Should you upgrade to Windows 10? Is it worth the free upgrade or should you just skip it altogether? Let’s look at the pros and cons of upgrading to Windows 10 and help you decide.
Pros
- Windows 10 is the bridge between the professional world of content creation and the personal world of content consumption – especially if you use a touch screen and a stylus. The touch interface has been dramatically improved over Windows 8, and Microsoft Ink now includes a load of improvements for working with styluses. Users of the good old keyboard and mouse will also observe an overall improvement in the ease of use in Windows 10, especially if you’re coming from Windows 8.
- Cortana is one of the biggest attractions of Windows 10. Think of it as a personal concierge you can ask about the weather, for directions, information on the Internet, manage reminders or set alarms. You can even ask Cortana to tell you a joke or sing you a song. In addition to Cortana, there are also many other new features, such as Notification Center, battery manager, disk space, multiple desktops …
- Windows 10 is the first multi-platform operating system. It connects with Windows 10 Mobile, especially through universal apps, and also all your other Windows 10 devices – laptops, computers, tablets – ensuring that apps you own are accessible on all your devices. It isn’t as great as Apple’s Continuum yet, but it’s a step in the right direction.
- Better security: New technologies such as Device Guard, improved built-in antivirus, Windows Defender, fingerprint recognition, encryption capability for applications and of course, the many patches and security updates.
- Are you a gamer? If yes, then Windows 10 is your operating system. Not only is Windows 10 a lighter operating system with a smaller footprint and efficient memory management, DirectX 12 ensures that your games interface better with your hardware for spectacularly better frame rates and image quality – especially for those games that are optimized for multi-core performance. And as an icing on the cake, Windows 10 now supports Xbox games.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4cXG8zu61Y
Cons
- Incompatibilities. Although these are very isolated cases, there may still be some peripherals that may not work with Windows 10. There is a tool to check if your device is ready to run on Windows 10 and also, you should check if you have the latest drivers. Visit this link to find out more about compatibility issues. People with older hardware should not upgrade. Windows 10 requires 16GB or 20GB of hard disk space (depending on 32 or 64-bit version), and requires at least 1GHz of RAM or more. 2GB of RAM is recommended.
- Privacy issues. Windows 10 is clearly (and necessarily) more intrusive in terms of privacy than previous versions. It collects and processes your information about your activity, apps, and habits on its servers, so that it can offer you a more tailored experience. For example, Advertisement ID channels your information to Cortana so that it can offer better responses to your questions. Most of these features can be disabled at any time, even during installation, but this is where the decision must be made between features that could enhance our digital experience, and the information we give up for it. Just to be clear, Microsoft isn’t planning on doing anything evil or illegal to your information. In fact, almost every technology service today – Google, Facebook, Instagram, etc – collects a fair amount of your data as part of their experience. Microsoft has merely just joined the gang.
- No stopping or blocking security updates and new features. All Windows 10 updates are downloaded automatically, except when you’re on mobile data. Although you can set the time when the update will take place, but you cannot choose what to install or ignore.
- Universal Apps. There are not many of them and they are not exceptionally exciting as of now. Native apps such as Mail, Edge, Photos leave much to be desired in terms of functionality and design. And also, if you might miss the Windows Media Center, Windows Photo Viewer or care-free uploading of your documents into the OneDrive cloud, do not upgrade.
- Windows 10 not a finished product. Edge doesn’t feel complete in terms of functionality, Cortana is not available in all regions and languages, applications in the store are few and unexciting, and we have found several shortcomings in design consistencies – for example in the context menus and control panels.
So what should you do? Here’s what we think:
If you’re still using Windows XP or Windows Vista, Microsoft has ceased support and updates to your operating system, which means you’re now vulnerable to hostile attacks or incompatibilities. If your PC meets the minimum system requirements, we’d recommend that you update to Windows 10.
For users of Windows 8 or Windows 8.1, the upgrade to Windows 10 should be obvious: it is a big step forward and is Microsoft’s response to all the errors and complaints from Windows 8. We’d say, get it.
If you’re using Windows 7, then you have (much) less reason to upgrade. Windows 7 is an all-round stable, functional and powerful system. Windows 10 will be an unnecessary change for you. Just bear in mind that Microsoft will eventually phase out Windows 7 and stop issuing security and feature updates. So be warned!
Should you upgrade? Tell us what you’ve decided in the comments below.
