This past week was big for Microsoft and it's future with Windows. Windows 10 was given star status at a press reveal, showing off all of the new features that will be coming in this highly anticipated update to many of our desktops. I watched the live blog of the event, and have been reading over a lot of the reviews of the new technology that Microsoft is looking to deploy.
My initial reaction is to be impressed. Much of what was wrong with Windows in the past seems to be a focal point for fixing in Windows 10. A few key things stood out to me as areas that I'm anxious to see more.
First, I have to applaud Microsoft for being willing to step back from a design decision (Metro) that didn't pan out they way that they wanted it to. They took what they learned from that experience and have incorporated it into the regular desktop experience in a way that is much more seamless and useful. In fact, Microsoft is ahead of the curve in how they are presenting a user interface experience that crosses form factors. The ability of a single operating system to work on multiple devices, and change it's UI as the device itself may change, is very innovative and remarkable. Tablets have been adapting their user experience based on size and orientation of the tablet screen, but very few operating systems have had to deal with the possibility of being a full desktop OS and a tablet OS while switching between the two seamlessly as the user alters how the device is configured.
Second, the fact that this same OS will work on so many devices is the panacea that many people thought Apple was opening up with the first iPhone. When the original iPhone was released, people were impressed that it was running some type of version of Mac OS X under the covers. However, the version of iOS never really allowed apps to cross the boundary of devices, and for all intents and purposes the two operating systems are wholly distinct and unique. From a developer perspective there are a lot of shared methodologies, but you still need to write multiple apps for Mac OS X and iOS. Windows is seeking to change that with Windows 10, but putting the same OS on every device, an app developer can create an app that crosses all different types of user experiences, as well as physical form factors. This could be a huge game changer... if Microsoft can convince app developers to sign on to their new paradigm.
Of course, I should mention the cool VR and augemented reality goggles that Microsoft was showing. Honestly, my only thought is that if it gets us one step closer to a Star Trek holo-deck, I'm all for it!
Perhaps the biggest reveal of the day, however, was Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella, admitting that Microsoft can no longer exist simply as the operating system that you NEED to use. They want to change into being the operating system that you WANT to use, and eventually LOVE to use. This is a huge shift in how most people think of Microsoft and Windows. Most tech companies have learned from Apple over the past decade that technology isn't about convincing people that you have the fastest RAM or the most best graphics rendering engines. It's about selling people on the vision that you have for how people should interact with technology. People don't by what you do, they buy why you do it.
I'm very excited to see the new world that Windows 10 is trying to create. I've never been a huge Microsoft fan, but I feel like the Microsoft that was on display this week is a much more humble, yet confident company. One that is looking to the future and trying to create a technology world that all of us will want to be a part of.
My initial reaction is to be impressed. Much of what was wrong with Windows in the past seems to be a focal point for fixing in Windows 10. A few key things stood out to me as areas that I'm anxious to see more.
First, I have to applaud Microsoft for being willing to step back from a design decision (Metro) that didn't pan out they way that they wanted it to. They took what they learned from that experience and have incorporated it into the regular desktop experience in a way that is much more seamless and useful. In fact, Microsoft is ahead of the curve in how they are presenting a user interface experience that crosses form factors. The ability of a single operating system to work on multiple devices, and change it's UI as the device itself may change, is very innovative and remarkable. Tablets have been adapting their user experience based on size and orientation of the tablet screen, but very few operating systems have had to deal with the possibility of being a full desktop OS and a tablet OS while switching between the two seamlessly as the user alters how the device is configured.
Second, the fact that this same OS will work on so many devices is the panacea that many people thought Apple was opening up with the first iPhone. When the original iPhone was released, people were impressed that it was running some type of version of Mac OS X under the covers. However, the version of iOS never really allowed apps to cross the boundary of devices, and for all intents and purposes the two operating systems are wholly distinct and unique. From a developer perspective there are a lot of shared methodologies, but you still need to write multiple apps for Mac OS X and iOS. Windows is seeking to change that with Windows 10, but putting the same OS on every device, an app developer can create an app that crosses all different types of user experiences, as well as physical form factors. This could be a huge game changer... if Microsoft can convince app developers to sign on to their new paradigm.
Of course, I should mention the cool VR and augemented reality goggles that Microsoft was showing. Honestly, my only thought is that if it gets us one step closer to a Star Trek holo-deck, I'm all for it!
Perhaps the biggest reveal of the day, however, was Microsoft's new CEO, Satya Nadella, admitting that Microsoft can no longer exist simply as the operating system that you NEED to use. They want to change into being the operating system that you WANT to use, and eventually LOVE to use. This is a huge shift in how most people think of Microsoft and Windows. Most tech companies have learned from Apple over the past decade that technology isn't about convincing people that you have the fastest RAM or the most best graphics rendering engines. It's about selling people on the vision that you have for how people should interact with technology. People don't by what you do, they buy why you do it.
I'm very excited to see the new world that Windows 10 is trying to create. I've never been a huge Microsoft fan, but I feel like the Microsoft that was on display this week is a much more humble, yet confident company. One that is looking to the future and trying to create a technology world that all of us will want to be a part of.
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