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Windows 10 can turn Microsoft into a success again, but it needs to get these 4 things right
BT ^ | 07/28/2015

Posted on 07/28/2015 9:07:23 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

The global launch of Windows 10 is a pivotal moment for Microsoft as a consumer business, because in recent years Windows has started to matter a lot less.

The rise of mobile devices has hit the PC market hard – and no more so than Microsoft, which has around 1.5 billion Windows customers, making it the market leader in that arena.

(Snappa)(Snappa)

This, combined with Apple’s OS X and Mac computer line-up regularly bucking the trend and actually increasing sales, has left Microsoft and Windows adrift in the technology world, with Google’s Chrome and Android dominating.(Snappa)(Snappa)

But a hint of change appeared at the beginning of the year when Windows 10 was first previewed, and it has hinted at a potential change in fortunes for the firm.

The core features of the update – Microsoft Edge, Cortana on desktop, Continuum and the idea of the software working across all Windows devices – sparked interest arguably not seen in Windows since the pioneering days of Windows 95.

But it’s only the beginning, and Microsoft must get several things right to start it on the road to success again.

Windows 10 core features

(Microsoft)(Microsoft)

These features now have to live up to their impressive stage demonstrations in the real world – Edge must be fast and easy to annotate as suggested, while Cortana must continue to be a seamless and intelligent assistant across a new range of devices.

The gaming streams from Xbox One to PC are also going to have to hold up well if Microsoft wants to entice developers on to Windows 10.

If Microsoft can get the core of Windows 10 right, it could begin to excite and encourage developers back to the platform.

Build the platform

(Microsoft)(Microsoft)

The promise of one version of an app that works across phone, tablet and computer with minimal work is an enticing one for coders, but developers are still curious about how much effort this will actually take.

Make it easy, and the Windows platform could begin to flourish the way Apple’s has in recent years as developers fight to get involved.

There are more than a million apps on the Apple App Store, in comparison the Windows Store which around 500,000.

Driving the Surface

(Stefan Rousseau/PA)(Stefan Rousseau/PA)

The health of the Surface brand – Microsoft’s tablet-laptop hybrid – could also have a say in the success of Windows 10.

Having steadily gained on the iPad in the last year, the growth of the Surface business to almost a billion US dollars (£640 million) was one of the bright spots of the firm’s most recent financial results.

If the hardware running Windows 10 is performing well, the developer community is far more likely to want to build on it.

Mobile

(Jeff Chiu/AP)(Jeff Chiu/AP)

Not an area the tech giant is currently focussing on too heavily, but as high-end flagship smartphones continue to sell in their millions, Microsoft will have to return to them in earnest soon.

The Lumia is performing OK in the lower and mid-range arenas, but a company the size of Microsoft really should be looking to take on Apple, Samsung and co in the premium market.

The Windows Phone has been something of a five-year struggle, with sales never taking off – squeezed out by the aforementioned rivals. But a solid base provided by Windows 10 could be a springboard for new and better hardware.

The public reaction, therefore, as Windows 10 rolls out from Wednesday has never been more important to Microsoft.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Computers/Internet
KEYWORDS: browser; chrome; google; microsoft; windows; windows10; windowspinglist
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To: bolobaby

Formerly, FUD was spread by Microsoft against Apple and flavors of UNIX as those innovated. Now, Googlers and Appleistas spread FUD against Microsoft’s innovations.


21 posted on 07/28/2015 12:30:32 PM PDT by No.6
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To: EveningStar; Abby4116; afraidfortherepublic; aft_lizard; AF_Blue; Alas Babylon!; amigatec; ...
Microsoft... A success at last? ... PING!

You can find all the Windows Ping list threads with FR search: just search on keyword "windowspinglist".

Thanks to EveningStar for the ping!

22 posted on 07/28/2015 12:38:58 PM PDT by dayglored (Meditate for twenty minutes every day, unless you are too busy, in which case meditate for an hour.)
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To: No.6

“I will not be pushed, filed, stamped, indexed, briefed, debriefed, or numbered! My life is my own.”

BCNU ;)


23 posted on 07/28/2015 12:39:18 PM PDT by prisoner6 (Unmutual and Disharmonious)
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To: Salgak
3. Win10 is a year or two away from being a Subscription. Want more than basic services ? Pay your monthly Microsoft bill. . .

You do have to ask: "How are they planning to monetize Windows 10?

24 posted on 07/28/2015 1:22:02 PM PDT by Swordmaker ( This tag line is a Microsoft insult free zone... but if the insults to Mac users continue...)
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To: SeekAndFind

If there are no jobs, “information workers” sitting at desks there will not be a huge need for buying new Windows 10 computers when users can consume entertainment on tablets and phones.


25 posted on 07/28/2015 1:46:06 PM PDT by killermosquito (Buffalo, Detroit (and eventually France) is what you get when liberalism runs its course.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Spent some time at Duke Univ Hospital over the last few weeks and was impressed by how many people in the cafeteria had Windows Surface computers.


26 posted on 07/28/2015 1:48:46 PM PDT by killermosquito (Buffalo, Detroit (and eventually France) is what you get when liberalism runs its course.)
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To: Salgak
...fails to recognize “legacy” peripherals (like a year-old Epson Printer, or a current-generation Nvidia high-end video card.

Well, well. That could be a real Show Stopper.

You just called out a couple of my devices almost by model number, and where there's one example I'm forced to think there are going to be a whole bunch more. Especially when we're dealing with that MS bunch.

...looks like digging in with W7 like I did with XP, revisiting that Unix setup or just throw up my hands and buy a couple Apples are the only options left. Especially since I donated all of my drafting equipment to that museum.

Crap.

27 posted on 07/28/2015 4:37:33 PM PDT by Unrepentant VN Vet (God gives us rights; Governments take them away....if we let them.)
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