping.
If you liked the full-screen, tile-based Start menu, it’s still there – for certain devices. Those running Windows 10 on a device with a screen 10in or smaller will only be able to see the Start Menu in full-screen, while hybrid devices such as Microsoft’s Surface 3 and Surface Pro 3 will switch between the two depending on whether the OS is running in desktop or tablet mode. If you don’t fall into these camps, you can manually resize it by clicking and dragging the edge of the Start menu.
Improved multitasking
Alt+Tab like never before – and no more full-screen apps
Windows has always been excellent for multitasking, and the introduction of snappable windows in Windows 7 made things even better. With Windows 10, things take another leap forward.
When you snap a window to fill half of the screen in the new OS, your other open windows are arranged into a Task View-like preview; you can easily click on one to make it fill the other side of the screen. You can now have four windows snapped together on one screen, and Windows 10 even suggests apps that work well together with Snap Assist. Handily, it also remembers which apps you tend to combine.
Microsoft has also brought in OS X-style multiple desktops: in the bottom right of the Task View, an unobtrusive icon invites you to add a new desktop. Each can contain its own applications and windows – handy for those who like to set up specific workspaces for different projects. You can switch desktops in the Task View, or by holding down Windows+Ctrl and pressing the left or right cursor keys.
Unlike Windows 8.1, where all apps started in full-screen, apps in Windows 10 start windowed by default. Apps can load directly from desktop, and they behave like any other software – they will even be snapped together through Snap Assist. When Windows 10 is in Desktop mode, each Modern app opens in its own window, alongside your desktop applications. Trying out and playing with apps feels much more breezy and natural, with no need to keep switching between views to multitask.
Windows 10 comes with a suite of native apps for photo, video and music management, as well as maps, contacts, emails and a dedicated calendar app. As with everything Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 10, these apps will look and feel the same no matter what device you use to run them.
Finally, Windows 10 also features automatic OneDrive synchronisation, allowing you to back up sensitive or important files away from your computer without needing to worry about it. Dropbox also comes as a native app.
Deep-level Cortana integration
Cross-device functionality makes Cortana truly helpful
When you snap a window to fill half of the screen in the new OS, your other open windows are arranged into a Task View-like preview; you can easily click on one to make it fill the other side of the screen. You can now have four windows snapped together on one screen, and Windows 10 even suggests apps that work well together with Snap Assist. Handily, it also remembers which apps you tend to combine.
Microsoft has also brought in OS X-style multiple desktops: in the bottom right of the Task View, an unobtrusive icon invites you to add a new desktop. Each can contain its own applications and windows – handy for those who like to set up specific workspaces for different projects. You can switch desktops in the Task View, or by holding down Windows+Ctrl and pressing the left or right cursor keys.
Unlike Windows 8.1, where all apps started in full-screen, apps in Windows 10 start windowed by default. Apps can load directly from desktop, and they behave like any other software – they will even be snapped together through Snap Assist. When Windows 10 is in Desktop mode, each Modern app opens in its own window, alongside your desktop applications. Trying out and playing with apps feels much more breezy and natural, with no need to keep switching between views to multitask.
Windows 10 comes with a suite of native apps for photo, video and music management, as well as maps, contacts, emails and a dedicated calendar app. As with everything Microsoft is trying to do with Windows 10, these apps will look and feel the same no matter what device you use to run them.
Finally, Windows 10 also features automatic OneDrive synchronisation, allowing you to back up sensitive or important files away from your computer without needing to worry about it. Dropbox also comes as a native app.
Deep-level Cortana integration
Cross-device functionality makes Cortana truly helpful
Cortana made its debut in Windows Phone 8.1, but now the personal assistant is being integrated into all versions of Windows 10.
Cortana is now in full control of Windows’s search functions. Hit the Windows key, start typing and your input is sent to Cortana. In practice, it works just as before – apps and desktop applications appear at the top of the list, and can be launched by simply hitting Return. As Cortana’s capabilities evolve, though, it could end up being more useful than the old Search function.
In Windows 10, it retains its natural language-processing abilities, so you can enter commands such as “What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?” or “Set an alarm for 7pm” – although we’ve found results very hit and miss so far. An optional feature called “Hey Cortana” sets the OS into an always-listening mode, so you don’t even need to click.
