Microsoft has released a series of ads aimed at pushing its Windows 10 Operating System. For those Windows users on earlier OS’s like Windows 7 or 8 you will no doubt be receiving regular update ‘reminders’. Microsoft has been keen to stress that Windows 10 will run perfectly well on older machines and has many improvements on previous Windows operating system but still many users are still using older Windows operating systems.

This latest push from Microsoft though is designed to stem the flow of Windows users migrating to Mac and maybe even win some users from Apple. The catch phrase “Even on the new Macs they don’t have that” isn’t exactly what you’d call a tagline to remember but it gets Microsoft’s point across. Windows 10 is something to be reckoned with.

Will Cortana take the crown?

You cannot deny that Windows 10 is packed full of features which are genuinely usable and certainly up the game when it comes to usability, especially for business users. Microsoft’s latest advertising push has shown just that with a series of ads aimed at showcasing various different features of Windows 10 that users may find of interest.

Microsoft have took on the help of the small education business The Bug Chicks to advertise these features. While the ads are certainly entertaining and rely on the enthusiasm of The ‘Chicks’ along with their creepy crawly friends it does all appear to be on the fake side of authenticity from Microsoft.

There was obviously a time when the shoe was very much on the other foot and Apple was merely the ‘annoying tech firm next door’ and while Microsoft is still the second most valuable brand in tech, and the world for that matter there is no question about who is first.

Windows 10 does have some great features, that cannot be denied. The search capabilities of Cortana and the speed of the Edge browser really almost make you forget Windows 8 but the problem for Microsoft is that they have made so, so many mistakes in the past that it will take more than a quirky ad campaign to get people back on their side.

Who needs a touchscreen?

Some of the Windows 10 features that are advertised come across as odd or unnecessary and lacks that certain something that Apple does. When Apple advertised thumbprint recognition on the iPhone people went ‘cool’. When Microsoft unveils facial recognition for Windows people go ‘meh’. That is more indicative of the scale of the challenge facing Microsoft rather than any reflection of the quality of the feature. But even features that should be ‘cool’ just aren’t doing it right now for Microsoft.

The good thing is that the company is trying. Microsoft is trying to be friendly and it is trying to show users that it provides features that users will care about. The ads may well not have the impact that Microsoft hope and maybe they don’t need to because if they keep on heading in the right direction they will get it right eventually and, as Microsoft themselves found out, if you allow yourself to stagnate you will slip to second place.