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.
Snag a 2012 Mini if you can.
These allow you to upgrade the RAM, which takes all of about 30 seconds. Remove the plastic cover, and there they are.
I have had mine for many years, and the amazing thing about these is the unique size and what they have inside. They are FAST for the price, and loaded with features. When these are too slow for your primary server- their small size, low power and incredable reliability make them amazing network or movie servers. Stick them in a closet with some hard drives attached - then forget them. They will serve your home for years, holding movies, storing photos- recording TV shows.
Meanwhile, the new replacement Mac Mini can handle your current computing needs. This is really a neat concept, and many Apple users have been doing this for years. I don’t know how many old PC’s I have tossed in the garbage over the years - but with a MAC, this simply isn’t the case.
Absolutely worked for me. I bought a used Mac Mini Server from someone upgrading to the latest and greatest, and got it at a great discount, maxed memory and loaded with software (including Win 7). The Mac Mini works with your keyboard, monitor, and mouse; although I prefer my bluetooth trackpad. For me, Samsung monitors and sound bar are a perfect match. I had tried some other non-Apple monitors which were difficult but Samsung monitors work out of the box.
Sometimes it’s change for change’s sake. Any UI look and feel that’s been around for 10 years looks old (because it is), so you change it and now it’s new. And yeah the new look might not be as aesthetically pleasing, but it doesn’t look old and that’s good enough, and it too will be gone in a few years.
The Linux issue is behind me. One was a LINUX MINT edition, UBUNTU and I cannot remember the third. Each was painstakingly researched tailored to the device, ISO’s downloaded and checked for error before installation. System lock-up and failure to function were the results. Enough of that. That I tried three times is evidence of both insanity and dogged determination to find a workable, I repeat, workable, replacement for MS. I dealt with alterations to AUTOEXEC.BAT and CONFIG.SYS with Windows to make things run. My days of playing that game are over. An operating system should install and run as expected with peripheral support built in. Something both MS and APPLE have managed to accomplish overall. The purpose of computing is to accomplish getting the work done not tweaking the system to accommodate basic function(s). For the average user that is the core of the issue.
Thank you for the input. This thread has been bookmarked for reference when the change occurs and rest assured it will occur.
For me, a Unix user, the new look de jour is like the minimalism of the Bauhaus movement of the 1920s in architecture and reminds me of the old Athena X11 widget set of the 1980s and a return to the "twm" window manager.
Now I know a new word. Guess I’m done for the day.
I feel your pain. . . it's one of the reasons I hate working on Windows computers any more. I used to enjoy it. No longer.
Didn't forget it because I didn't write the article. (Grin). I agree because I use a Mac mini as the server for the dental office I manage providing support for 20 Macs. It's a great solution.
That highlighted snippet appears to be a chunk of valid Perl code. JAPH. :)
With all respect, I will defer on this one. It's a provocative MacWorld article that makes no pretense to objectivity, it's months old (according to itself), and it's comparing a Win10 Tech Preview (not the final release) to a released Yosemite. While I personally happen to agree with much of the commentary, I think it's asking for a nasty food fight to ask Windows-centric folks to read this because they're gonna justifiably hit back hard:
On the basis of this tech preview there’s previous [sic - was apparently meant to be "precious"] 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."Even better"? No bias here... :-) Really, MacWorld, that's a bit over the top.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...
If a reasonable (e.g. less breathless, more objective) third-party comparison appears, reviewing the Win10 release against Yosemite, I certainly think that would be Windows-ping-worthy. But with no offense intended whatsoever, I think this one is better off as just a Mac list ping.
Yeah. The N.S.A. is probably working on it as we speak. :)
The main difference is the i5 is. 2 core CPU and the i7 is. 4 core CPU, also the i7 has USB 3, whole the i5 has USB 2,
If you can snag an I model I would, it's the only Mini that has the i7.
Well, they DID claim it was updated, LOL!
Their editor needs to be more careful, then! LOL
As one who uses Mavericks, Win7, and CentOS Linux for typically 12 hours every day, who has avoided Win8.x as much as possible, and who has used the Tech Previews of Win10 enough to gain an impression and draw some conclusions... I personally think that while Win10 is perhaps not an "apology" for Win8 (after all, the underlying OS is quite good), it is at best an attempt to correct some of the more egregious faults in the godforsaken Win8 Metro UI.
We must be fair and admit that Win7 was just such an attempt with regard to the egregious mistakes of Vista, and it worked extremely well. Win7 is deservedly very popular (it's my all-time favorite Windows). But Win10 has a tougher row to hoe. Win8 was an abortion, in many senses.
But on the Apple side... Personally I'm not at all fond of the "flat look" of Yosemite, which is why I intend to leave my personal machines at Mavericks as long as possible (and my oldest machines are still at Snow Leopard; I might take them up to Lion but it's kind of who-cares at this point).
I'm kind of pissed off at Apple for dropping the beautiful look of the pre-Yosemite Mac UI. It pleases me every time I log in. I really don't like this reversion to the Win3.1 look, on the part of both Apple and Microsoft. I understand its usefulness in a handheld device, of course, but WHY on a desktop or laptop where there's plenty of horsepower and battery available???
I expect stupid decisions from Microsoft. I don't expect them from Apple.
Oh, well, it's Mavericks and Win7 (and CentOS) for me until they're no longer supported. I'll live without the extra features.
As to a head-to-head comparison between Win10 and Yosemite, personally I am pretty ho-hum, but an objective technical face-off would make a useful article to ping for both lists.
From Mac System 1/Windows 1 until a couple of years ago, icons just sort of evolved without any particular plan. Meanwhile, people became accustomed enough to graphical interfaces that they didn’t need the visual cues of mimicking real-world objects. All the drop shadows and skeuomorhism just became clutter.
There’s certainly some trendiness involved, but there are also practical benefits to having a common visual language. Kind of like how floppy disks and tractor-feed printers survive in icon form, easily recognized by kids who’ve never seen the real thing.
My 2007 Mac Mini was reassigned to set-top box duty when I got my iMac. Its a great machine for that purpose, especially since I upgraded the processor from a Core Duo to a Core2 (which I wouldn’t recommend as a DIY project unless you know what you’re doing well enough to ignore my recommendation). Most of the time it runs headless, and I control it via screen sharing from the iMac or an iOS app.
I'm in the same boat as you. I like buttons that look like buttons and that act like buttons. I want it to react enough to show that i've pushed it when I click on it. I like skeumorphistic representations. Perhaps I'm a luddite that way, but I like things that represent what they are in the real world. It give one a sense of connectedness to reality, what it is, and hints on how to use it.
I'm getting used to the flat look. An operating system should be unobtrusive, a background on which everything else operates, not something that intrudes itself and screams "here I am." In that way, I can appreciate an OS that is subtle, not glaring and in your face.
I right there with ya, Sword. I don't think it's Luddism, I think it's appreciation of style. Apple has always led the industry in style and good industrial design.
Apple has drifted away from their focus at times, e.g. Pepsi-man, recent social politics, etc. but they get it back eventually. I believe this "flat" look is a temporary aberration and they'll get back on track reasonably soon.
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