Posted on 07/30/2015 11:45:36 PM PDT by Swordmaker
It's been a rough few years for Microsoft. Sure, it still makes more money than several European countries but the issue has been one of relevance. It missed the boat when it came to mobile and their efforts to repair the situation with Windows 8 were met with laughter at best, but sometimes even hatred.
The all-new Windows 10, which was released on 29 July, is designed to stem the blood loss. We took a look at the latest preview (Microsoft took the wraps off the new operating system at a developer event in 2014, and then unveiled more at a consumer preview on Wednesday 21 January), and compared it to Mac OS X Yosemite.
We will be updating this review based on the final version of Windows 10.
Read our OS X Yosemite review Plus: Doesn't Windows 10 sound rather like OS X to you...
And here’s what is coming in the next version of OS X...
Apple has been giving its operating system away for free since it introduced Mavericks in 2013.
Microsoft has obviously caught onto this idea and Windows 10 will be a completely free upgrade, as long as you are a Windows 8.1, Windows Phone 8.1 or Windows 7 user.
Yosemite’s desktop was visually overhauled with a new flat look but functionally is mostly identical to earlier releases of OS X. You get the Dock, from which you can launch apps, or open files and folders via Stacks. Mission Control lets you see what apps and documents are open, and switch between them. Spaces lets you switch between apps running in full-screen mode and also create or switch to additional desktops.
Windows 10 brings back the Start menu that’s been around since 1995 but was removed from Windows 8, this is news that will please some (its removal didn't go down well). The Start menu features some updated graphics that can go full-screen, but it is as functional as ever, if a little click-heavy – to get to your apps you need to click through to an actual apps listing.
However, Microsoft isn’t about to give-up the Live Tile concept that irked so many. For desktop users the Start menu has transmuted into a genuine hybrid – half is a traditional app/files listing, similar to that in Windows 7, while half is Live Tiles. On our test setup this included a News tile, showing constantly scrolling headlines, and tiles for the Calendar and Mail app, amongst others.
Read: Why Windows 10 is just like OS X
Significantly boosted in Yosemite, the Notification Area lets your apps and OS X tell you important stuff, and also provides a home for widgets that show information like weather, or that let you perform quick and dirty tasks. The whole caboodle works harmoniously while scratching every itch a user might have.
When we looked at the original beta in 2014, Window's Live Tiles appeared not to have evolved since Windows 8. With a little thought the Live Tile area of the Start menu could be an information hub as well as an app launcher, just like Yosemite’s Notification Area. Sadly, most Tiles appear to be dumb icons. For example, the Mail tile shows the number of unread messages, rather than their subject fields or excerpts. The Calendar tile shows nothing more than the day and date. The Skype tile is simply an app icon, rather than a chance to quickly jump into or respond to a text or voice chat with a contact.
Further to the consumer preview, we now know that Windows Phone's Action Center will be coming to desktop in Windows 10. It will offer notifications, quick actions and more, similar to the Notification Center in OS X Yosemite. In this Notifications and Action Area apps and the system will be able to communicate with the user. It pops-up when you click an icon in the system tray near the clock, and notifications also pop-out in their own windows at the bottom right of the desktop. Clicking entries in the notifications list either clears them, if there’s no action associated, or launches the relevant app/system tool. However, there’s no way to disable notifications for a short while, as with Yosemite’s Do Not Disturb mode.
Read: How to manage Macs on a Windows-based network
Yosemite firms-up Apple’s goal for apps to run either as traditional program windows or full-screen. It does this by switching the maximise button (the green blob at the top left of windows) to a full-screen option. Working full-screen in apps courtesy of Mission Control and Spaces makes life significantly easier on smaller screens such as those on MacBooks.
As in the Windows 8.1 update, “Metro” apps designed primarily for tablets start-up full-screen in Windows 10, but don’t overlap the taskbar at the bottom and also have a traditional title bar. Some can be resized in the usual way, just like any window, while some have fixed dimensions. There’s a new menu button at the left of the title bar that provides quick access to features found on the Charms bar in Windows 8, such as settings. This full-screen approach works pretty well, although it has the feel of emulation about it – as if you’re using two different computers, with Metro apps providing a peek into a different universe.
Look familiar? Windows 10’s new Task View borrows from Mission Control
To ease the transition into users accepting Metro apps, Microsoft has essentially stolen the Spaces and Mission Control concepts from OS X. This new Task View, as Microsoft calls it with a typical lack of imagination, lets you switch between any apps running full-screen. You can also create/switch to new desktop spaces. It works well even if it is inelegant – unlike Mission Control you can’t click and drag to move apps from one space to another (or at least not in the tech preview we played with). That can only be done by right-clicking the program window thumbnail.
