SEPTEMBER 2020 PCWorld 73what these “touchscreen” things are!) As
Windows 10 celebrates its fifth birthday, let’s
look back at 10 ways the operating system
has transformed our computing lives...mostly
for the better.
- THE POWER OF FREE
Wow, a free upgrade? Chrome OS does it,
as do Android, iOS, and now Macs. But at
the time, a free transition from Windows 8
to Windows 10 (go.pcworld.com/frtr) still
managed to make the world sit up and
take notice, legitimizing the model so
prevalent today.
What many don’t realize, however, is that
so far Windows is one of the only Microsoft
products to skip away from Microsoft’s pursuit
of subscriptions, whether they be Microsoft
365 (go.pcworld.com/mi36), Xbox Game
Pass (go.pcworld.com/xgps), or a more
generic support agreement. Many have
wondered whether Microsoft
would eventually establish
“Windows as a service,” requiring
users to pay for patches or new
features. Microsoft has yet to
make that leap, instead
encouraging users to pay for
Office and its Xbox game
subscription. Really—a
subscription for Microsoft
Solitaire (go.pcworld.com/
msol)?
The downside of free is that
you have to make money somehow. In
Windows 10, Microsoft’s early answer to this
question was data, and the telemetry that
some saw as a privacy risk (go.pcworld.com/
prsk). (Here’s how to reclaim your privacy in
Windows 10 [go.pcworld.com/prrc].)- WINDOWS DEFENDER:
FROM ZERO TO HERO
Historically, if you wanted to protect your PC,
you purchased an antivirus subscription.
Microsoft promised to change all that with
Windows 10’s free antivirus program,
Windows Defender, which started out as
notoriously subpar. But wait! Over time,
Microsoft really beefed up Defender (go.
pcworld.com/bfup), and it went from the
industry’s doormat to a champion in just a few
years. Today, there’s an argument to be made
that Defender is good enough to protect your
PC—no subscription required.
Windows Hello is simple, effective, and awesome.