rashbre central: in which I try Windows 10 in iMac VM and it works fine

Tuesday 8 September 2015

in which I try Windows 10 in iMac VM and it works fine

WIndows 10 inside OS/X
I've finally got around to installing a version of Windows 10 on my iMac in a virtual machine. After Windows 8 and 8.1, I decided to wait a while before attempting to swap across to Windows 10.

Actually my 'work PC' (and those of many colleagues) are still on Windows 7. I think it's indicative of the hopscotch that Microsoft has to play to try to find the right interface.

I've actually been pleasantly surprised with the transition to the Windows 10 experience. It's more like seeing the return of an old friend, maybe one that has been on a keep fit regime and returned super svelte.

Using Windows inside the iMac for productivity applications now seems to work properly. I've the updated version of Parallels as well and although there's various modes, I tend to keep Windows running inside its own box on the screen.

Booting a suspended Windows session takes maybe a couple of seconds and then runs at the same speed as the version of Windows 7 I still currently have on my Thinkpad. In other words, it doesn't get in the way and creates a perfectly usable experience.

I mentioned productivity applications because I'll usually only be using Windows with Office applications, plus related components such as MS Project and inevitably the MS browser, nowadays called Edge (i.e. no more Internet Explorer).

I've enabled Cortana too and just for fun asked whether Windows or Mac was best. MS may want to fix that response in the next update.

Another amusing aspect of the update has been reading some of the other reviews. My own history with Windows goes back to the early days, but clearly many reviewers of Windows 10 have a far more recent viewpoint, where some of the resurrected features are considered 'new'.

I guess that's the challenge now for suppliers into the consumer space. What else to do to make products look 'new' on an annual review cycle? Some didn't work so well, like the ancient Bob interface...

...although I know it was amusing for a while to add a desktop parody of it to Windows 8. And what about McZee...?

This week's new iPhone will be another case in point. Faster? Better camera? Thinner (or 0.2mm thicker)? More processor cores? More battery? Less bendy?

Not quite the game-changer snazziness that would have appeared with the earlier versions.

I guess the AVB (active virtual button) and sidewall display may still be another iteration away, based upon the Chinese usually correct pre-emptive clones.

2 comments:

Pat said...

I was given the option of jumping to Windows 10 from Windows 7
and against my better judgement accepted. I really cursed it the first week but it seems to have settled down and is quite pretty. I just wish I was techie enough to use it fully.

rashbre said...

Pat Windows 10 seems fairly well behaved. I've still not got it on my work machine, but I have a feeling the update will be rolled out very soon.