Dragging apps to the left or right of the desktop doesn’t switch desktop space. Instead, it activates Windows’ split-screen mode, known as Snap. This is designed for tablets and lets you align two apps vertically for multitasking, or four in a grid by dragging apps to the corner of the screen. On a desktop with all but the largest screens (i.e. most of them) this makes precious little sense. Read: How to use System Preferences in OS X
Windows 10 is enhanced with the ability to “snap” program windows into corners
Where Apple has always maintained that two separate operating systems are necessary: one for mobile devices, one for computing, Windows 10 will run on PCs, smartphones, tablets and even Xbox One. There will no longer be a separate version of Windows for phones. The benefit of this strategy is that it means the same apps will be available on all Windows 10 devices.
Of course Apple's philosophy, initially outlined by Steve Jobs prior to that famous quote about not using styluses, is that an operating system that relies on mouse input isn't suitable for use on a mobile phone where the finger or thumb becomes the means of input (if you resort to using a stylus on the phone you have failed).
How is Microsoft addressing this issue? Continuum Mode isn’t Microsoft’s answer to Continuity, it’s Microsoft’s answer to the dilemma of what happens when you disconnect the tablet part of the Surface from its base. The Windows OS will detect the loss of a keyboard or mouse and switch to the tablet (touch) usage modes.
That said, Microsoft is tailoring the OS to devices 8in and above, with a slightly different version for Windows phones and small screen tablets. This 'mobile' version of Windows 10 isn’t a successor to Windows Phone 8, it’s still the same OS as runs on PCs, however there are some tweaks. The mobile version includes the ability to float the keyboard around the screen.
While the operating systems are unique, Apple offers a number of features that unify both OS X and iOS. Apple has unified these features underneath the banner of Continuity and they include Airdrop, which is significantly boosted in Yosemite to let you share files between not just desktop computers, but also iOS devices. Windows 10 simply has nothing similar. Read: How to Airdrop from Mac to iPhone and back.
You have been able to send SMS messages to other iCloud users on your Mac since Mavericks in 2013, but now you can text anyone from your Mac, regardless of what smartphone they are using. Also new in Yosemite is the ability to make and receive calls on your Mac using your iPhone number (your iPhone just needs to be nearby with Bluetooth turned on).
The closest equivalent in Windows 10 will be IP-based messaging services and Skype. If you're sending an SMS and both parties use Skype, Windows 10 will automatically flip to Skype so you can have a real-time conversation, whether that's continuing to use IM, or switching to a voice or video call.
Apple travelled more than a few steps down the path of unifying work patterns across iOS devices and Macs in Yosemite. Another new Continuity feature lets apps share data instantly between OS X and iOS. Thanks to Handoff, you can start an email on your iPad and you can pick it up instantly on your Mac, and vice versa. While there are separate versions of, for example, Apple's iWork apps, Pages, Numbers and Keynote, for each device, all documents are kept in sync so that you can easily pick up from where you left off on one device and continue working on another. Since Yosemite all documents can be stored on iCloud Drive and accessed on any device.
Because it's the same operating system across all devices, Universal Apps designed for Windows 10 will work with phones, small tablets and PCs. If you are using one Windows device you should find that apps look and feel the same across different devices and screen sizes. Data will be saved and will sync automatically via Microsoft's OneDrive. Full Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook will be included on phones - complete with the familiar Office Ribbon. The full Word engine will be built into the email app so you can format text just as you would in a document. A recent documents list will be available to all Windows 10 devices.
Many apps are getting an overhaul for Windows 10. For example, the Photos app has been improved so you'll see the same photo stream across your Windows 10 devices. This sounds a lot like the soon to launch iCloud Photo Library, currently in beta which will allow you to access all your photos from any of your Apple devices, and even a non Apple device via iCloud on the web.
Apple introduced the App Store concept to the world and it was immediately stolen by Google and Microsoft. Still, Apple’s used to that kind of thing. However, at least Microsoft is showing some initiative because Windows 10 unifies the Windows Store across all devices. Desktop and mobile versions of Windows 10 share APIs making it easy for developers to create a single app that’ll work on tablets and desktop computers. For users this means simplicity and perhaps the ability to buy an app once and use it everywhere.
In contrast, the iOS App Store and its Mac brother are entirely separate affairs. While there would be little sense in users running most iOS apps on OS X, and it’d be preposterous to suggest OS X apps should work on iOS, the ability to play iOS games on a Mac would certainly be welcome. This is technically feasible using existing software provided to developers so wouldn’t take a lot of adaptation to be integrated into a future release of OS X.
So, with its improved app store, Windows 10 finally scores a point over Yosemite!
