Windows 10, which was officially launched in July 2015, is Microsoft’s most important release to date. Many users would probably agree that after Windows XP, the operating systems that followed did not live up to their expectations until now. Microsoft is making a statement. They’re changing everything, from introducing a new business model to providing new controls over updates.
Some Windows users reading this article may have already updated their Operating System. Others are probably hesitant to do so because they don’t know what to expect and are not willing to take the risk. The notification to update pops up in the bottom right-hand corner of your screen and you have the option of declining the request to update.
The most frequent questions asked are; is it going to mess up my computer? Am I going to lose my data? Will my programs work properly after I upgrade? How much does it cost?
For all those who don’t know, Windows 10 is FREE with no hidden cost. If you previously had Windows 8 on your machine, the upgrade does not take more than 60 minutes to complete.
Here are 6 reasons why you should upgrade to Windows 10
- It’s absolutely FREE. You can only get this free upgrade within 12 months of release, which ends on July 29, 2016. Mainstream support (adding new features) will carry on until October 13, 2020 and the Extended Support, which entails security updates will last until October 14, 2025.
- Windows 10 is the only operating system that will run on all Microsoft’s desktops, tablets, laptops and phones. Unlike Apple who constantly highlight building iOS on the core of OSX, with Microsoft Windows 10 the user interfaces of the various devices may be different but the codebase is the same
- Cortana which is Window’s version of Apple’s Siri is baked into Windows 10 so that you can voice-activate many commands, such as open browser, create an email, set reminders, calendar appointments etc.
- Windows 10 now allows users to create multiple Virtual Desktops. So instead of having one desktop with all your programs you can now categorise your desktops. This means you can have one for work which contains all your desktop publishing applications such as Word, Excel and PowerPoint, to name a few, and you can also have one for leisure containing games, videos, picture gallery etc.
- If you are a gamer, Windows 10 may be your reason to upgrade. Reports have concluded that the performance gain over Direct X 12 is between 10-20%, and that Direct X 12 is the future of PC gaming. Windows 10 can also stream Xbox One games directly to PCs and laptops, depending on the performance of your WiFi.
- Window 10 requires minimal spec in order to facilitate the upgrade. Below are the low specs needed for the upgrade:
- Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
- RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
- Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS; 20 GB for 64-bit OS
- Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
- Display: 1024×600
Windows 10 is definitely worth the upgrade, as it is faster than previous Microsoft operating systems, it has great security, a cool interface and the Start menu is back where it originally was.
We would love to hear your Windows 10 experience.
