Windows 10 will not feature Android apps any time soon.Sarah Tew/CNET
The future is uncertain for Microsoft's plan to introduce a tool for bringing apps originally written for Android to its own Windows 10.
The tool, nicknamed Project Astoria, was designed to encourage programmers who wrote apps for devices powered by Google's mobile software to bring those apps to Microsoft's new operating system. Windows is still the foundation software for most PCs, but Microsoft has struggled to spread it to phones and tablets where Apple and Google software dominates.
Now for Microsoft, it seems, progress on the tool is not progressing as planned. The company wouldn't say whether Astoria has been canceled or that it will still be released. "We're committed to offering developers many options to bring their apps to the Windows Platform," a Microsoft spokeswoman said Monday. "The Astoria bridge is not ready yet, but other tools offer great options for developers."
It's vital for Microsoft that Windows 10 succeed after its predecessor, Windows 8, was widely spurned. A broad and deep selection of Windows 10 apps is crucial to that success, so people can fulfill their needs for entertainment, communication and work -- and so that Microsoft can extend Windows' financial success. Microsoft's previous smartphone software struggled to gain traction, partly due to a lack of apps in comparison to Apple's iOS and Google's Android. Astoria was supposed to be a central part of the strategy for attracting key app developers to Windows.
Astoria's future may be in doubt, but Microsoft has released two related tools: "Islandwood," which lets developers bring apps for Apple's iOS software to Windows 10, and "Westminster," which does the same for apps designed for the Web. Microsoft also plans to release a similar tool "soon" to bring older-style Windows apps to Windows 10, the company said.
Some clues hinted at waning enthusiasm for Astoria, according to the Windows Central blog. The project's forums went quiet in September, with developer questions going unanswered by Microsoft. And Microsoft stripped Astoria out of newer test versions of Windows 10 for mobile devices.
The main downside of Astoria is that it is effectively an emulator, a software layer that lets programs written for one software foundation run on another. But emulation often means an app's styling doesn't fit well in the new environment or take full advantage of its features.
In Microsoft's perfect world, programmers would write their apps directly for Windows 10 in the first place.
"Developers can write apps that run on all Windows 10 devices and take advantage of native Windows features easily," Microsoft said. "We're grateful to the feedback from the development community and look forward to supporting them as they develop apps for Windows 10."
Microsoft will control Windows 10 Mobile updates, not the carriers.Nate Ralph/CNET
Microsoft will set the tone for when users of Windows 10 Mobile handsets will receive the latest updates.
The software giant said that it's working with mobile carriers to test software updates for its new Windows 10 Mobile operating system and will use their feedback, according to a statement sent to blog site WMPowerUser. But the company "will decide when to send the updates out based on input from mobile operators and Windows Insiders."
By controlling the update process, Microsoft clearly wants to avoid the problems that have plagued the Android ecosystem. After Google releases a new update to its mobile OS, the device makers test it for each model phone. The mobile carriers then conduct their own testing before the rollout can start for each individual device. That process forces Android users to wait weeks or months for a new update to arrive. This predicament has also led to the symptom of Android fragmentation where at any given time several different versions of the OS are floating about on user devices.
Microsoft's process will be somewhat akin to the one used by Apple, whereby the iPhone maker determines when to push out an update to its mobile OS. However, Apple exerts total control by testing and deploying each update without involving the carriers. With Microsoft's process, the mobile carriers won't be out of the loop. They'll still do their usual testing to make sure each update is solid, secure and reliable.
Microsoft will also depend on testing from members of the Windows Insider program. Those who join this free program can get early releases of a new Windows update and then offer feedback to Microsoft so the company can perform any needed fine-tuning before general release. Microsoft relied on the Windows Insider program to help build Windows 10 based on comments and suggestions from members.
Ultimately, the goal for Microsoft is to ensure that all users get the necessary security patches and other updates in a timely fashion.
"The optimum way to ensure our customers are running the best Windows is to get them the latest updates for Windows 10," Microsoft said in its statement. "Delivering Windows 10 as a service means we can offer ongoing security updates, new features and capabilities -- we'd like to make sure people can get access to the latest Windows 10 updates as soon as they are available."
Windows 10 Mobile will make its debut on Microsoft's newest smartphones, the Lumia 950 and the Lumia 950 XL, which will reach consumers in November. But the general rollout of the new mobile OS will kick off in December, hitting the first wave of older Lumia models (including the 430, the 535 and the 930) as a free upgrade.