Cloud storage is a hot area nowadays. Yosemite comes with iCloud at its heart, while apps in Windows 10 will default to saving all files and pictures automatically to Microsoft’s OneDrive, as well as backing up your PC settings there. Microsoft Office 365 already features strong OneDrive support, so this is a logical continuation and you can always save files locally by selecting a folder.
OneDrive is available on most computing platforms, but the difference between it and iCloud is one of integration. iCloud works as a kind of Dropbox clone in Yosemite but in iOS each app can claim its own walled garden within iCloud to save data – safe from the prying eyes of other apps or potential malware. Apple’s approach is significantly more secure than that of Windows 10, and again indicates more thought has been applied to basic tasks. Read: What is iCloud Drive
The Safari browser gained much in Yosemite, including a whole new look providing more space for browser tabs and a significant speed boost. Safari’s developers have been focussing on features over the last few years, adding useful tools such as Reading List for offline browsing, and Shared Links for keeping up to date with your favourite sites and tweeted links. In Yosemite Mail gained the ability to annotate pictures and diagrams – a genuinely useful quick tool. Read more about Safari here: Tips for using Safari on the Mac
What can we say about Internet Explorer that hasn’t already been said? The user interface is still clumsy, with browser tabs crammed into the top right of the screen alongside the address bar. In terms of features it’s straight out of the previous century. Back in 2014 Microsoft was boasting a litany of under-the-hood improvements including HTTP2, but this is like a car manufacturer boasting their engines have new and improved sparkplugs.
However, in the consumer preview we learned more about Microsoft's new Window's 10 browser, code named 'Project Spartan'. Spartan is to be Microsoft’s new web browser, shipping with Windows 10. Built with interoperability in mind, according to Microsoft, Spartan has a new rendering engine that's "compatible with today's web".
It has a new look and feel, and it has three significant features, according to Microsoft. These include a reading mode and the ability to annotate with a keyboard, pen or a finger before you share an article. There's also integration with Cortana, so that when you're on a web page for a restaurant Cortana can make a booking. Spartan lets you create a reading list that shows up on all your devices, this content is then available to read offline, so it won't matter if you have no internet connection. Spartan’s reading mode also supports PDFs natively.
Apple's Mail offered new features in Yosemite including Mail Drop, which takes the hassle out of sending large files because Apple looks after the upload and download of files over 5MB so that you don't need to rush off to DropBox or similar in order to send emails without crashing the server, or that of your recipient.
The default (and only) email app on Windows 10 is Mail, a tablet app. This is basic. Forget about creating mail rules, for example. Even the ancient Windows Express looks sophisticated in comparison. Anybody who receives more than a few messages a day will be crying out for the likes of Outlook, which comes as part of Office 365. It’s not cynical to suggest that this is all part of Microsoft’s plan, of course.
Windows Mail is basic and no use for those who receive more than a handful of messages a day
The Spotlight search tool is one of OS X’s greatest features. As Steve Jobs pointed out when he introduced it back in 2004, it makes the concept of a file system redundant and provides access to all types of data. You can use Spotlight to open files, start apps, search emails, and much more. In Yosemite it’s also been expanded to perform ultra-rapid web, Wikipedia, App Store, and map searches. Use Spotlight right and it will form the heart of your Mac experience.
Windows 10 gains a new search icon on the taskbar, near the Start button. Type a search term and one of two things happen. If a local result is found – an app, for example, or a file – then they appear listed at the top of the search box. Hitting Enter will open the currently highlighted entry in the list. If no results are found you’re switched to a full-screen search Metro-style app. This assumes you want to do a web search, and will do so automatically using Microsoft’s own Bing search engine. Running along the top of the app are headings to let you search files, settings, and apps (which we think means searching the Windows Store). Notably missing is the ability search your contacts or emails. In our tests the search app feature was still a little too rough to work properly, so we couldn’t test all its features, but our immediate impression is that this it’s very clumsy. It’d be painful to make it the centre of your Windows experience, anyway.
Luckily, the search feature on the Start menu has been carried across from Windows 7 and provides an arguably quicker and more fuss-free way to search for apps and files. This will display web search results too, but clicking them again boots you out to the search app, rather than an actual browser. Strange. Read: How to use Spotlight in OS X
Windows 10 search app is pretty clumsy
Windows 10 gains Cortana, Microsoft’s digital assistant and Siri rival. Cortana is activated either by clicking on a button beside the Start button on the desktop, or by saying “Hey Cortana”. You'll be able to edit the things that Cortana knows about you to improve the service it provides. You can also typing your query to Cortana, if you want to request "show me photos from December" without shouting it out for all to hear.
