Can Windows 10 revitalize the PC?

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With the introduction of Windows 10 this summer past, Microsoft (and its PC vendors like HP, Inc., Dell, Lenovo, etc.) are hoping for a significant surge in the sales of Windows-based desktops, notebooks, and tablets. However, the results to date have been modest at best.

Microsoft seems to have done a good job with Windows 10:

  • The update process is free (for a year), reasonably easy (for individuals, but not as much for organizations), and somewhat user-friendly. Also, updates are now “continuous”, mimicking the operating system-update policies of competitors Google and Apple. 1
  • Windows 10 is more secure with enhanced security features and improved look/touch login via Windows Hello.
  • There are new, useful features like Cortana (voice-activated assistant) and Edge (Internet browser replacing the old Internet Explorer).
  • Microsoft added built-in apps like Maps, Photos, Groove, Movies & TV, etc.
  • There are many, new, mostly free apps by third-party developers. 2
  • Reset and Refresh have been optimized for SSD drives.3
  • Some of the wrongs with Windows 8 (ie: no Start Menu) are now righted.

Windows is also somewhat of a player in mobile devices with increasing sales in Microsoft Surface (now a $1B business) and Lumina phones (purchased from Nokia), which contributes about $2B quarterly. (Although growing, these sales represent only 3% of the sales of mobile devices worldwide.) 4

These improvements seem to be part of Microsoft’s two-part mission:

  • Have Windows 10 run across as many devices and screens as possible, and
  • Make consumers love Windows 10, rather than just need it.

On the positive side:

  • Microsoft reports that Windows 10 is installed on over 110M devices to date.
  • Gartner predicts that Windows 10 installations will eclipse Windows XP and Windows 7 by 2019.

However, Windows is losing market share (and has been for some time) to other mobile devices like smartphones and tablets; there are over 2B people running Google Android or Apple iOS-based devices compared to about 1.5B running Microsoft Windows. 5

Another troubling trend: Although PC ownership is relatively stable among adults (at about 73%), PC ownership among 18 to 29 year olds dropped from 89% in 2012 to 78% in 2015. (This may change as these younger folk enter the workforce and require a full-sized keyboard and large or multiple monitors.) 6

Basically, Windows 10 is off to a good start, but only time will tell if the Windows franchise will retain its powerhouse status.

References

  1. Windows 10 is here and you can get it for free at Microsoft.com.
  2. 10 (mostly) free must-have Windows 10 apps by Paul Mah at ComputerWorld.
  3. Windows 10: Disk Optimization by Russell Smith, Petri.com.
  4. Microsoft gets hardware foothold as Surface, Lumina sales jump by Nick Statt at CNET on 1/26/2015.
  5. Windows 10 Launch Results: A Success or Fail? in the 7/31/2015 edition of The Gazette Review.
  6. Smartphones, Tablets Take Toll On PC Ownership Among Youth by Joseph Palencher from the November 3, 2015 edition of Twice.

Bryley Basics: Enabling GodMode in Windows 10 (and Windows 8)

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With Windows 8 and Windows 10, Settings and Control Panel are separate entities with different functions; it would be nice to access both from the same folder when making configuration changes, rather than switching between the two.

GodMode is a simple and useful Windows shortcut:  It combines Settings and Control Panel into one folder on your desktop.

To enable GodMode:

  • Create a new folder on your desktop.
  • Copy and paste the following into the folder’s name: {ED7BA470-8E54-465E-825C-99712043E01C}
  • You will now have a folder named GodMode that contains all Settings and the Control Panel

Please review Sarah Jacobson Purewal’s article Activate GodMode in Windows 10 in the August 18, 2015 edition of CNet.

Bryley Basics: Undo a sent email via Microsoft Exchange or Google Gmail

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Google recently introduced a new feature, Undo Send, which permits the sender to retract a sent email; Microsoft has a similar, though somewhat limited, feature with the ability to recall or replace a sent email named Recall This Message.

Google’s Undo Send works for all emails, but it is time-constrained:  Google permits up to 30 seconds after an email is sent to Undo Send; however, any email-oriented activity other than Undo will end the countdown prematurely.

