The Collaboration of The Year: Windows 7 + 8 = Windows 10. Will You Update?

Windows 10, the new operating system from Microsoft, has started rolling out to customers worldwide. 

Back in 2012 Windows 8 didn’t receive a very warm welcome from users, so this release is extremely important for Microsoft. There has been much speculation and hype about Windows 10 over the last few months, but was it worth the wait? 

Microsoft decided to bypass Windows 9 and jump straight to Windows 10 (a good marketing ploy to keep up with Apple’s OS X?!) in an attempt to combine the “best elements” of Windows 7 and Windows 8. One of the more controversial features of Windows 8, the “live tiles”, still features in Windows 10, but now they are used as shortcuts to the user’s favourite applications. The start menu is also back from Windows 7, which allows users to browse through a list of their most-used programs. 

Microsoft hopes that Windows 10 will steer the company in a new direction. Chief Executive, Satya Nadella, describes the OS as “Windows as a Service,” meaning that users can expect improvements to the OS at anytime through the internet, rather than having to wait for another big update in a few years.  

Aside from the live tiles and start menu, here’s what else is new in Windows 10: 

• The interface looks similar to Windows 7
• The “familiar and easy to use” OS has moved away from the touch-screen
• The virtual assistant, Cortana, is now available
• Windows Hello - a biometric authentication facility that lets people unlock their computer and specific applications by fingerprint of facial recognition scan
• Edge - A successor to Microsoft’s Internet Explorer
• There’s a new notification sidebar that lets users review recent notifications

Consumers and small businesses are being offered free upgrades on existing computers running Windows 7 or 8 at any point over the next year. Microsoft has made the OS system more appealing to developers through it’s new “universal app platform” too.

Big businesses are unlikely to adopt the OS right away, but will SMEs? Tech consultancy Gartner has advised its clients to wait until the second half of 2016 before they do the update.

For home uses, if you decide you don’t like Windows 10, it is worth knowing there is a "rollback" option that works for the first 30 days.

Have you started using Windows 10? Tell us what you think of it! 

360ict provides managed IT services and emergency IT support for SMEs in central London and the south-east, including Bromley and Croydon. For more advice on gaining competitive advantage as a mid-sized company, give us a call on 0208 663 4000 or head to our website.