Windows 10: This is how it starts over for Microsoft.James Martin/CNET
Microsoft's Joe Belfiore, head of the software operating systems group, is in Redmond, Washington, preparing to press a very important button.
Once pressed, it will send a notification around the world reminding hundreds of millions of people that Windows 10, Microsoft's flagship software, is ready to download and install -- for free.
"We want people to think about how they can move their PCs forward, but also move other things in their lives forward," Belfiore said in an interview Tuesday. Microsoft is treating the moment as a way to ask the world to join it in looking ahead, equipped with a global, yearlong advertising campaign dubbed "Upgrade Your World." The move to Windows 10 is being treated as a rebirth moment not just for customers, but for Microsoft as well.
Windows 10 is the full realization of a touch-based operating system capable of acting as both as tablet and a PC.James Martin/CNET
That Microsoft, which became the world's largest software maker selling Windows, is giving away what it once sold for about $120 reflects a company ready and willing to accept the reality of selling software in 2015. That means products given away for free with the hope customers will buy subscriptions to more lucrative online services. The Windows 10 giveaway is also a sign that Microsoft wants people to see it in a different way -- as a technology giant with eyes on the future instead of the stodgy seller of office software that missed the boat on smartphones and botched its attempt to design an operating system for touch-based devices.
For the Microsoft naysayers out there, Windows 10 may be a wake-up call. The software is already being touted in reviews as a much-needed refresh that puts Microsoft on par with -- and in some respects, far ahead of -- competing operating systems like Apple's Mac OS X Yosemite. CNET's Nate Ralph says "Windows 10 bridges the gap between PCs and tablets without alienating anyone."
Microsoft isn't competing with other companies so much as it's competing with itself. Windows runs on more than 90 percent of the world's PCs. But the most popular version of the software, running on three of every five devices, is Windows 7, which came out six years ago. Compare that to Apple's Yosemite operating system, which was released in September 2014 and four months later was running on nearly half of Apple's Macintosh computers.
The problem was clear as glass: Windows 8, which came out in 2012 and was a stark departure from traditional versions of Windows, was a step sideways. Windows 10, which will run on devices of all sizes and shapes, is the course correction. It's purpose is also to give life to Microsoft's mantra to "reinvent productivity."
Whether Microsoft's users are too shell-shocked from past experiences to upgrade to Windows 10 remains to be seen. And for Microsoft, the next step is selling the promise of Windows 10 in a world where everybody has been getting along just fine with a product that came out in 2009.
"The key challenge now is that, for a long time, Microsoft didn't really have to sell Windows. It just sort of was there. You had to take it," says Steve Kleynhans, an analyst at research firm Gartner. "Now they're in a situation where they're actually having to prove to you that there's some excellence, some value there ... that's a tough sell."
Windows as a service
To understand where Windows goes from here -- and how integral it will be to Microsoft's future -- look no further than the Windows Insider Program.
Belfiore, who has led the OS engineering and product design groups at Microsoft since 2013, is being joined today at Microsoft headquarters by these so-called "insiders," Windows fans who have spent the better part of the last year testing and tinkering with early versions of the software to help Microsoft get it just right.
The company invited members of the program to thank them for having transformed the development process for Windows into something collaborative, Belfiore said. By letting Microsoft peer into how machines running Windows 10 were being used, these PC users helped create Windows 10. The change in development approach has been one of the hallmarks of CEO Satya Nadella, who took charge last year and vowed to make Microsoft more consumer-friendly and transparent about its product roadmap.
"We don't sit around and speculate about what people want," Belfiore said. "We go and look at what's happening in the real world and we can make decisions based on real concrete facts."
Many of the 5 million insiders will be the first users of Windows 10, which began launching as soon as yesterday in Australia, due to the time difference, and is now making its way to the remaining 189 countries around the world. In that sense, pressing a button to "release" Windows 10 is symbolic. But it's also a way to nudge millions of PC users who don't obsessively check their computers for new updates or seek out ways to get software early rather than wait for it to be delivered to them through automatic updates.
The automatic update process is critical. Microsoft is no longer treating Windows as something that it ships and then forgets about until it needs to squash a software bug or do much-needed maintenance. Instead, Windows 10 is being treated as a service, Belfiore says, that will be changed frequently. An update will have collections of sometimes small, sometime large changes that will be sent out to Windows users during times of low traffic on the Internet, such as the middle of the night.
You'll wake up the next morning and realize that you now have the most up-to-date version of Windows without having to put in the effort.
