74 PCWorld SEPTEMBER 2020FEATURE WINDOWS 10 AT 5
- WINDOWS HELLO AND
THE DEATH OF PASSWORDS
Windows Hello could be the best feature
Windows 10 added to the PC ecosystem.
While fingerprint readers had been in use
before then—Apple, for example, launched
Touch ID in 2013 with the iPhone 5s—facial
recognition via a PC’s user depth camera
debuted with Microsoft, Windows 10, and
PCs like the Lenovo Yoga 15. Windows Hello
just worked (go.pcworld.com/jswk) then,
and it still does today.
It hasn’t stopped there. Correctly
recognizing that Windows users appreciated
security but hated passwords, Windows 10
added PIN support, and two-factor
authentication (go.pcworld.com/twoa) using
an associated smartphone. Fingerprint
readers or physical tokens can be added as
further layers of security. Today, you can log in
to your Windows PC, as well as numerous
apps, without the need to type in a password.
It’s unquestionably one of the most important
conveniences Windows 10 adds.- EVERYTHING’S ALWAYS
IN FLUX
When you bought Windows XP, Windows 95,
or Windows 98, you knew you were buying a
suite of baked-in features, some patches, and
a service pack or two. Today, Microsoft is
constantly iterating, with free upgrades every
spring and fall.
Re-reading our original Windows 10
review (go.pcworld.com/orev) quickly
reminds you that what was called “Windows
10” then is an entirely different operating
system from what it is on PCs today—to the
point that Windows 10 is now on its third
browser, as we’ve moved from the hidden,
legacy Internet Explorer through Microsoft
Edge and now onto the “new” Edge (go.
pcworld.com/newb).
New features, such as the
People app, came and
went. While Microsoft
sometimes over-promised
and under-delivered (go.
pcworld.com/ovun), the
early days of Windows 10
were a lively time.
If you’re a fan of
frequent updates, that’s
great. But one reason
Microsoft diehards
Managing Windows updates (go.pcworld.com/mupd) can be important
to maintain your sanity.