Head-To-Head: Windows 10 Vs. Windows 8

Windows 8: Nein

Windows 10 is what Windows 8 should have been -- a gentle change that eases people toward a unified interface between two types of systems: desktops and laptops using a mouse and keyboard, and mobile devices driven only by touch. But so be it. It always takes Microsoft a few tries at something new before it gets it mostly right. Kudos to Redmond for scaling back its so-called "Modern Interface" (we still call it "Metro") and acknowledging that the vast majority of people still use nontablets for daily productivity.

To find out what Microsoft was up to with Windows 10, we went to the Windows 10 Technical Preview site, and loaded the latest 32-bit build into a Fusion VM on Mac OS X Mavericks. Some of what we found looked quite Mac-like. Here's a look at the 10 important differences between Windows 8 and Windows 10, which is set for release in mid-2015.

For more on Microsoft's latest OS, check out the rest of CRN's Windows 10 coverage.