"We do that in part to make sure that people have the best experience," Belfiore said, "But also so that if a developer is writing an application, a developer gets the benefit of knowing that the largest number of machines all have the latest version."
Features like Cortana, Microsoft's personal digital assistant, will be continuously and automatically updated as the company makes incremental changes to Windows over time.James Martin/CNET
Microsoft won't say yet whether there will be a Windows 11. Nor will Belfiore say if Microsoft will follow in the footsteps of Apple, which makes minor and sometimes major tweaks to its now free OS X software every year and slaps on a fun name. After naming numerous versions of OS X after cats (Snow Leopard, Jaguar, Puma and so on), the company switched to California place names in 2013 with Mavericks. Yosemite was released last year, and Apple plans to ship El Capitan sometime this fall.
Belfiore said Microsoft will likely take an approach that lets it communicate the Windows 10 changes to the broadest amount of users -- both pros and regular joes alike -- and explain how to get those updates without breaking anything critical you like to do in Windows, such as gaming.
For those worried Microsoft is turning Windows into a subscription service, fear not. The company says if you claim your free upgrade, which is available to the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users running the software on 77 percent of all PCs in the world, you'll receive updates for the entirety of your device's lifespan.
Surviving in a 'freemium' world
While Microsoft may begin earning back the goodwill of customers with the free upgrade and aesthetic appeal of Windows 10, that doesn't address its more pressing issue: making money.
Under the stewardship of Nadella, Microsoft has spent the past 18 months transforming its products and its approach to customers. The company is moving away from selling licensed software at flat (and high) rates -- like more than $150 for an Office license -- and now offers subscriptions to its cloud-based apps and services like Office 365, which is priced starting at $100 a year of consumers and as little as $5 a month per user for businesses. Mobile versions of its software, including the popular Office suite of productivity apps, are available free of charge on devices made even by competitors including Apple.
It's a big change and intended to get millions of users begin using Microsoft products again, including the Word document editing software and Outlook email app.
"They can't sell software like they used to," said Roger Kay, an analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates. "If all they do is make software and give it away, what's their business model?"
Competitors have largely figured that part out. Google gives away software and services, including free online storage and online tools that replicate the core functions of Microsoft's Office app suite, but makes money through advertising on its search engine. Apple, which used to sell OS X and its other software, moved away from that business model in October 2013 and opted to give it away instead. It now makes most of its money from its popular hardware including the iPhone and iPad.
Microsoft has placed its bets on helping consumers and companies maneuver data living online, where it sells access to full desktop versions of Office as part of its Office 365 subscription service and powerful tools that tap into its Azure cloud computing platform.
"They have to find other sources of real revenue," said Gartner's Kleynhans. "They've identified subscription services and cloud services as being real targets."
The company's commercial cloud business -- which includes Office 365, Azure and software for helping businesses manage their data in the cloud -- grew 88 percent in fiscal 2015 and Microsoft said the division is now on track to pull in more than $8 billion in annual sales. Nadella has said he wants the cloud division, which he oversaw before becoming chief executive in February 2014, to be a $20 billion-a-year business by 2018.
But those revenue streams won't last forever and Microsoft has made it clear that resting on its laurels is both what lost it the smartphone race and forced it into blundering with Windows 8. If the company is to succeed, it has to continue to bridge the wants and needs of the businesses it serves with the desires of the average computer user.Microsoft can afford to wait since it can continue to rely somewhat on traditional sales. It still charges PC makers like Acer and Lenovo a fee to install new versions of Windows on the computers they sell to consumers. And businesses still pay Microsoft to help maintain older versions of Office and Windows for large numbers of employees running those programs on their PCs at work everyday.
"Microsoft is arguably one of the few companies that can mix your personal and work life," said Jan Dawson, an analyst at Jackdaw Research. "Microsoft can bridge that gap in a way that Google can't."
The challenge, Dawson added, is convincing the world that Windows 10 can truly be everything to everybody -- the software that sits at the center of "your whole life."
For Belfiore, Windows 10 is not a risk that could sink the company, but the proper evolution of Microsoft's marquee product.
"We've talked about this notion of getting 1 billion devices on Windows 10," he said. "I think this is a big opportunity."
Windows 10 is looking good a couple of weeks before its official launch.screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
For the longest time, I could not get audio to work in the Windows 10 preview build. No sound. No microphone. No verbal access to Cortana, Microsoft's voice assistant.
Despite trying a number of fixes and workarounds, I couldn't resolve the issue. Other early Windows 10 users also were bumping into the same problem. We were all in the same boat: These were test versions of the upcoming high-stakes reworking of the Windows operating system.
