Windows 10 Technical Preview Impressions

For the original German review, see here.

Somehow, it seems that Microsoft always needs two attempts before it works. The guys from Redmond have proved that they can design appealing and responsive operating systems with their Windows 7. Before that was Windows Vista, but neither the users, nor the developers have fond memories of it. Windows 7 was finally a desktop operating system that satisfied the majority of the users.

However, the computer world had changed: Tablets and smartphones have suddenly conquered the hearts of users. Microsoft did develop a competitive mobile operating system with Windows Phone 7, but the desktop Windows was supposed to be adjusted for touch inputs as well. The Desktop was still very popular amongst PC users, so Microsoft did not want to give it up, and the result was a somewhat inconvenient hybrid system called Windows 8. Classic desktop users were annoyed by the new interface with tiles, and tablet users did not know what they should do with the Desktop and its small symbols. There were also some unfortunate users that got a tablet with Windows RT, which meant they could only install apps from the Windows Store with a small selection, but not their beloved Windows applications.

The confusion was complete since there were several operating systems for different devices that shared the name "Windows", but they did not work together and the handling was actually quite different. The first big step in the right direction was the update to Windows 8.1, the discontinued Windows RT and the system-wide apps that also ran on Windows Phone 8.1. However, the shaky start of Windows 8 is still in the heads of many users, so they still prefer Windows 7, especially since it is still the much more intuitive operating system when you do not use a touchscreen, even in comparison with Windows 8.1.

Windows 10 is supposed to be released in the early autumn of this year and there are still rumors about the price and the payment model. Recently there was the news that Microsoft has secured "Windows 365" that could indicate a subscription model similar to Office365, which would at least be a possible licensing method, as well as licenses that you pay for once. Windows Phone 10 will generally stay free.

Windows 10 introduces many new features, and we got more details during the announcements in October 2014 and once again in January of this year:

·        One Windows for all devices: The next Windows generation creates a consistent, compatible and familiar user experience on all devices of the product family: Starting with the PC, tablets and smartphones all the way up to the Xbox.

·        Developer: Developers will only create one application for Windows 10 for use on all Windows devices in the future. The app is universal and runs on multiple devices, it does not matter what kind of app it is.

·        Malware protection for apps: Enables business customers to allow the use of certain apps for business purposes and restricted to trusted applications.

·        Optimized administration: Simplified and reliable provision. Direct updates without time-consuming and new loading processes.

·        More flexible updates: Businesses will be able choose the innovation speed for every area of application, more precisely the time and the extent of updates.

·        Use of the Store: Businesses will be able to individualize the store according to their needs. They can assign volume licenses for apps, the distribution of apps is more flexible and licenses can be retrieved and used again.

·        Voice assistant Cortana: Windows 10 introduces the personal and digital assistant Cortana for tablets and personal computers.

·        Browser Spartan: Windows 10 comes with the next generation of the Microsoft browser with the code name "Project Spartan". Spartan offers the possibility to enter comments directly to the website via keyboard or stylus and share them, a new reading mode as well as the integration of Cortana for a simplified web search.

·        Xbox on Windows 10: Games on the Xbox One console can be streamed directly to tablets or PCs with Windows 10. Games can also be played with friends on different devices. Games for the new DirectX 12 in Windows 10 will offer significant improvements in efficiency, performance and graphics quality.

·        Office for Windows 10: According to Microsoft, the Office apps for Windows 10 are supposed to create an intuitive and consistent user experience on all devices, whether you use a phone, a tablet or a PC.

·        Microsoft HoloLens: Thanks to Windows 10 and Microsoft's holographic platform HoloLens and the corresponding VR glasses, Developers can show holograms in the environment of the user.

·        Surface Hub: With new large screen devices in 55 and 84-inch, Microsoft aims to expand the traditional conferencing scenarios with the advantages of Windows 10, Skype for Business and Office 365.

This article will tell you about our experiences during the first days of testing with the Technical Preview on a laptop, the tablet Surface Pro 3 and the Lumia 630.

The design is very similar to the Windows 8 Desktop, which in turn is very similar to the Aero interface of Windows 7. This means little has changed, but on the other hand, you get modernized folder symbols in the Explorer, new task bar symbols and there is a new design for the control elements in windows. Rather minor visual corrections instead of a completely new design.

The Start button is back, which will be good news for all Windows 7 users. However, fans of the Metro design from Windows 8 – the large colored tiles for apps – do not have to give up: These tiles are now integrated at the side of the start menu, but they can also be maximized to fullscreen, even though the task bar is always visible. This also means that you have the unpopular  dichotomy, which made Windows 8 very inaccessible for many users, with the result that many PC or laptop users of Windows 8.1 did not even use the fullscreen start menu at all.

