Windows 10 is not a step forward. It's overly ...
930745
Windows 10 is not a step forward. It's overly complicated, cluttered UI, bloat, internet feeds in the start menu and propensity for hiding system tools make this one a BIG LOSER. Why should you have to OPT-IN for privacy on your own computer?

Save yourself some frustration and upgrade from this to Windows 7 or Ubuntu Linux.
1931557
This falls within the category of either hate or love. I personally like Windows 8 a lot. yes it takes some time to get used to it, and it can be confusing at first. but once you get the hang of it everything works nicely and feels more efficient than windows 7. however I do think this was designed by touch screen devices in mind. if you don't have a touch screen tablet or laptop, then there is not much benefit over windows 7.
1575363
Windows 8 is the biggest peice of junk to ever be released.
bought a DELL from costco with W8 on it, had to return it.
I would call W8 unuseable.
2949795
Windows 8 UI makes tasks more difficult and takes longer to accomplish.

There is a reason windows phone has always failed no one accepted the Metro UI back then and they certainly won't accept it now.

It might be good for touch tablets but its horrible on a desktop. If it was a change for better would be ok but its NOT. Simple things like getting the my computer requires you to squint and look through some commands.

It is clear this OS was designed for mainly tablets. Any retard can see this. You have to be pretty dumb to say this is better for desktop than windows 7. Yes its better for tablets than win 7 but for desktops nothing beats windows 7. Only thing windows 8 has going for it is the pretty looks and smooth performance.

Admittedly it performs really well on weak machines. You have to see it to believe just how impressive its performance is.

But its worthless as a desktop PC OS. Use it for a day or 2 and you will quickly see what I mean.
4245965
Nice, light, quick computer.

Windows 8.1 sucks the big one.  Unfortunately, I seem to be stuck with this awful operating system.  I'm not really impressed with touch on a laptop, seems pointless and really annoying when pointing out something to someone since I invariably touch the screen and wreck was I was trying to show.  Touch  on a laptop does not enhance productivity since a mouse is more efficient.

Windows 8.1: It is nearly impossible to  get the panel on the right side of the screen to display.  Some kind of weird dance is needed with the mouse to have it pop-out.

I love the features of the laptop.  Hate Windows 8.1 which degrades the experience with the computer.
3933139
This computer is slow and unsteady.  It freezes constantly.  Windows 10 has poorly written mandatory programs (Edge) that you cannot turn off.  I do not stream graphics.  I use this for work only. I would go elsewhere.
3500124
with windows 10 on it, it's pretty much perfect..
1602762
After the Windows 8.x debacle, I really, really wanted to like this new release. Unfortunately, it still doesn't feel like an operating system for grown-ups.

The baked-in (provisioned) "apps" can't be removed, and the default programs for just about all of the usual things are those dreadfully useless Windows Store apps that were designed primarily for mobile users. Yes, you can dig around on the Web to find real (desktop) programs, download and install them, then muck around in Settings to make each of them the respective default programs, but it's a pain and we shouldn't have to be doing all this on a brand new installation.

Then there are the privacy issues. The tech media is rife with all the details about this problem, so I won't get into it here. One thing I'll mention is that you'll have to slog around in about a dozen different Settings locations (or so it seems) to manually opt out of all the unnecessary phoning home. Even that doesn't eliminate all of the intrusiveness, however, according to what I've read.

Why can't Microsoft make a Pro version of the operating system that just stays out of the way so that we can run our software applications?  I don't need loads of silly and highly limited "apps" to manage my "stuff." I need a real, business-oriented Windows again! This OS still feels like a consumer-y attempt to appeal to hipsters and kids, and it's still primarily designed for mobile users.

Microsoft has already lost the mobile wars, in my opinion. Instead of catering to the six people who use Windows phones and tablets, Microsoft should be focusing its efforts on its core users and on its enterprise efforts. At the very least, get all of that Windows Store garbage off of the Pro version and reserve it for the Home version.
402959
I'm still learning how to use windows 8. It's just too many clicks to shut down. It took me a while to figure out how to turn it off.
2395677
Not Windows 10 compatible!!  Panasonic has apparently dropped support for their "business rugged" series like this one. They are not offering a Windows 10 driver package for this or any other model from that series.

