Windows 10 is an entirely new version of the veteran Windows operating system – a version that is make-or-break for Microsoft.
It was released on July 29 in seven versions, which I'll tell you a lot more about below, as well as give you techradar's complete verdict on all aspects of the new operating system (OS).
Even though Windows 8.1 did improve things, there's no escaping that, withWindows 8, Microsoft was hugely complacent, buoyed by the success ofWindows 7. It drastically misunderstood its users with a fundamentally changed user interface which didn't make any logical sense and was hard to learn. It failed us. It failed itself.
Thankfully, 2015 Microsoft is pretty different from 2012 Microsoft. The key management of the corporation has changed. It has woken up to the fact that people can choose other operating systems. It's keen on making stuff for OS X, Linux, iOS and Android. As you'll hear, it's allowing apps from other platforms to be easily ported to Windows, too.
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And, months after release, Microsoft hasn't stopped improving the OS, nor has news surrounding the software stopped churning. Just earlier in November, the first major update for Windows 10 released, known by many for its codename: "Threshold 2."
Microsoft simply calls it the "Fall Update," rife with various improvements that had been tested in the Windows Insider preview
But not all of the news has been sunshine and rainbows for the reportedly now-120 million Windows 10 users – as of late October.
The full download was pulled from Microsoft's Media Creation Tool short after the update released, though the firm wouldn't explain why. The update was, and still is, available through Windows Update in the OS, the news highlights Microsoft's attempts to curb bugs in the early days of most Windows 10 updates.
- Stuck? Here's how to use Windows 10
Short after Microsoft owned up to rumors that Windows 10 had been trying stealthily to install itself on older Windows systems, it was learned that Redmond also hasn't stopped monitoring certain types of user data. The firm chalks this up to a bug, and claims to have corrected the affected processes and removed the flaw.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's attempts to accelerate its slowing growth in market share have grown more dire recently, so much so that the older versions of Windows are outright reversing users' attempts to disable the automatic upgrade tool that arrived earlier this year.
And finally, word has it – from sources familiar with the matter – that Cortana is bound to leave the Windows 10 taskbar and join various Windows apps when the next major update lands. Remember Clippy? Kind of like that, but (hopefully) less annoying.
Despite the hurdles, Microsoft's Surface Pro 4, new flagship Lumia phones, theMicrosoft Band 2, the Surface Book and now that Windows 10 is on Xbox One, Microsoft's new OS is all over the map. That should make the road to 1 billion Windows 10 devices easier.
(Plus, it seems that Windows 10 is better at running games than an OS developed for that very purpose.)
Now, on with the review...
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 family.
From the Windows 10 Preview to RTM
We are part of the Windows Insider program, which gives people early access to Windows 10 updates through various phases of its development, even after release. The majority of this critique is based on build 10240, made available on July 15. It is the RTM – or Release to Manufacturing – version. RTM will also be on Windows 10 PCs you buy in-store or online.
RTM doesn't have the usual 'Windows 10 Insider Preview' text on the desktop, and it has also been released to everybody in the Windows Insider program – even those who didn't want the latest updates (the "slow" ring as opposed to the "fast" ring).
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Even now Windows 10 is released, the Windows Insider program will continue, and Microsoft will release Windows 10 updates to members of the program first.
While it's natural that Windows 10 is considered as "finished" by reviewers (us) and consumers, Microsoft doesn't subscribe to this point of view, and says it will carry on developing the OS with additional tweaks.
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