So recently Microsoft released its massive update for Windows 10 and it’s called Anniversary Update. Or if you are like me who use to do IT work back in the day…it’s a service pack. This is all part of Microsoft’s plan to turn Windows into a seamless operating system that just receives updates periodically.

 

So I was able to actually download it and get some hands on time and so far, this update is definitely moving in the right direction for where Windows 10 needs to be going.  There are many big updates, I am going to touch on a few of them especially the major few that people were complaining about.

 

The Notification Center:

The entire notification center was undeniably in need of an update. One of my biggest pet peeves is the fact that the notifications were not grouped together by app. It would always just be a giant long list of notifications that were like the energizer bunny. They would just keep going and going and going. And they would never stop unless you actually pressed the clear all button. Now they group everything together by app which is a god send because you don’t need to swipe individually now. You can swipe by app.

The Quick action center is now customizable like it is on the phone and you can switch out stuff you don’t need…never use rotation lock…boom its gone…never use Bluetooth…hide it. That’s what I like and love. Having the ability to make Windows 10 truly mine.

And you Get DARK MODE! EVERYONE GETS DARK MODE!

If you are like me…I love all my apps to be in dark mode. it just makes everything easier for me to read cause everything on white has always been a pain in the ass for me. A lot of the main apps that come with Windows 10 made by Microsoft support a dark theme.

Tablet Mode Gets a Facelift

I switch between using the full desktop mode and the actual tablet mode a lot since I have a Surface, and I without doubt like how ink and tablet mode get massive updates. With how you get the full layout of apps you have installed instead of just that list down the left side. Also taking notes and using your pen actually does stuff, it’s not just there as a sometimes thing. I like how they use notes now and you can set the button on your pen to make the notes click front and center. I definitely like how notes is a quick app and it doesn’t need to be OneNote.

Cortana…why hello.

Cortana is probably the best digital assistant in my opinion. Having used Siri, and Google Now, I just haven’t been too impressed with the other 2. Now that they have brought Cortana to the lock screen is a vast upgrade and having the ability to ask Cortana what is coming up or what the weather is like is a nice upgrade then having to open the app.

And Everything Else.

Some of the few things that I do like is that now windows defender will do automatic updates and scans instead of just saying “hey you need to scan and update me” you can set it to do it by itself.  The start menu by itself gets a nice upgrade and I do like how you can actually build out the start menu with more apps and your most used apps are now at the top even if they aren’t pinned.

What about the Bad?

 

Well there are quite a few things that leave me puzzled. I really wonder what Microsoft is going to do about the older programs. Currently I can’t really play some of the classic games that I have still have the images for. Also I don’t know if it is just my system but so far my Surface Pro 3 has had a delayed start up time. Same goes for the Xbox One since the Anniversary update. Startup is slower and it appears to hang up more now. Also I have noticed that the processor on my Surface Pro runs hot sometimes. I will probably run some stress tests and see what they say. But for now this is what I am notifying. Another thing that bothers me is the damn “suggested” apps no no no I do not want that on my start menu, remove that and keep it only to the market.

 

Overall the Anniversary update is a step in the right direction and I haven’t been able to fully test everything yet like the Xbox one streaming update. Nor the extensions for Microsoft Edge…because I hardly ever use that. But if anything I think this is a big step in the right direction for Microsoft. I just really wonder how more under the hood things have been handled like driver updates, system updates and how it connects to the entire Windows 10 ecosystem. Anyways Hope you all like the talk, it’s not a bad update, it’s just building yet again a little bit at a time to where Windows is going

see you space cowboy…

 

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