Why You Should Upgrade From Windows 7 to 10

You haven’t answered the most obvious question of all: why should I upgrade from Windows 7 to 10? What are the benefits? Please give a straight answer, which can include technical stuff. Tom

In the long term, I don’t think the question is “Why?”, it’s “When?” Eight months after launch, Windows 10 is running on 270m devices and it’s not going away. Some large organisations have already started to move, one of the most notable being the US Defense Department, which has started installing Windows 10 on 4m PCs. By contrast, we know that Windows 7 is going away: Microsoft will stop supporting it in 2020. Of course, Microsoft – like Apple and Google – would like everyone to use the latest version of its operating system. It has therefore encouraged early adoption by offering a free upgrade to Windows 10 – again, like Apple and Google, except that Microsoft’s upgrade offer is only available for a year. Either way, once you have installed Windows 10, it will be updated free for the life of your device. There will (probably) never be a Windows 11, because Microsoft is now producing two small updates each year instead of one big update every three years. Whether it’s worth upgrading now depends on what sort of PC you have, but the more mobile, the better. If you have an old desktop PC with no touchscreen, no camera and no microphone, there are fewer benefits. (The touchscreen isn’t essential, it’s just nice to have.) If you have a modern Windows laptop or 2-in-1 with UEFI firmware, the upgrade is more attractive. I say “the more mobile, the better” because Windows 10 is a mobile operating system. I know this upsets people who think their PCs should work just like they did in a previous century, but the whole technology world is changing and Windows is changing along with it. Microsoft’s boss Satya Nadella keeps repeating his “cloud first, mobile first” mantra, and Windows will continue to become increasingly mobile and cloud-aware. Ecosystem wars The other thing to bear in mind is that we are in an ecosystem war that Microsoft wants to win. The main alternative ecosystems are run by Apple and Google. However, Apple’s approach is mostly “Apple only” (apart from iTunes), while Google’s is mostly “cloud only” (apart from Chrome). Both support only a very limited range of devices. By contrast, Microsoft is building an ecosystem that supports both on-premise and cloud operation, and that runs across all three ecosystems: it has dozens of apps for Android and Apple’s iOS, and is increasing its support for Linux in Windows 10 and Azure. Windows runs on everything from USB sticks, games consoles and smartphones to giant server farms, and there’s an internet of things version for the Raspberry Pi and other devices. If you only use one old desktop PC, you will get limited benefits from the Windows ecosystem. If you have a lot of different types of device, you will get more benefits from Windows 10 and all the related apps and cloud-based services such as Outlook.com and Office 365. From 7 to 10 Depending on your hardware, a straight upgrade from Windows 7 to 10 may offer some benefits. These start with smoother and sometimes faster operations, more economical use of memory and disk space, increased security (SmartScreen, Windows Defender, encryption), and the integration of OneDrive cloud storage.