The tension has been building and the wait is finally over; Windows 10 has been launched. But is it everything people hoped it would be?
The new and improved operating system has had generally positive reviews from those people who, for the last few months, have been testing out beta versions of the software.
But what has been the reaction among those on Twitter as well as industry figures and analysts? Here's what's been said so far
Those that have managed to get an update are finding the process of downloading and installing a tad slow.
So, will take forever :-( #Windows10 pic.twitter.com/kW5uVyaQnw
Luis Alcaraz (@lalcaraz) July 29, 2015
And this.. Installation stuck at 14% #windows10 Lucas Kul (@LucasK9819) July 29, 2015
And this...
Waiting for #Windows10 be like pic.twitter.com/kMLzw2fLGO PERRI (@PerriOFFICIAL) July 29, 2015
Others were a bit more successful but now have other problems...
Finally got my #windows10 completed. Think I might have to revisit my profile picture now though.... pic.twitter.com/6T9WqXD5hx Jeremy Skyrme (@DrSkyrme) July 29, 2015
Jason Stiff tweeted us to say that he loves Windows 10. "Smooth upgrade, all my stuff and apps just there and work. Awesome. And try the xbox streaming, it's amazing," he tweeted. Stiff is also a Microsoft desktop consultant, so perhaps the adulation is not totally unexpected.
A parody account of Apple designer Jony Ive (@JonyIveParody) tweeted to say that "Microsoft is staggering the release of @Windows 10 to customers. We'll do the same with OS X El Capitan, minus the dumb staggering part."
Meanwhile, Microsoft have been encouraging users on Twitter to add a Windows badge to their profile pictures. If you really feel the need, instructions are here.
Daniel Todaro, managing director at field marketing agency Gekko said the decision to launch the OS for one last time in this manner and seek to upgrade in the same way as competitors do is "a good idea but financially may prove costly to manage when you consider the revenues Windows would generate for the company.
"Once upon a time, the company's OS was on 95 per cent of OEM devices and now on an estimated tiny 14 per cent. That's a lot of licensing revenue down the tubes and with a mobile platform that is only on three per cent of smartphones," he added.
Matthew Aldridge, solutions architect at Webroot, said that the release of Windows 10 brings a number of security upgrades that "look good on paper, but as with all new products to market, it is advisable that organisations carefully plan any upgrades".
Thorough testing of all applications and use cases will help mitigate compatibility issues and allow time for the inevitable bugs to be fixed, therefore reducing the risk to the organisation," he added.
"The Identity Protection and Access Control feature is likely to make a big difference to all users as it brings two-factor authentication to the masses. This update means that attackers would need access to a user's device as well as the user's password or even fingerprint to achieve successful authentication."
Richard Edwards, principal analyst at Ovum, said that Microsoft is "pinning its future hopes on Windows 10".
"But this isn't about recapturing the important mobile operating systems market (it's pretty much conceded that to Apple and Google), it's about gaining a strong foothold in the next multi-billion dollar market: the Internet of Things'."
"Windows 10 will underpin Microsoft's foray into IoT by providing an operating system and ancillary services for "things" that do not resemble traditional computing devices. Microsoft was caught wrong-footed when Google harnessed the Linux kernel to produce the Android operating system that now dominates the smartphone market, but this time, with cloud-savvy Nadella at the helm, Microsoft is ready for action," he added.
According to Context analyst Marie Marie-Christine Pygott, the expectation is that "Windows 10 will bring a number of improvements, and it is hoped that the new OS will eventually help refuel PC demand in IT distribution in Europe where PC sales have recently suffered from inventory issues and the effects of currency fluctuations."
"While Windows 10 is not expected to have an immediate impact on PC growth in the region, it is widely thought it will help boost sales over the course of 2016," she added.
