1) Better apps, and more of them
A big reason Windows Phones are not as popular as phones running Android or iOS is because there aren’t very many good apps. iOS seems to always be first to get the latest apps, then Android – but Windows doesn’t get them at all for the most part. Whatever well-known apps are on the Windows Store aren't nearly as good as their equivalents on Google Play or the App Store and usually seem to have ratings at about 3.5 or lower. If Microsoft could somehow get major app developers motivated to build their apps on the Windows 10 platform and make them good enough, it would vastly improve Windows 10 and especially Windows Phones.
2) Better stock apps and Skype integration
Besides third party apps, Microsoft still has much to improve on their own apps on Windows 10, one of the major ones being Messenger. Microsoft released this app around October/November 2015 and it was disappointing – it was really only half built. This app doesn't live up to what Microsoft promised about Skype integration. First of all, it's hardly even “integrated”, having problems with sharing from other apps among other things. Secondly, you can’t initiate a group chat from Messenger – you still have to have Skype to do that anyway. The same goes for Skype Video – you can initiate a call with one other person but not a group call. What Microsoft needs is a Skype app for Windows 10 that's fully integrated with both messaging and video calling in one app.
Other apps that need work are the Mail app (needs more features and simpler navigation), Edge (still needs extensions) and Calendar (needs cleaner design), just to name a few.
3) More unification and design consistency
Microsoft needs more unification in Windows 10 – take Control Panel and the Settings app for example. The Settings app covers most of the basic settings while Control Panel handles everything else. It would be much better for Microsoft to merge the two, keeping the Settings app simple as it is but adding an “advanced” option in each of the appropriate categories that covers all the advanced settings in the control panel.
Also, the user interface needs more design consistency. Currently in Windows 10 we have things like the file manager that still have the design of the Windows 8/8.1 file manager, and other programs that have icons from Windows 7 or even earlier! Microsoft needs to update all of these icons to the same type of design used for modern Windows 10 apps to make everything consistent.
4) Better Office integration
I already mentioned that Microsoft should integrate Skype, but another Microsoft service that's not well integrated is Office.
Office has to be downloaded from the Microsoft website and feels out of place being a desktop program. What Microsoft should do instead is make Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and all the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite apps that can be downloaded from the Windows Store. They should use the “Get Office” app for putting in your activation code or signing into your Microsoft account to activate Office, and from there download the apps from the Store automatically – instead of it being a link to the Microsoft website to download Office. Even better, they should give people the option to either download it the traditional way as a desktop program OR download it as Windows 10 apps. Windows 10 Office apps that run the full-fleged Office programs (and not the useless “mobile” apps that are available to download now from the Windows Store) would be much better integrated with the operating system and could link to other Windows 10 apps, making Windows more productive.
(Side note: I wrote this entire article on my phone with Microsoft Word for Android – I can’t speak for iOS but Microsoft has some pretty good Office apps for Android :D )
5) More customization
Though there are quite a few options for customization (personalization) on the current version of Windows 10, it still could use a lot more. Options I'd add: choice between light & dark context menus, light & dark touch keyboard, light or dark options in stock apps like Messenger, among many others I could think of.
6) Make Ctrl+Alt+Del ONLY open the task manager!!!
This is a huge pet peeve of mine in Windows that has been around at least since Windows 7 (maybe Vista?). I don’t normally use Ctrl+Alt+Del to perform functions such as locking the screen, powering down the PC, or changing account settings – and I’m sure the majority of other Windows users don’t either – so ditch the menu thing to cut out an extra unnecessary step to get to the task manager Microsoft! It used to be that the Ctrl+Alt+Del command only opened the task manager - bring it back and keep it simple!
7) Better app navigation for tablets and 2-in-1 laptops
The final thing Microsoft needs to do is to make it easier to navigate apps on Windows tablets and in tablet mode on a 2-in-1 laptop. When I have my 2-in-1 in tablet mode, it is very confusing to navigate certain apps, especially in trying to find a settings menu or something in certain apps. Other apps are easier to navigate. Microsoft should have a standard for app developers that makes the app easy to navigate on both a tablet and on a desktop (like standardized navigation buttons and menus). I almost hate to say it, but it seemed easier in Windows 8 and 8.1, where all the app menus were in the Charms Bar at the side, though certain other features had to be discovered by right-clicking in the app.
So there you have it – the 7 things Microsoft REALLY needs to do to vastly improve Windows 10.
If Microsoft takes these suggestions seriously and puts them into action, Windows Phones won't be trailing near as far behind iPhone and Androids (if it doesn’t pass up Android or iOS) and Windows on laptops and desktops will be all the more sweeter!