Then with the release earlier this month of two new test versions (or "builds," as Microsoft refers to them), those problems disappeared. Now I have sound, and now I can converse with Cortana.
To be sure, a Windows 10 preview build -- available only to volunteers and enthusiasts who choose to download and install it -- is very much beta software. Problems for users are expected, and even part of the improvement process. Indeed, in my testing of Windows 10 over the last several weeks, I've found a more stable operating system. (And I've been working with the test builds since late last year, so I'd seen the initial bumpy versions.)
Since last October, Windows 10 has been slowly building to its broad public debut on July 29. Over that time, Microsoft has been issuing one release after another of its Technical Preview so that people outside the company (known as "Windows Insiders") could test the operating system and offer their feedback. Based on the latest build, Windows 10 looks to me to be in good shape.
But will it pass muster once it gets into the hands of millions of users?
Getting the wrinkles out
Microsoft desperately needs Windows 10 to be a hit. The company knows it dropped the ball with the now 3-year-old Windows 8, which turned off many people by dumping the Start menu for the Start screen, treating the familiar desktop as an afterthought and revamping the interface with a slew of confusing and hidden features. PC sales, which were already in a slump, certainly didn't bounce back with new Windows 8 computers on store shelves.
The software titan has also been hurting in the mobile market, and pushing Windows 10 as unifying software for both personal computers and mobile devices may be its last, best hope of winning over more smartphone users.
For testers like me, then, it's been encouraging to see things shaping up since the start of July, edging ever closer to rock-solid and ready for prime time.
The earlier builds certainly were rough around the edges. It felt as if Microsoft was trying to fashion a new operating system by cramming certain elements of the more popular Windows 7 into Windows 8. For example: The initial attempts at a Start menu combined features of the two versions in a way that seemed awkward and confusing. But with the latest builds, the Start menu feels right -- quick to navigate and easy to manage.
Along with the new fixes to the audio issues, the Windows 10 test versions have seen other problems go by the wayside. Not too long ago, for instance, I often got error messages when trying to shut down the software. Those messages no longer appear. Beyond that, and especially with the last few builds, just using different apps and features, such as Mail, Music and the Windows store, has gotten smoother and faster over time.
The work isn't finished just yet. Microsoft is intent on making sure that Windows 10 doesn't just work well by itself, but will also be fully compatible as an upgrade to the Windows 7 and Windows 8.1 users who have reserved it for free. The company hasn't revealed specific numbers, but Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of operating systems, said in a blog post on July 2 that millions of upgrades have been reserved since the process kicked off in early June.
In those latest builds, Microsoft has focused more on bug-fixing and fine-tuning than on adding more features, which is as it should be at this stage of the game.
To get ready for July 29, Microsoft has halted the release of any new builds for the time being, Gabe Aul, head of the Windows Insider program, said in a blog post published on Monday. Further, Microsoft won't be delivering any further Windows 10 ISO files, which you can copy to a USB drive or burn to a disc in order to install the operating system from scratch. Instead, Microsoft wants Windows Insiders to focus on testing the Windows 10 upgrade process, so any new builds will be delivered as traditional Windows updates.
"We're suspending the availability of Windows 10 builds briefly while we prepare for that, and the next build that we flight to you will be delivered using the production channels," Aul said Monday. "Starting tomorrow, we will also not be delivering any additional ISOs at this point as we really need Insiders to be using, stressing and validating our distribution and upgrade processes."
Aul also reminded everyone that Windows 10 is very close to its public release, "and we're working very hard to get everything just right."
Who gets Windows 10 when?
The next step in the Windows 10 process is for Microsoft to release the product to PC and tablet makers so they can test and install the OS on their products. That process is expected to take place this week, which is why testing the current build is critical. But even after the product is released to manufacturers, testing will continue -- and it won't end anytime soon.
Next in line to receive their free Windows 10 upgrade will be Windows 7 and 8.1 users who have reserved the product. Pushing the upgrade to those who've reserved it beyond the launch date gives Microsoft more time to polish the software to make sure it's as compatible as possible with Windows 7 and 8.1. With Microsoft testing millions of systems, Myerson said that the company is already seeing "full compatibility today with the vast majority of Windows 8x and Windows 7x systems." But the work is far from over.
"Each day of the rollout, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all Windows 10 users," Myerson said his July 2 blog post. "If you reserved your copy of Windows 10, we will notify you once our compatibility work confirms you will have a great experience, and Windows 10 has been downloaded on your system."