Microsoft has pipped Apple to the post here, bringing system-wide voice control to the PC, will Apple bring Siri to the Mac? Over the years there have been rumours that it will, but we aren't convinced anyone would actually use it - which is probably why Microsoft's solution allows the self conscious to type their enquiry to Cortana.
Microsoft is bringing Xbox Live to the desktop. Players will also be able to play Xbox One games on their PC by streaming them directly from their console to their Windows 10 tablet or PC within their home. Windows 10 gamers will be able to play against people on their Xbox One in multiplayer games. Game recording will also be built into Windows 10 for Windows games.
Microsoft is also working on an augmented reality system called HoloLens, using a headset a little like Google Glass. Windows 10 will be the first holographic computing platform and a set of APIs will mean developers can create holographic experiences in the real world. Apparently HoloLens lets you interact with 'holograms' that you see. You could use HoloLens to play games in a virtual 3D environment.
On the basis of this tech preview there’s previous little in Windows 10 to get excited about. Yosemite trumps it in almost every regard. Even better, Yosemite is already here while Windows 10 is still months away. Microsoft needs to significantly up its game before Windows 10 is released but all the signs are the features are mostly set in stone, aside from a handful of adjustments.
Ultimately, Windows 10 feels like an apology for Windows 8. When the best you can say about a new operating system is that it isn’t as bad as its predecessor, there’s clearly something wrong. In contrast, Yosemite demonstrates how an operating system should evolve. Across just under 15 years OS X has constantly met its users needs with style and grace. Even compared to OS X Mountain Lion, released just two years ago, Yosemite feels like a completely different beast. As desktop operating systems go, it’s simply unrivalled.
If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.
Never had the urge to explore the bleeding edge like so many seem to for little gain. Must be a generational thing.
Tools is tools to many of us, not love objects or fashion baubles.
I dug up my Windows 8.1 disk and downloaded Parallels 10 did an install and let me tell you there is nothing even vaguely the same between the two other than they both make pictures on a display.
To what end is this offensive use of a painting of the Christ?
Lulz
To all on the list and this thread: Why did the “flat look” come into vogue? In the Linux world, it’s also crept in with the GTK3 widgets. Was the driving force tablets and mobile devices?
I’m not an APPLE fan boy. Let’s get that out there first. I’ve dealt with Microsoft since the early eighties. I downloaded and installed Windows 10 tonight and I was sorely disappointed. So much so I couldn’t revert the machine back to 8.1 fast enough. My boot time was increased and if I had wanted a Mozilla like browser experience I would have downloaded Firefox. They redesigned the snot out of the browser and I was not about to play hide and seek long enough to familiarize myself with the program.
I’ve never dealt with APPLE machines as the expense was prohibitive until now. I’ve tried to install Linux and three attempts failed from ISO discs.
I’m looking into APPLE from here on out. I’m done with MS!
Oh, nice! Now, after removing W 10 I can nol onger enter into Private Browsing with a right click on the IE icon! I wonder what else doesn’t work since the reversion? It looks like a rebuild from scratch is going to take up the day tomorrow. Plus downloading a pile of updates for the last year!
I’m so sick of these &@#J))HV T#())! MS? Go to h3ll!
And texas booster wrote : I have 2 Minis myself, and just love them.
I'll bet we never see them do a heat-to-head comparison of OSX Server against Server 2016.
Macworld
I wonder what WindowsCentral thinks of the latest iOS version?
Maybe Toyota should do a review of the new Jeep Renegade.
Here's the lesson that you should have learned from your upgrade experience: Always create a mirror image of your drive before upgrading to a new OS. Note that a "mirror image" is not simply a backup of important data and system files; rather it is a complete and exact image of the boot drive, so that when reinstalled, the system reverts to the identical state that it was in just prior to the upgrade. I use Norton Ghost to create a mirror images, but I am sure there are similar programs available from other sources.
I see you and your minions have gotten it taken down.
I’m sure glad I went to Catholic girl’s school for 12 years!
Our God is a loving, joyful God. One full of love and happiness. God is not stern, nor would He be someone who would disapprove of the little popcorn gif.
I feel sorry for you and whatever it is that you represent!
Haste makes waste. A second boot brought it all back. But my aversion to Microsoft is as intense as before. This was an exercise in futility and finally I’ve learned the lesson Microsoft has been trying to teach me over the years. As each device fails it will be replaced by an APPLE product. If it ain’t broke...
Which Linux Distro on what box with what specs. I've never been able to make an install fail.
I’m just waiting for machines to fail and the Mini looks good at this point as an option for the wife’s desk. I’ll be going with a laptop for my purposes. Regardless of what APPLE offers when the need arises they will be my go-to when the time comes. Thanks for the input.
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