Microsoft Windows 10 combines new, old features

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- Microsoft is bringing back some old Windows features and plenty of new ones in Windows 10, which is being called the company's make-or-break release.

After what many technology experts consider the flop of Windows 8, many have said it might be time for Windows to close its doors.

"Windows 10 is the moment where Microsoft has to prove to the world that it's still got it," said Todd Bishop, editor at GeekWire.com.

Bishop says the company has, in fact, done exactly that.

"The top new thing is the start menu, and the fact that it's come back. It just makes the whole Windows experience feel like Windows again," Bishop said.

Bishop also likes a feature Microsoft calls "Continuum," which allows users to seamlessly transition from desktop mode to tablet mode and back again.

"A lot of times, you have multi-mode devices these days," Bishop said. "You can essentially say to the computer, 'Yes, I'm shifting from a tablet to a desktop.'"

One feature that Bishop thinks Microsoft should save and quit is Cortana, Windows' version of Apple's Siri - but on your desktop.

"Cortana on the desktop is a little bit over-hyped," he said. "I'm very skeptical of the idea of sitting at your computer and talking to a digital assistant."

Windows 10 officially launches July 29, but Bishop advises waiting a few months since software updates initially come with some headaches.