And then even after the initial launch phase, the Windows Insider Program will continue. People who've signed up for the program can keep testing new builds and updates as Microsoft finds more items to fix or fine-tune.
Individual testers, like me, may find the current build of Windows 10 stable and ready to go. But once it's powering the devices of thousands of everyday users -- Windows, in all its versions, still runs on a majority of personal computers for individuals and businesses -- issues and concerns are bound to arise. Microsoft will need to respond to them quickly and seamlessly for Windows 10 to be the success that the company needs it to be.
The first to get the high-stakes update to the company's marquee software will be those who have been helping Microsoft get the kinks out ofWindows 10, working through the Windows Insider program that went into effect last October.
"Starting on July 29, we will start rolling out Windows 10 to our Windows Insiders," Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of operating systems, said in a blog post published Thursday. "From there, we will start notifying reserved systems in waves, slowly scaling up after July 29th."
Microsoft is counting on the new version of Windows to bring back some of the appeal and audience it lost with Windows 8, which arrived three years ago with much fanfare, only to sputter out of the gate, and ever since, over its unloved design. It was only last month that Windows 8.1, with its modest course corrections, managed to edge ahead of the 13-year-old Windows XP on desktops around the world, according to Web tracker Net Applications. Windows 7 remains the most popular version of the software.
With Windows 10, Microsoft aims to get back on track with the operating system that still powers a majority of personal computers and serves as the backbone of many of the world's businesses. Some of the key changes Microsoft has made range from revamping the Start button to jettisoning the unpopular tablet-focused interface of Windows 8. There's also a new browser, Edge, to replace the decades-old Internet Explorer, as well as a more robust version of Cortana, Microsoft's voice-enabled digital software assistant.
And the ambitions stretch beyond traditional PCs. Microsoft is betting that Windows 10 can weave its influence across all manner of devices, from desktops to tablets, smartphones and even ATMs.
"Each day of the rollout, we will listen, learn and update the experience for all Windows 10 users," Myerson said in the blog post. "If you reserved your copy of Windows 10, we will notify you once our compatibility work confirms you will have a great experience, and Windows 10 has been downloaded on your system."
It seems, then, that Microsoft is hoping to continue fine-tuning Windows 10 as it gets out to the wider world, sticking initially to the safer embrace of the Windows Insiders who have been combing through and helping to spruce up each new test version.
Just how far past July 29 will the rollout run? Days? Weeks? Myerson didn't point to any specific timeline, and Microsoft didn't respond to a request for comment.
Those who have to wait indefinitely to get Windows 10 may not be thrilled if they were hoping to have it by July 29. It's kind of like not being able to open a Christmas present until after Christmas. But Microsoft's cautious approach may end up serving the company well.
Despite all the internal and external testing that's been done on Windows 10, the new operating system is still just that -- new. And though Myerson said that Microsoft has seen "full compatibility today with the vast majority of Windows 8x and Windows 7x systems," there are still likely to be glitches and incompatibilities with some systems out there. Doing the rollout in stages gives Microsoft time to resolve those issues so the versions of Windows 10 launched after July 29 are more rock-solid.
Further, Microsoft knows that trying to download Windows 10 on July 29 to everyone who wants it would be difficult. Such an effort would certainly put a strain on the company's back-end systems to try to keep up with the heavy load. Pushing out the software in stages ensures that the downloads go more quickly and smoothly.
And what about hardware vendors aiming to introduce new PCs and tablets with Windows 10?
Myerson said Microsoft will soon deliver a build of Windows 10 to its hardware partners so they can start installing the operating system on their devices. Soon after that, Microsoft will distribute a build of Windows 10 to retailers so they can help consumers who may only just have gotten around to using Windows 8.1 upgrade to Windows 10.
So though you may have to wait beyond July 29 to get your copy of Windows 10, Microsoft's staged rollout aims to ensure that the copy you install is as stable and as compatible as possible.
"We've been really pleased with the strong response to Windows 10 since we kicked off reservations in early June, with millions of reservations," Myerson said. "We want to make sure all of you have a great upgrade experience, so we'll roll out Windows 10 in phases to help manage the demand."
Like every other version of Windows, Microsoft has created a special desktop wallpaper for Windows 10. While Microsoft opted for daisies in Windows 8 and an aurora in Windows Vista, the default Windows 10 wallpaper uses a Windows logo just like Windows 7 did. It’s not just any old logo, either. Microsoft travelled to a San Francisco studio to build two installations to create the Windows logo out of light. The software company used camera mapping techniques, lasers, and projectors to create the new hero image that will be used on millions of PCs that ship with Windows 10.
