Microsoft Working On A Single OS To Unite PCs, Phones And Tablets, And To Kill Windows
Microsoft is holding an interesting event called Worldwide Partner Conference where it discusses everything about its products including Windows for desktops, Windows for mobile, and the Xbox platform. One of the most exciting keynotes was held by Andy Lees who’s done almost all it can be done in a couple of hours, but to announce a new operating system by Microsoft. And when I say new, I’m not talking about the already announced Windows 8 – I’m talking about a new kind of OS that would cover all Microsoft products.
Andy Lees said that Microsoft’s future plan is to offer an ecosystem for all types of devices including personal computer, smartphones, and tablets that would co-exist in perfect harmony with Xbox. The Redmond-based company has already integrated Xbox into Windows Phone 7 and we’ve heard rumors about it being integrated into Windows 8 that will be built around tablets.
Need more proof? The operating system that we’re thinking of isn’t Windows 8 as this OS doesn’t have the power and the capabilities to unite all platforms under one. Microsoft wants its platform to have the same Metro-based user interface, the same services and programs like Internet Explorer and Skype, and to support all architectures in the world including ARM System-on-a-Chip.
This sounds like a great marketing strategy and very unselfish from Microsoft. If you are a developer, then you will have access to hundreds of millions users so you won’t just make games for Xbox or Windows Phone 7, you will compile apps and games for both categories of devices. If that doesn’t sound appealing to the devs, then I don’t know what more they could possibly want.
Some people would say that Microsoft is copying Apple. Well, the answer is yes. And no. Ever since the iPhone 4 and iOS 4 became available, Apple has been suffering from a disease very familiar to the Android users: ecosystem fragmentation. So that you know, this is a very bad thing for devs and users alike.
Apple tried to keep things glued together, and hopefully iOS 5 will fix some of the fragmentation so that the devs start making money once again. More money to the devs means better and more applications for the end users.
With Microsoft working an a perfect ecosystem for all platforms, we have put it piece by piece and speculate when will the new operating system be released. There’s only one timeframe that we can think of: late 2015 – early 2016.
By this time, Microsoft will have to release a new OS for smartphones, Windows 8 will be about 3-4 years old and a new Windows should become available, while the Xbox 360 will finally end its ten year lifecycle.
The most surprising part of this story is the fact that Microsoft is considering to ditch the Windows branding. Microsoft worked hard to promote the Windows brand and some people don’t even know that there many other operating systems available for their computers. When people see me using Ubuntu, they always ask me: “what kind of Windows is this?” – they look very surprised to hear that Linux was actually developed roughly 20 years ago and that UNIX ecosystem is older than Windows.
The main reason that Microsoft is looking for a change is the same reason that makes you buy a new car or a new smartphone – people have always felt the constant need for something that’s simply “new,” not better.
The second reason is that Microsoft isn’t looking to put the Windows brand on all stuff and I have two examples: KIN and Zune. The former failed miserably, the second did well for a while, but then failed miserably.
Still, you can’t gain consumers by confusing, they need to know exactly what they’re buying and to have a good understanding of how the platform works. I’ve met lots of people who said that they don’t want “Windows” on their mobile device so that’s why they won’t purchase a Windows Phone 7. It’s all about new stuff and it would be the perfect time for Microsoft to start revising its future plans.
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