A big reason Windows Phones are not as popular as phones running Android or iOS is because there aren’t very many good apps. iOS seems to always be first to get the latest apps, then Android – but Windows doesn’t get them at all for the most part. Whatever well-known apps are on the Windows Store aren't nearly as good as their equivalents on Google Play or the App Store and usually seem to have ratings at about 3.5 or lower. If Microsoft could somehow get major app developers motivated to build their apps on the Windows 10 platform and make them good enough, it would vastly improve Windows 10 and especially Windows Phones.
2) Better stock apps and Skype integration
Besides third party apps, Microsoft still has much to improve on their own apps on Windows 10, one of the major ones being Messenger. Microsoft released this app around October/November 2015 and it was disappointing – it was really only half built. This app doesn't live up to what Microsoft promised about Skype integration. First of all, it's hardly even “integrated”, having problems with sharing from other apps among other things. Secondly, you can’t initiate a group chat from Messenger – you still have to have Skype to do that anyway. The same goes for Skype Video – you can initiate a call with one other person but not a group call. What Microsoft needs is a Skype app for Windows 10 that's fully integrated with both messaging and video calling in one app.
Other apps that need work are the Mail app (needs more features and simpler navigation), Edge (still needs extensions) and Calendar (needs cleaner design), just to name a few.
3) More unification and design consistency
Microsoft needs more unification in Windows 10 – take Control Panel and the Settings app for example. The Settings app covers most of the basic settings while Control Panel handles everything else. It would be much better for Microsoft to merge the two, keeping the Settings app simple as it is but adding an “advanced” option in each of the appropriate categories that covers all the advanced settings in the control panel.
Also, the user interface needs more design consistency. Currently in Windows 10 we have things like the file manager that still have the design of the Windows 8/8.1 file manager, and other programs that have icons from Windows 7 or even earlier! Microsoft needs to update all of these icons to the same type of design used for modern Windows 10 apps to make everything consistent.
4) Better Office integration
I already mentioned that Microsoft should integrate Skype, but another Microsoft service that's not well integrated is Office.
Office has to be downloaded from the Microsoft website and feels out of place being a desktop program. What Microsoft should do instead is make Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and all the rest of the Microsoft Office Suite apps that can be downloaded from the Windows Store. They should use the “Get Office” app for putting in your activation code or signing into your Microsoft account to activate Office, and from there download the apps from the Store automatically – instead of it being a link to the Microsoft website to download Office. Even better, they should give people the option to either download it the traditional way as a desktop program OR download it as Windows 10 apps. Windows 10 Office apps that run the full-fleged Office programs (and not the useless “mobile” apps that are available to download now from the Windows Store) would be much better integrated with the operating system and could link to other Windows 10 apps, making Windows more productive.
(Side note: I wrote this entire article on my phone with Microsoft Word for Android – I can’t speak for iOS but Microsoft has some pretty good Office apps for Android :D )
5) More customization
Though there are quite a few options for customization (personalization) on the current version of Windows 10, it still could use a lot more. Options I'd add: choice between light & dark context menus, light & dark touch keyboard, light or dark options in stock apps like Messenger, among many others I could think of.
6) Make Ctrl+Alt+Del ONLY open the task manager!!!
This is a huge pet peeve of mine in Windows that has been around at least since Windows 7 (maybe Vista?). I don’t normally use Ctrl+Alt+Del to perform functions such as locking the screen, powering down the PC, or changing account settings – and I’m sure the majority of other Windows users don’t either – so ditch the menu thing to cut out an extra unnecessary step to get to the task manager Microsoft! It used to be that the Ctrl+Alt+Del command only opened the task manager - bring it back and keep it simple!
7) Better app navigation for tablets and 2-in-1 laptops
The final thing Microsoft needs to do is to make it easier to navigate apps on Windows tablets and in tablet mode on a 2-in-1 laptop. When I have my 2-in-1 in tablet mode, it is very confusing to navigate certain apps, especially in trying to find a settings menu or something in certain apps. Other apps are easier to navigate. Microsoft should have a standard for app developers that makes the app easy to navigate on both a tablet and on a desktop (like standardized navigation buttons and menus). I almost hate to say it, but it seemed easier in Windows 8 and 8.1, where all the app menus were in the Charms Bar at the side, though certain other features had to be discovered by right-clicking in the app.
So there you have it – the 7 things Microsoft REALLY needs to do to vastly improve Windows 10.
If Microsoft takes these suggestions seriously and puts them into action, Windows Phones won't be trailing near as far behind iPhone and Androids (if it doesn’t pass up Android or iOS) and Windows on laptops and desktops will be all the more sweeter!