The Undo option is displayed along with View this Message after every sent Gmail-based email.  You must first access your Gmail account settings and enable Undo Send to make it work.

Bartie Scott of Inc. highlights Undo Send in her article How to Unsend an Email in Under 30 Seconds Flat.

Microsoft’s Recall This Message tries to stop delivery and, optionally, can replace a recalled email message.   Recall This Message requires an Exchange Server and stops email messages sent, but only email sent internally within your organization.  Also, the success of a recall depends on the recipient’s settings in Outlook:

  • If Automatically process requests… is enabled, recall will be successful
  • If disabled, the recipient will receive both the original email and the recall request; the original email is deleted only if the recipient opens the recall message first.

For more information, please view the Microsoft article Recall or replace an email message that you sent.

Given the short timeframe of Undo Send and the limitations of Recall This Message, your best option is to avoid recalling a message by:

  • Double-checking the To, Copy, and BCC recipients,
  • Ensuring that you have attached the desired file (if any), and
  • Giving yourself enough time to cool off before sending a heated email.

Microsoft Windows 10

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Microsoft is releasing Windows 10 on July 29th.  It is available as a free upgrade to licensed users of Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 through the Get Windows 10 (GWX) application which is part of Windows Updates.  (Note: Some companies, including Bryley Systems, are temporarily blocking this update to permit a controlled migration to Windows 10.)

To minimize bandwidth and processing disruptions, those who reserve now for this 3Gb upgrade periodically receive parts of it until the entire upgrade is downloaded and ready for installation on 7/29/2015.

Windows 10 will run most Windows XP applications.  The Windows 10 Home Edition will likely sell at $119; the Pro edition at $199.

View the article from Mark Hachman at PCWorld It’s official: Microsoft says you can download the final version of Windows 10 on July 29

Anna D achieves Microsoft Sales Specialist

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ad16Anna D, Account Executive at Bryley Systems, successfully completed the training and testing to become a Microsoft Specialist for SMB Infrastructure.

Congratulations Anna!

Winner of our monthly Service-Ticket Survey drawing

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Monthly, we select a winner from all respondents to our service-ticket surveys. Congratulations to RL of EAG, our survey-response winner from last month.

Our winner received a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Bryley Systems.

Case-study contest with a $25 drawing in April

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Read our recent case study.  Then answer three questions to be entered into our drawing for a $25 VISA gift-card.

Bryley Basics: Introducing Microsoft Windows 10

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With the usual hoopla, Microsoft previewed Windows 10 at its Redmond, WA offices on Wednesday, January 21st.  What they unveiled was a solid attempt to provide one operating system for both PCs and for mobile devices that adapts to the device on which it is installed.

Prominent, new features include:

  • Internet Explorer 12 and a new, less-obtrusive browser – Spartan
  • A new, Siri-like, context-aware, digital assistant – Cortana
  • A platform-sensing/shaping utility – Continuum

There is an effort to bring Windows users into the future by fixing past mistakes:

  • The Start menu reappears and displays the traditional desktop, but includes a list of apps on the left (similar to the traditional Start menu) along with the tiles (now named Modern rather than Metro apps) found in Windows 8
  • The Charms bar, a source of controversy in Windows 8, has been removed

Also, Windows 10 may be offered as a service (WaaS); updated will be constantly and automatically applied, potentially with a monthly or yearly subscription.  (Preston Gralla of Computerworld expands on this topic in his 1/21/2015 article “Forget Windows 10 – Here are the four most important words Microsoft said today”.)

For more information, please see Preston Gralla’s preview in the ComputerWorld article: “Windows 10 deep-dive review: Finally, a unified operating systems”.

Winner of our monthly Service-Ticket Survey drawing

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Monthly, we select a winner from all respondents to our service-ticket surveys. Congratulations to LR of WI, our survey-response winner from last month.

Our winner received a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Bryley Systems.

Winner of our monthly Service-Ticket Survey drawing

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Monthly, we select a winner from all respondents to our service-ticket surveys. Congratulations to AS of PI, our survey-response winner from last month.

Our winner received a $10 gift certificate, compliments of Bryley Systems.