Since it works in the cloud, Cortana will sync across all your devices and look at your OneDrive storage, so it will be able to set reminders or find files no matter where you are. It’s also designed to learn what you like over time, offer helpful suggestions or highlight relevant apps. It can also translate documents or speech into 25 languages – handy if you’re a frequent traveller.
Cortana’s final trick could prove very powerful indeed – if app developers take advantage of it. Apps can integrate with Cortana so that specific functions can be accessed by voice control. The built-in apps provide an early example of what’s possible: instruct Cortana to email a friend and the Mail app should pop up with the address field pre-populated.
Microsoft Edge browser
A fast, light, completely reborn web browser from Microsoft
Cortana is now in full control of Windows’s search functions. Hit the Windows key, start typing and your input is sent to Cortana. In practice, it works just as before – apps and desktop applications appear at the top of the list, and can be launched by simply hitting Return. As Cortana’s capabilities evolve, though, it could end up being more useful than the old Search function.
In Windows 10, it retains its natural language-processing abilities, so you can enter commands such as “What’s the weather going to be like tomorrow?” or “Set an alarm for 7pm” – although we’ve found results very hit and miss so far. An optional feature called “Hey Cortana” sets the OS into an always-listening mode, so you don’t even need to click.
Since it works in the cloud, Cortana will sync across all your devices and look at your OneDrive storage, so it will be able to set reminders or find files no matter where you are. It’s also designed to learn what you like over time, offer helpful suggestions or highlight relevant apps. It can also translate documents or speech into 25 languages – handy if you’re a frequent traveller.
Cortana’s final trick could prove very powerful indeed – if app developers take advantage of it. Apps can integrate with Cortana so that specific functions can be accessed by voice control. The built-in apps provide an early example of what’s possible: instruct Cortana to email a friend and the Mail app should pop up with the address field pre-populated.
Microsoft Edge browser
A fast, light, completely reborn web browser from Microsoft
Microsoft Edge is Microsoft’s vision of the browser for 2015. Having finally done away with the lumbering beast that was Internet Explorer, Microsoft has built a new, lightweight replacement, almost completely from scratch.
It runs on a new engine called EdgeHTML to ensure speedy web browsing, but it still contains the IE11 engine in case it encounters a website incompatible with its slick, new system. In our tests, it ran the SunSpider gauntlet over twice as fast as Google’s Chrome browser, completing it in 72 milliseconds, compared to Chrome’s 153 milliseconds.
Microsoft has implemented some other handy features. Its Reading Mode can save articles for reading offline on any Windows 10 device; think Pocket and you’ve got the right idea. You can also annotate any web page using text comments or handwritten scribbles, and share your thoughts with friends and colleagues. These annotations and saved pages all sync to OneDrive, so you can access them easily across different devices.
Cortana’s blue circle also appears in Edge. Here, Cortana works in a similar way to the “OK, Google” command. One example seen at a Windows press event pulled through flight details when someone voice-searched in Edge for “Delta”. This should reduce the need for aggressive bookmarking.
Edge also benefits from the sandboxing built into the Universal app framework. As a result, it’s far less vulnerable to hackers and drive-by downloads than Internet Explorer was. So confident is Microsoft in the robustness of its new browser that it’s offering a “bug bounty” of up to $15,000 for anyone who manages to expose a security vulnerability.
If you want to know more, click here to head on over to Alphr's deep-dive into Microsoft's new browser.
Xbox App and DirectX 12Streaming games, video recording and full Xbox Live integration
It runs on a new engine called EdgeHTML to ensure speedy web browsing, but it still contains the IE11 engine in case it encounters a website incompatible with its slick, new system. In our tests, it ran the SunSpider gauntlet over twice as fast as Google’s Chrome browser, completing it in 72 milliseconds, compared to Chrome’s 153 milliseconds.
Microsoft has implemented some other handy features. Its Reading Mode can save articles for reading offline on any Windows 10 device; think Pocket and you’ve got the right idea. You can also annotate any web page using text comments or handwritten scribbles, and share your thoughts with friends and colleagues. These annotations and saved pages all sync to OneDrive, so you can access them easily across different devices.
