The world was expecting the new Windows 9, but it seems that arithmetic is not the strategy used to name the Microsoft OS. The company decided to jump straight to 10 and unveiled the new operating system recently in San Francisco. It will become available next year; the early presentation aimed to involve customers in the development process through a Technical Preview available for download. The first thing that catches the eye in the new Windows 10 is the Start menu. It’s divided in two columns; the left one has the traditional Windows 7 design that displays the familiar list of pinned and recent applications, the search box, and the power button for shutting down or restarting the PC. The search box has Windows 8’s features – it includes results from Bing and the Windows store; there is also a separate Search menu next to the Start button that displays trending topics, also from Bing. The right column is a customizable and resizable live tiles-based menu. Windows 8 Metro apps can now also open in a windowed mode on the desktop, not entering into a full-screen mode by default. This change has been originally demonstrated at Build. Moreover, the modern Windows 8 can be used side by side with the standard Windows desktop app. The combination gives the new interface a sense of the new, but also stays familiar. Microsoft added a Task View button on the taskbar which, when triggered, displays a multitasking view very similar to Apple’s OS X Expose feature. From here, multiple desktops are available, something Windows always needed. Yet, this is another feature that had as source of inspiration rival operating systems OS X and Linux/Unix. Still, it’s not identical, as Windows 10 has incorporated its productivity-focused snap views....

I split my days between Windows and OS X. Sometimes I feel like a child whose parents got divorced and I have the responsibility of pleasing them both. At the same time I am the child who’s pampered by the parents who try to make up for their separation. For the tech lover in me, this situation is ideal: I don’t get bored and still manage to discover new features in both OS’, especially with the fierce competition between Microsoft and Apple. The general philosophy is clearly consistence across operating systems. Microsoft does it by offering the same OS on desktop PCs and mobile devices, while Apple’s strategy is the cohabitation of two operating systems (iOS and OS X) that share gestures and some UI consistencies so that it results in a consistent experience for the customer. After last year’s not very successful attempt of re-imagining the look and feel of Windows by adding the “touch”, but overlooking the responsiveness between devices (desktop, phone, tablet), Microsoft released the Windows 8.1 version through which it tries to calm down some of the critics. It reintroduced the Start button and included the ability to skip the Start screen and boot directly to the desktop; the colorful tiled look of the screen is ideal for tablets, but traditionalists wanted the classic desktop interface. Windows 8 is Microsoft’s attempt to create an OS that is as operational on traditional PCs and on mobile touch-screens. The idea behind the development of the dual interface is for Microsoft to gain market share in tablets  while preserving Windows’ longtime dominance of the desktop-PC arena. However, despite the aggressive marketing campaign, the software gained just 8.02 percent of the worldwide market, much behind Windows XP at 31.42 percent and Windows 7 at 46.39...

The mobile ecosystem is constantly making room for innovation and new applications. Smartphone operating systems are racing for market position. At the moment, a duopoly is in place: Linux-based Android, followed closely by Apple’s iOS. The third spot is under contention between Microsoft’s Windows, Blackberry’s Blackberry 10, and Firefox’s Firefox OS. Who will occupy the bronze podium and what’s their impact on the market? Gartner tracks technology shipments and predicts that the worldwide PC market will drop 7.6 percent this year, due to user behavior. Customers are flocking to mobile, an economically favorable alternative to a laptop/PC, and application addiction is very real. Tablets will see a 69.8 percent increase in shipments from 2012 and smartphones will grow from 675 million to 1 billion units, according to Gartner’s data research. Google’s free Android is currently the most popular smartphone OS, holding two thirds of the market. Trying to ensemble the intuitive, easy and delightful experience  iOS offers, combined with the power and flexibility of the traditional Windows desktop OS, Android became the “Windows” of mobile operating systems. With multiple manufacturers, each with their own price, quality level, and features, Android is much easier to customize, being extremely flexible. Today there’s a device running on Android for every pocket, purpose, and desire. Apple’s iOS, not even available for licensing, has less than one third of the market; its iOS platform is by far the most polished, prestigious and popular of them all. After all, it’s Apple that kicked off the modern post-PC era. iOS is reliable, its hardware is gorgeous and cutting–edge, and iTunes is the largest library of apps and content. It’s so easy to use an iPad, that everyone can understand how it works, even toddlers. For the average consumer with little to...