The result is a dark and misty logo with light that beams out and around the edges of the famous Windows logo. It matches the dark theme of Windows 10 well, but it appears the wallpaper won’t be animated so the full effect (shown in Microsoft’s video) won’t be available on your desktop. This new wallpaper will start appearing on desktops once Windows 10 ships on July 29th next month.
You may run into some compatibility bumps if you upgrade to Windows 10. screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET
Set to debut July 29, Windows 10 will be free for one year for anyone running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1. And it will be a direct upgrade, meaning you can run the Windows 10 installation in Windows 7 or 8.1, and you should end up with Windows 10 in the end.
Windows 10 marks Microsoft's big push to get itself back on course after the miscues of Windows 8, so every little thing counts -- including getting the installation correct right off the bat.
Not all software upgrades go smoothly, however. Compatibility problems sometimes rear up, especially when you upgrade from one operating system to another. Certain hardware may be not compatible. Certain software programs may not be supported or may need to be updated or reinstalled. How will you know if the hardware and software you run in Windows 7 or 8.1 will still work after the upgrade? Microsoft can help you determine if and how your PC or tablet will handle the move to Windows 10.
Check for compatibility issues
First, those of you running Windows 7 or Windows 8.1 should see a Windows 10 icon in the Windows system tray. This icon debuted June 1 to coax you to reserve your free copy of Windows 10 so that come July 29, the installation package is automatically downloaded to your PC. But whether or not you've made the reservation, you can still check your PC to see which hardware and software may not play ball with Windows 10.
Click the Get Windows 10 icon. In the Windows 10 upgrade window, click the icon with the three horizontal bars, aka the hamburger icon. From the left pane that appears, click the link to Check your PC.
A Compatibility Report opens to tell you if Windows 10 will work on this PC. You'll also probably see a list of any hardware and software that may not be fully compatible or may not work with Windows 10. For example, on my Lenovo laptop, the report told me that Bluetooth audio might not work correctly after the upgrade, that Norton Internet Security won't work and that I would need to reinstall VMware Player and Lenovo Messenger.
If you find a lot of compatibility issues, don't panic. Remember that Windows 10 is still in beta mode with a release date of July 29 before the final product is out. That gives Microsoft and third-party vendors almost two months to smooth out compatibility issues and resolve any potential bugs. And even when July 29 arrives, you may want to hold off on upgrading to Windows 10 right away. You do have a year to snag the free upgrade. Wait a few weeks or a month after the OS debuts, and some of those compatibility problems may get ironed out.
Check Microsoft's information
You'll also want to check the details on Windows 10 via Microsoft'sWindows 10 Specifications page. The Important Notes section on this page explains which items should make the leap to Windows 10 and which ones may not.
The good news is that your documents and personal files should all handle the transition to Windows 10 without any problems. Still, you may want to back up all of your personal files to an external drive or other source just to be on the safe side. Your Windows apps and settings should also remain intact following the upgrade. But Microsoft cautions that some applications or settings may not migrate.
As the company explains it:
The upgradeability of a device has factors beyond the system specification. This includes driver and firmware support, application compatibility, and feature support, regardless of whether or not the device meets the minimum system specification for Windows 10.
For example, third-party antivirus and anti-malware applications will be uninstalled during the upgrade and then reinstalled with the latest version after the upgrade is finished, according to Microsoft. That process assumes your subscription to the antivirus product is still valid. If not, then Microsoft's Windows Defender will be enabled instead. The Compatibility Report that I received told me that Norton Internet Security would not work, so presumably Windows 10 would install an updated version of Norton that does work.
Certain applications installed by your PC or tablet maker may need to be removed before the upgrade. My Lenovo laptop contains a suite of applications specific to Lenovo. The Compatibility Report told me that Lenovo Messenger would need to be reinstalled.
Any applications with Windows 10 compatibility issues will be removed before the upgrade. Therefore, you'll want to note the names of any such applications and check to see if new or updated versions are available that you can install after Windows 10 is in place.
Based on the latest Windows 10 Technical Preview builds, Microsoft seems to have addressed most of the gripes about Windows 8 and created an OS that seems fresher and decidedly more user-friendly. So as long as you can work through any compatibility issues, upgrading from Windows 8.1 and even from Windows 7 should be worth the effort.
