I've been testing Windows 10 as part of the Windows Insider Preview program since it started. I've been running the beta Builds on multiple systems over that time, but have always shied away from installing them on devices that I count on to do my job. And, after watching the complaints and hearing the woes over time, I'm glad I stuck to my guns despite being extremely tempted.
But, we're getting extremely close to the final release of Windows 10, which will deliver as an upgrade for Windows 7 and Windows 8 users on July 29. And, as such, the Builds are getting better and less buggy. And, so much so, that I'm considering taking the plunge in the next couple days to upgrade my two production computers (Surface Pro 3 and HP Spectre x360). I'll let you know how it goes, of course.
I surmise that we'll see one more Build just prior to the Windows 10 launch and that that final Build could become the RTM version if everything looks good. I could be wrong, but it does make a bit of sense.
One of the things that struck me the most about this current release (Build 10158 delivered just last evening), and spurred my rethinking of a production installation, was in a note in the Build announcement (Announcing Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 10158 for PCs).
It says…
Surface 3: This build has the fix for the issue that was preventing the Surface 3 from upgrading successfully in prior builds. You should be able to upgrade to this build.
Surface Pro 3: This build has several fixes that improve battery life with the Surface Pro 3.
And, then goes on to suggest…
Known issues: We don’t have any significant known issues for this build worth noting in the blog post but we are servicing several issues so make sure you check Windows Update for those.
Maybe I'm too much of a sucker for X-files reruns, but I guess more than anything, I just want to believe. The issues described for the Surface Pro 3 and Surface 3 were game-ending for a lot of people. And, I think calling this out specifically shows that Windows 10 is getting close and Microsoft is closing the loops, filling the holes, and snipping away the crust.
How about you? I know some of you have toughed it out and have already been using Windows 10 as your daily driver for some time, despite constant app hangs and web browser inconsistencies. Does this new Build, particularly the attention to the Surface tablets, make you feel comfortable enough to go all-in with Windows 10 now?
