It would definitely be nice. In my opinion it appears that the job cut's hurt them. It's beginning to look like the wrong people were let go. Windows 10 is basically a 1.0 os, as it's the 1st one for every device. The last 2 builds have had the same bugs and all they appear to be interested in, is adding new features. Not fixing bugs that shouldn't exist. The Store Beta hasn't been able to update Microsoft's own app's since day one. Mail, Calendar & People have had to be uninstalled and reinstalled in the last 2 builds to get them working.
ProjectSpartan, so far is nothing more than a lightweight, modernized version of Internet Explorer. It can't find all IE Favorites. Password managers can't be used. Ad Blockers can't be used. WOt/Web of Trust can't be used. What's the point.
The Xbox app needs to be a optional install, not pre jnstalled, as it's only of any use for Xbox One users. Personally, I have no need for one.
In all actuality, if you have the right software installed in Windows 8/8.1, A Start menu and ModernMix, Windows 10 doesn't seem to be a necessary upgrade.
Search Eveything does what Cortana can, as far as searching (minus voice recognition).It's faster than any search Microsoft put's in Windows and doesn't even need to run in the background, if you don't want it to.
DirectX 12: We're all going to have to wait for the next-gen video card's to be released that can use all of DX 12's features. Yes video card's released in the past 1 or so years, can use some of DX 12's features, but not all of them.
The current Xbox One's won't even be able to use all of DX 12's features, as they use older low-end AMD parts.
AMD's Mantle is going away, once Windows 10 is released according to AMD.DX 12 uses what Mantle does, but has more features.
So yes, everybody a video card upgrade is in your future for DX 12.
So far according to benchmarks done both pc magazines, etc. A NVidia Geforce GTX 960 benchmark scores are lower in any game, than they are in my current NVidia GeForce GTX 760.
The only place the newer card's win is in power consumption, not in any fps's.