I'm not going back to Apple after using Windows 10 for a year
I've been running Windows 10 for most of the past year, pausing only to go back to my Mac for a few weeks at a time and compare notes. For the past few months, my device of choice been the Microsoft Surface Book laptop, which I love.
The first, and biggest, reason to love Windows 10 is Cortana — the digital assistant that comes with every copy of Windows 10. Not only can Cortana search your files and folders, but she provides a look into your daily calendar and other info when you click her.
If you're an Android person, it's like the best parts of Google Now, which present you with the most relevant information from your apps...
...combined with the personality and voice-responsiveness of Apple's Siri.
Apple is moving to match Cortana by including Siri in the forthcoming MacOS Sierra. But she's pretty limited on the Mac when it comes to things like checking your calendar, and you have to use your voice to talk to her. Meanwhile, Cortana lets you use your keyboard.
There's also a Cortana app for Android and iPhone that can keep all of your information in sync for you across your PC and phone. Once the Windows 10 Anniversary Update drops on August 2nd, installing the Cortana app on Android will also let you send text messages from your PC or tablet.
That update brings some other goodies to Cortana, as well. Like the ability for her to remind you of specific information, like a frequent flyer number, on demand. Here, I had previously told Cortana "remind me that the nuclear launch codes are 12341234," so when I ask her "what are the nuclear launch codes..."
Plus, Cortana is smart enough to read your calendar and remind you of specific things when you're scheduled to meet with different people. It's all pretty great!
Another thing I very much liked about Windows 10 from the get-go was its focus on using a stylus to write, especially on Microsoft's own Surface Pro 4 and Surface Book devices.
Microsoft tells me to expect more stylus-enabled PCs hitting the market this holiday season. Which is also why Microsoft is giving styluses a lot of love with the Anniversary Update, too, starting with a new "Windows Ink Workspace."
The Windows Ink Workspace will appear by default when you click the button on the back of the Surface Pen stylus, or you can get to it by clicking a little icon next to your clock.
Beyond the newer stuff, there are some things that Windows has always been good at. For instance, Windows always gets more games than the Mac. And new games like Gears of War 4 are coming to Windows 10.
Windows 10 ups the ante with a sweet Xbox app that lets you literally stream gameplay from the Xbox One video game console to your PC or tablet. So a Windows 10 computer lets you play Xbox OR PC games from your same chair. Nice.
Windows 10 also packs Windows Hello, which lets you log in to your computer by looking at it, provided your PC's camera supports the feature. It works very well, and no, it can't be fooled by wearing a mask. The new update lets you use Hello to buy apps from the Windows Store.
But the one thing I might like most of all about Windows 10, beyond the Mac, is, well, windows. Windows 10 makes it easy to split-screen and manage all your apps by dragging them to the sides or corners of your monitor. It makes multitasking a breeze.
Fair is fair, and Windows 10 isn't perfect. It's still Windows, and I've definitely run into little glitches here and there that requires a reboot. And the Windows Store app market is still pretty under-stocked, though Windows 10 itself can run any Windows software ever created.
I also ran into some glitches with my early preview version of the Anniversary Update, including app instability and notifications that arrive just a few seconds (or minutes) too late. I'm assured by Microsoft that they're working on bug fixes right up until the official August 2nd launch.
Meanwhile, Apple is always upgrading the iPad, especially the iPad Pro, to be more laptop-like, bringing it into closer competition with Windows 10. And bringing Siri to the Mac is a huge step in the right direction for Apple.
But as it stands today, after a year (give or take) with Windows 10...well, if it's Mac versus PC, I'm definitely a PC kind of guy.
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