Tech Talk: Windows 10: Should I or Shouldn’t I: Part 4

By Brian Boston

Over the last three parts of this series (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3), we have covered a lot of ground in how Windows 10 is different, and what it offers. 

To Upgrade or Not to Upgrade, Is that the Question?

Whether it is relevant to you depends on your reactions to the changes the new operating system brings, the features it promises, and opportunities it offers you to be productive, creative, connected, or entertained.

While many may be intrigued, perhaps even excited about Windows 10, there are also many dreading changes to their computer’s way of working. Change is hard as we noted earlier in this series.

Avoiding Technical Obsolescence

I asked my 89-year old mother whether she wanted to upgrade. She said “Yes! I don’t want to become obsolete.”

While I assured her that she will never become obsolete with me around, this is a legitimate concern for many. “Being connected” 25 years ago meant you had a telephone land line. Today it’s more likely you mean constant Internet access to the world on your mobile device. One of reasons that Windows 10 exists is because Microsoft wants desktop and laptop PCs to continue to be relevant in a technological world where smartphones have become the dominant computing device.

Upgrading to Windows 10 doesn’t have to be a major step forward in features or capabilities. It just needs to help you stay current and connected with the world around you as painlessly as possible. Hopefully with the information offered here in these tech talks, you can determine whether that goal is achieved on your behalf. My personal observation is that not upgrading just postpones the pain and increases its intensity next time.

That’s why my initial answer to the “upgrade or not” question was and continues to be:

Upgrade …. it’s free to do so at least until July 2016 and avoids the unpleasantness of being technically obsolete.

I will continue exploring Windows 10 on September 27 when Computer Q/A at the Commons starts its fall sessions at Town Center at Lake Forest Park .See the Third Place Commons Calendar or Boston LegacyWorks.com for more information.