This is mostly an excellent machine. Not all the doodads of competitors (e.g., no bluetooth remote for slideshows) but solid and reliable. I bought it from a company that was able to substitute an SSD drive so the machine seems amazingly fast.

I am in the same boat as D Saxby reviewer as far as the degradation of the keyboard. This was my third 12" "business rugged" Toughbook. The keyboards on the first two were excellent. I am a very fast typist. Particularly with my previous one, CF-W8, the keyboard was good enough that I rarely used my full sized USB keyboard. It was much better than on my firend's larger Toshiba and several other laptops I've used.

The SX2 keyboard was redesigned significantly. They added an extra, totally useless Ctrl key on the right, requiring reducing the size of the space bar and several other keys, including the very frequently used DEL key. The much less used CTRL key, especially the new one on the right, is significantly larger than the DEL key. The keys also have raised centers so the strike area for one's fingers feels smaller than on previous models.

The significant emphasis on the CTRL key suggests that the changes were made by some hunt and peck geek/programmer. They use CTRL a lot more than seriious typists do. I can understand the reduced area for one's palms. This model has a shorter but wider screen, for better or worse. Keeping the same palm area would have increased the overall size of the machine.

Tip: I used SharpKeys to reprogram the new CTRL key that is on the right along side the DEL key to function also as a DEL key. That way, when I miss the small DEL key and hit the larger CTRL key, it also deletes. If I need an actual CTRL key, there is the one on the left where it always has been.
1994865
Pros: Microsoft made this operating really intuitive for open minded people. People who are not seniors and have difficulty learning shouldn't be complaining about the radical change of the user interface. In my opinion, this is very much like Windows 7 except for the start menu and few metro applications.

People with low technical knowledge will only judge this operating system on its aesthetics, but completely ignore the substantial 'under the hood' improvements. Security features are profound, resource management is vastly improved, and overall engineered intuitively.

Cons: Microsoft is really betting huge on this metro interface. They seek to unify the experience on several different platforms, but there are some consequences.

-Navigating the start menu with a mouse and keyboard requires a little extra effort; people who doesn't have touch screen thus needs to do more work to accomplish the same task. (Multi-touch touch-pads should be able to do swipe and scroll motions, therefore this does not apply as much)

-The desktop interface seems secondary primarily because it is fundamentally an app. Microsoft should have left some reminiscence of the start menu.

Overall, these cons are negligible and just needs to get used to, and does not really affect productivity as some claim. Just a matter of habitude; we're too used to the same window layout that we've been using for a decade or more.

Other Thoughts: People shouldn't be complaining about this version of Windows being such a radical departure from the previous. Some people keep saying that they were really happy with Windows 7, which is perplexing when you know that a gun wasn't pointed to their heads and forced to upgrade. Windows 7 will be relevant for quite some time, and preview releases of Windows 8 were available for trial for a while. (And still is!)

I tried the consumer and release preview, and there were so many driver issues and a plethora of problems that made me want to pull my hair out. But I decided to install the full release on another partition just to keep up with the trends. To my surprise, all issues were fixed, everything was flawless, and I just felt that this should be my primary and sole OS. This is now the only operating system on my computer.

The #1 reason why I think I left Windows 7 for 8 was boot time. I have a hard disk drive and Windows 7 took about 2 minutes to boot. Windows 8 only takes a quarter of that time, which basically made the deal for me, for in my point of view, Windows 7 and 8 are so similar in apparent functionality that there were only benefits to switch.