The search in the task bar, including the integrated voice assistant, Cortana is a great feature that  is always available. However, our preview version did not support Cortana for the German language, so we did not get any help. Even so, the search works well and shows web contents as well as apps, but files on the computer are not always found. This means there is a dichotomy: You still get the search field at the right top of the Explorer that searches files in the current folder or the PC. This search, which is already familiar from Windows 7 and 8, works well for files, but there can be confusions. A better solution would be a unified search bar for all contents on the PC and the web. 

Apps from the Windows Store do not necessarily run in the fullscreen mode, but in a window just like normal Windows applications so you can adjust their size or minimize them. It is also possible to arrange up to four windows on the Desktop with Windows Snap, so they occupy either half or a quarter of the screen.

We are already familiar with this feature from Mac OS X, but it is now possible to use multiple Desktops with Windows as well. For instance, it is possible to watch a fullscreen video on one Desktop and check your mails with a quick switch to the other Desktop without having to minimize the video player. You can also set up different Desktops for your private and your business work.

The Action Center shows all notifications from the system and apps, which is a familiar feature from Android or Windows Phone. You can also access some quick settings. We cannot say how useful or annoying the Action Center will be for desktop users since it will depend on the number of apps that really use it. We felt that the notifications from Windows 8, which flew into the screen from the side, were quite annoying because they disappeared quickly, often before we could react. If they could be collected in a central hub for notifications and be user-activated from the side, then it might actually be a useful feature. We also think that the quick settings are generally a good thing, but they often only refer to the corresponding panel in the "Settings" Menu right now.

Speaking of settings: They are still available in the classic menu in the Control Panel that we know from Windows 7 and the menu "Settings", which gives a better overview with fewer options. The thought is actually not that bad: New users should get fewer options to reduce the confusion, but more experienced users can still access more comprehensive settings. The problem is that you quickly lose the overview where you can find which option, because the Control Panel does not offer all the options that are available in the menu "Settings". It does not look very consistent either because of different designs.

As a result, you get some kind of a compromise that was very noticeable when you used Windows 8, and the Technical Preview for Windows 10 cannot really change that. However, Microsoft still has some time to improve the final version, and the design and operation can still change significantly. Furthermore, it is likely that would not be any new major versions, but rather continuous function updates that implement new features or change the design, similar to the mobile operating system Windows Phone. This means you might not have to buy a completely new version of the operating system anymore, but the system will develop step by step.

The very fact that this time Microsoft wants to listen to the feedback of its customers  is probably one of the best new features of Windows 10. Another good thing is that it already works quite well and finally the operation is somewhat consistent on all devices, which is certainly an accomplishment by Microsoft.

Microsoft combines many advantages of Windows 8 and Windows 7 for the desktop version. The returning Start button in particular is a nice change and the idea to integrate the Metro tiles is quite handy. Windows 10 also boots just as quickly as Windows 8.1. Microsoft should improve some points, such as the separated Control Panel.

If you own one of a larger tablets or convertibles, you will welcome the automatically changing user interface. One UI is optimized for the keyboard and mouse and the other one for the touchscreen. However, we miss the last bit of consistency for the touch operation: The touch UI is still rather crowded for newcomers, especially when you consider the simple home screens from Android and iOS. Some control elements are also just too small. Why are they not getting larger in the tablet mode? It would be easier to use them.

The changes are rather limited for Windows Phone users since they have already had a consistent and modern mobile operating system. The details in particular, such as the simpler "Settings" menu or the improved Pictures app are a joy to use, just like the system-wide changes including unified apps for all devices with Windows, and further improved business features.

Even the Preview Version of Windows 10 is generally a big step towards a better user experience and a more consistent Windows world. If you owned a Windows PC and a Windows Phone, you could only be jealous about the synergies that Apple created between Mac and iOS devices. Now Microsoft goes even a step further than the rival with the Apple logo, thanks to the same software foundation and unified apps for all devices. The expectations are quite high for the launch of Windows 10 this autumn, but we can only hope that Microsoft will offer a reasonable pricing model for all customers.

Should you install the preview? We cannot recommend the smartphone version right now because it is just not stable enough and there are no major changes yet. You can already work quite well with the desktop version, but Microsoft spies on you with your consent, so we would only recommend an installation for testing purposes and it would be a good idea to create a new Microsoft account for it.