When Windows 10 was launched, Microsoft had announced that this will be the ‘final’ Windows, and the OS itself will get periodic updates. It has got two updates so far, and now the third update is here, called the Fall Creators update. So, how does this latest iteration fare?
Firstly, the installation. The last update on my machine, which runs on a BSNL connection, it took me nearly a day to download and install the OS. Even after that, it later developed the problem of the corrupted boot sector, requiring a fresh re-install. While the second hopefully does not happen this time (fingers crossed!), The download and install were much smoother and quicker.
One of the most hyped features nowadays is Virtual Reality. This update comes with Microsoft’s own version, called mixed reality. Of course, you will need to buy a headset. Right now, not many games or VR content is available, but there are reports that there will be by year-end.
Another big improvement is regarding the successor to the much-maligned Internet Explorer, the Edge. Pinned sites are now back again. You can just ‘pin’ your favourite site to the taskbar for quick access. There is a fullscreen mode, and more importantly, you can now annotate your ebooks. The overall browser speed also seems to have improved a lot. However, the browser can certainly do with more extensions to fully compete with Chrome and Firefox. Oh, and if you are tired of reading, you can now sit back and tell the browser to read it for you.
There is more good news if you are a gamer. The update now allows you to track your GPU. Task manager now has the option under the performance tab showing memory and GPU usage. The headphone users can now also avail of Windows Sonic, an audio feature that supports multiple formats, including Dolby. Windows Update remained a headache for users as in many cases, entire internet bandwidth went into downloading the updates, hampering other tasks. You had to find an option for metered connections. Even that did not help. With the new update, you can actually limit the bandwidth being used to download the updates in the background. In a country like India, where Internet speeds continue to be abysmal, this is a godsend for many.
Last, but certainly not the least, concerns our right to privacy while using the internet. While surfing the internet, we come across many sites asking us for various permissions. We don’t always remember which permissions, which may leave us open to attacks. The update now enables you to see and manage every permission you have set for various websites. A pane showing site information has also been added.
Of course, every Windows release is plagued by bugs. This happens so many times that it has been made into memes. Let us see if Microsoft overcomes that adversity this time.