If you have a touch screen, Windows 8 is definitely for you, get it now! If you have a modern laptop, Windows 8 is a worthwhile upgrade. But if you have a modern desktop running windows 7, and you're already happy with it, you're not going benefit from much of it's features, unless you're a developer.
3973998
Windows 8 is mostly a disappointment to me.  I don't see too much that I like, except for maybe the new info dialog that comes along with file copy operations - that's really nice and beats anything I've seen on other operating systems.  The APPS button that replaces the WINDOWS button is pretty weak, and the fact that I have to go hunting around on the Internet for solutions to really simple things like "how do I get my computer to boot to the desktop?" or "why can't I make window title bar text a different color?" kind of ticks me off.  The UEFI boot stuff is nice, but NOT well explained either.  In terms of improvements over Windows 7 Pro, I don't see much after a couple of months of use.  It does mostly play well with peripherals and drivers.  So, that's good.  If you're putting together a brand new system with current components, then this is probably the best choice for you.
2200281
Pros:

1) Faster boot and shut down times (hardware permitting).

2) Metro UI is innovative indeed, and so are the live tiles.

3) Fresh sound schemes and other eye candy items

4) A growing app-store for day-to-day tasks (Netflix, etc.)

5) Not everything has changed, thankfully.

Cons:

1) Day-to-day tasks that were easier in Windows 7 are at least two clicks more. e.g. Why not keep at least the right portion of task bar visible on the Metro UI? For mere volume adjustment I have to take my mouse arrow to the right top corner, bring on the menu, to to settings, go to the volume icon and then change the volume. This version is screaming for a visible task bar with clock, volume and networking icons.

2) Other than the marketing purpose and rolling something out for competition and giving vendors something new to work with, I don't see the purpose of this release. End users are certainly not going to benefit beyond twice as fast boot and shutdown times, again compensated by the quirky UI.

Suggestion:

If you already have a copy of Windows 7, don't upgrade. A better buy is a 128gb Solid state drive that will considerably make the OS related activities faster. If this is your first time buying Windows (like me), sure, get Windows 8.
2314825
Windows 8 has some nice upgrades. It's faster, boots quicker, it's more stable, it has ever so slightly better multi-display support. However, the new start screen is awful. When you're running three (3) 27" monitors, the start screen is a blinding mess. I'm sure it works great on wee tablets and notebooks, but on a powerhouse workstation it's distracting and cumbersome.

Some additional flaws:
- "Apps" are full-screen only. What a joke.
- Microsoft is pushing for a closed/controlled software market.
- It's trying to be both a desktop and a tablet OS. This doesn't work, it falls on its face and the constant transition is abysmal.

All this said, install Start8, which also lets you hide the terrible full-screen only "apps", and you're cooking along with a functional computer once again!

9/8/2015 Update: Revising from one star to three now that I'm using Windows 10. Windows 8 wasn't too bad, 8.1 was a nice improvement. You get used to it.
183212
I am kind of late to the game but my new dell computer came with windows 8 pre-installed. Microsoft is behind in the mobile market so they decided to use their dominance in the desktop market to give developers a customer base to develop apps for. By allowing the apps to work for desktop and tablets (with relatively minor changes) the lagging mobile market will benefit and Microsoft will catch up with Apple and Google! Or so they thought! The idea is great for tablet users but it kind of ruins it for Desktop users! The metro apps are fairly useless for a desktop user using a 24" screen. They look silly over-sized and it is usually the case that the website will provide a better functionality  / interface for the user. I tried a few apps such as eBay which is relatively primitive and doesn't even compare to the iPad app.
They did do several things right, the os is fast and so far stable. It boots incredibly fast. The Metro apps are just unnecessary clutter. You can avoid them but they are always in your face unless you install a shell which I don't like doing.  They should make the metro and the interface optional for a desktop user and have a desktop focused OS like windows has always been.

Am I going to uninstall it and put windows 7? Probably not, I am getting used to it but I just find the change unnecessary and sometimes confusing with no real benefit.
4210458
I just upgraded my operating system to windows 10 and i can say the feature is more than what I expected. I like especially the looks of it in my desktop.
1900751
This is not the fastest. Nor the most powerfully, but, this has Windows 7 and NOT Windows 8,8.1, nor 10! The OS alone is worth even more praise
(Shame on you Microsoft for trying to SHOVE the Tablet OS down our throat!)
I will continue to buy WIn7 machines as long as I can.