In short, it's pretty painless! Gone are the days where we had to devote hours and enlist the help of Windows specialists just to upgrade to a new OS (or, in my case, be the one to get recruited). (There's still no clear reason why Microsoft skipped the 'Windows 9' name, but I like to think it was because it needed to distance itself from Windows 8 as much as possible.) Getting startedīy subscribing, you are agreeing to Engadget's Terms and Privacy Policy.īefore we dive into the nitty-gritty of Windows 10, it's worth exploring the upgrade experience.

But given the ill will that OS built up over the past three years, it also made sense for Microsoft to start fresh. Now that touch-enabled laptops and multi-function devices like the Surface are more commonplace, Windows 8's touch innovations seem a lot more useful. Adding insult to injury, it made the experience of using Windows worse for people without touchscreens. But the real mistake with Windows 8 was that it was built for touch computing at a time when most people were still dealing with keyboards and mice (or trackpads). And as far as operating systems go, Windows' interface is one of the oldest, with a core design that goes all the way back to 1995. It's hard to truly innovate when you're tied to a decades-long history. I don't blame Microsoft for trying to sacrifice some sacred cows with Windows 8.

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