Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I've been using Windows 10 for about 4 months now on multiple PCs, and I think it's a mixed bag. There are many things to like (similar to Windows 8/8.1), but I think the user experience from a desktop/laptop perspective leaves a lot to be desired. In addition, the general shady behavior of Microsoft lately is very disappointing. Pros: 1. Windows 10 (and 8/8.1) added a lot of nice features to Windows 7 including: - Back ups to network drives work much better. - The task manager is better. - It starts up/recovers from sleep faster - They brought back OneDrive for local accounts in Windows 10 - All of the settings are a lot more uniform in Windows 10. You have less separation of tablet/phone settings and desktop settings. 2. For a Microsoft OS it's fairly stable for year 1. 3. The start menu is improved over 8/8.1, and functions better for desktop/laptop use than 8/8.1. 4. Performance-wise, it's good. I can't really complain. It freezes a lot on one of my PCs, but I can live with it. Cons: 1. Windows 10 start menu is still inferior to Windows 7, and out of the box it's a disaster. 2. The user interface isn't designed for working professionals using desktops or laptops. You know, the people that use Windows. MS abandoned their main user base 8/8.1, and are now desperately trying to make nice with 10. They should have done more because it's not there yet. 3. It doesn't "just work". Windows is mired with features that simply don't work. A great example is wireless screen mirroring. My iPhone can cast anything to the screen perfectly, and my i7 laptop with 16 GBs of ram running windows 10 is a stuttering mess. 4. The app store is a joke, and it's not improving. Developers are leaving. Even MS has more/better apps for iOS devices than they do for Windows 10. When MS gives up on their own OS you know it's over. 5. The dual nature of the desktop and tablet world has improved, but it's not there yet. 6. Security and privacy concerns. Lots of them. You can "fix" these problems, and there are many guides online to walk you through it. 7. Shady behavior #1: Many of the security settings you "fix" will magically get reset after updates. This is unacceptable. MS shouldn't try to sneak their abysmal security and privacy policies back in trojan horse style with system updates. Users shouldn't have to constantly check to make sure MS isn't stealing/selling their info again. 8. Shady behavior #2: MS account is still pushed pretty hard, and again, MS will change your account from local to an MS account without your permission. Not cool. 9. Shady behavior #3: Like the 8 to 8.1 upgrade, MS will upgrade you automatically. If you want to stay on 8.1 you shouldn't have to worry about MS automatically upgrading you without your permission, but that is happening again. Even after refusing the upgrade numerous times people find that MS upgraded you anyway while you were sleeping or at work. This is a very, VERY unethical practice. 10. Shady behavior #4: Automatic updates can't be turned off so you can't ever hope to stop MS from acting unethically. You literally have to unplug your computer, and/or take the battery out if you don't want MS fiddling with your stuff while you are away. Even then it's futile because they'll gladly do it while you're using the PC. So should you upgrade to Windows 10 or buy a windows 10 pc? Realistically you probably don't have a choice about the upgrade as MS will do it whether you like it or not. Even if you did have a choice, it's still not all bad. I like a lot about Windows 10, and shady behavior aside I can live with the problems. For $300-400 you can get a solid Windows 10 laptop so that makes sense too. Mostly I wish MS would spend more time worrying about the users they have, and less time abandoning them for a phone/tablet market they will never get. You can't get phone users when your phones don't work well and have almost no apps that people use. MS needs to get back to focusing on a market they have a chance of capturing.