Cortana’s blue circle also appears in Edge. Here, Cortana works in a similar way to the “OK, Google” command. One example seen at a Windows press event pulled through flight details when someone voice-searched in Edge for “Delta”. This should reduce the need for aggressive bookmarking.
Edge also benefits from the sandboxing built into the Universal app framework. As a result, it’s far less vulnerable to hackers and drive-by downloads than Internet Explorer was. So confident is Microsoft in the robustness of its new browser that it’s offering a “bug bounty” of up to $15,000 for anyone who manages to expose a security vulnerability.
If you want to know more, click here to head on over to Alphr's deep-dive into Microsoft's new browser.
Xbox App and DirectX 12Streaming games, video recording and full Xbox Live integration
Anyone who used Windows 8 or 8.1 for playing games will know just how terrible it was to use without modifications. Indeed, it became so bad that Steam creator Valve outright dismissed it as a viable platform for games. With Windows 10, Microsoft has made a wholehearted apology for that mess.
To help turn the tables, and bring passionate gamers over from the solid platform of Windows 7, Microsoft has enlisted the help of its Xbox division. Its responsibility is to treat Windows 10 gaming as a platform with the same reverence as the Xbox brand.
Windows 10 offers full integration with Microsoft’s Xbox Live network and the Xbox games store. This means Xbox One players can play games with those on PC, and almost every Xbox One title will be available for play on Windows 10. You can also stream gameplay from an Xbox One to any Windows 10-enabled tablet or PC on the same network.
Borrowing from Sony’s PlayStation sharing system, Microsoft has rolled out automatic video recording and sharing to Windows 10 through Game DVR. See something really cool while playing? Simply activate the share function: the last 15 minutes of footage is buffered to OneDrive, so you won’t miss a thing. You can then edit and share footage on social networks or through the Xbox Live network. You’re also able to stream any game you like without the need for additional software, thanks to built-in compatibility with Twitch streaming.
To help turn the tables, and bring passionate gamers over from the solid platform of Windows 7, Microsoft has enlisted the help of its Xbox division. Its responsibility is to treat Windows 10 gaming as a platform with the same reverence as the Xbox brand.
Windows 10 offers full integration with Microsoft’s Xbox Live network and the Xbox games store. This means Xbox One players can play games with those on PC, and almost every Xbox One title will be available for play on Windows 10. You can also stream gameplay from an Xbox One to any Windows 10-enabled tablet or PC on the same network.
Borrowing from Sony’s PlayStation sharing system, Microsoft has rolled out automatic video recording and sharing to Windows 10 through Game DVR. See something really cool while playing? Simply activate the share function: the last 15 minutes of footage is buffered to OneDrive, so you won’t miss a thing. You can then edit and share footage on social networks or through the Xbox Live network. You’re also able to stream any game you like without the need for additional software, thanks to built-in compatibility with Twitch streaming.
Don’t fancy using the Xbox app on your computer due to a swollen library of Steam games? Well, Steam in Windows 10 is as fully featured as always, and has all the benefits of Windows 10’s game optimisation. Yes, this means you can record footage, stream to Twitch and play with Xbox One players even if you don’t touch Microsoft’s Xbox app.
Windows 10 also comes with DirectX 12 as standard, which Microsoft claims is capable of providing smoother gameplay and rendering vast worlds with far more visual detail. From what Microsoft has revealed, DX12 is at least twice as powerful as DX11. Going by Square Enix’s tech demo below, DX12 is capable of astonishing things. For anyone who plays games, it’s safe to say that Windows 10 is an exciting prospect.
Windows 10 also comes with DirectX 12 as standard, which Microsoft claims is capable of providing smoother gameplay and rendering vast worlds with far more visual detail. From what Microsoft has revealed, DX12 is at least twice as powerful as DX11. Going by Square Enix’s tech demo below, DX12 is capable of astonishing things. For anyone who plays games, it’s safe to say that Windows 10 is an exciting prospect.
Not excited by the prospect of Windows 10? Still not sure if it’s the right OS for you?