Windows 10: Can Microsoft Get It Right This Time?

An anonymous reader shares this article about what Microsoft needs to accomplish with Windows 10 in order to make gains in the mobile market and everywhere else. "Later this week Microsoft will provide more details of Windows 10, most likely focusing on how the new operating system will look and feel on smartphones and tablets. According to Mary Jo Foley, Microsoft is likely to unveil a version of Windows 10 that's expected to work on Windows Phones and smaller Windows tablets running ARM and perhaps Intel processors. Microsoft will be hoping that by making it easier for developers to build for tablets and smartphones it can take some of its dominance of the desktop world and port that to the mobile world. That may help a bit, but will not in itself create the breakthrough that Microsoft wants: when it comes to mobile, Microsoft's Windows Phone is still a distant third in a two-horse race."

Comments

betteridge's law of headlines

[tbuddy]

No.

Re:betteridge's law of headlines

[Anonymous Coward]

So if they had instead asked, 'Will Microsoft get it wrong this time?' the answer would still be no? Seriously, that 'law' has its place but there should be another one, for every question based headline that is trying to provoke a one sided discussion, someone will immediately answer with a 'no' and call it a Betteridge answer. I'd almost prefer someone Godwin and article than Betteridge it...

Re:betteridge's law of headlines

[Calydor]

The trick to the Betteridge law is that when a journalist writes a headline as a question, the question is suggesting what most people find improbable; and the improbable rarely happens.

Re:betteridge's law of headlines

[unixisc]

On the phone side, Microsoft absolutely has to get a grip on its app store. Two problems it currently has

1. Most mainstream apps exist on iOS, and often, on Android as well, but rarely on Windows Phone. To make things worse, a lot of the apps in the Windows store are web wrappers - they invoke Internet Explorer, which pulls up the home page of the app in question. Microsoft really needs to rein this in, if they want to escape the perception of being the Linux of phones, as far as app support goes

2. In cases where apps do exist, they sometimes lack features of their Android or iOS equivalents. Also, aside from the web wrappers I mention above, too many apps just suck. While I haven't checked the case in Android, for iOS, Apple screens apps before allowing them into the app store. Both Google & Microsoft would do well to take a page out of Apple's book here, even if they choose not to be as strict as Apple

On the laptop side, Microsoft should give users options of having either the Windows 7 or 8 as the interface. From what I've seen of their desktop interface, yeah, the start button and pull up menu is there, but after that, when you click on an option, it again gives you a whole bunch of big icons, rather than the side menus that were there under Windows 7. My suggestion - have the option of making 10 look exactly like 7, if that's what the user wants. Any new wizards, reserve it for Metro.

One last thing - since Microsoft owns the product, now instead of Windows Phone, name the platform either Metro or Lumia.

Re:betteridge's law of headlines

[arglebargle_xiv]

They can possibly get it less wrong than Windows 8, but I wouldn't say they'll get it right. Looking at the previews of 10 they still really, really don't want to give up on the disaster that was 8, it's just 8 with some grudging accommodations made to deal with user complaints. They still want to force a cellphone UI onto a desktop PC.

8.1 better than 7?

[Viol8]

In what way? Internally maybe. From a user perspective on a PC? Absolutely not.

Re: 8.1 better than 7?

[Opportunist]

Ummmmm... if I have to tinker and toy to get a system running sensibly (and, bluntly, replacing the shell is a pretty deep modification), that doesn't qualify as "needing a fix"?

It's Microsoft tone-deafness that scares users

[JoeyRox]

Even if Windows 10 does correct the major UI issues from Windows 8 (as expected), the memory of Microsoft trying to ram Metro down users throats wont soon be forgotten. The fact that Microsoft was willing to sacrifice its desktop users on the alter of winning a new market (Tablets) will leave them wondering what surprises await them if they stay on with the Windows ecosystem.

It doesn't have to get it right

[Viol8]

It just has to be a lot less wrong than Windows 8.x. Enough so the corporates will eventually install it. Thats all that matters.

I hope not

[MeNeXT]

The worst thing that ever happened in computers was that we had one monopoly, being Microsoft in the desktop market. Microsoft didn't even see the Internet coming when it was pushing MSN. If not for Trumpet I don't know how else you could connect. There was no native support. Still today I say the one think that is holding most companies back is Microsoft. Exchange and MS Office as two examples. Most people believe that these are the best of the best. but trying to have this discussion will just produce a flame war.

Re:I hope not

[KlomDark]

Not trying to start a flame war, but what would companies use instead? Lotus Notes? Open Office? (Although LibreOffice is my primary suite at home, I don't see how it fits into a business environment as well as MS Office)

I don't think any of it is perfect, but they really are pretty much the best solution for business at this time. I don't see anything better to switch to.

Re:There's nothing wrong now...

[Anonymous Coward]

Can you explain how an OS geared towards "Apps" is a better fit for the desktop? Or how treating relatively large screens like they have a lack of real estate is an improvement?

Windows 8 is just OS for consumers. Hopefully Windows 10 will be useful for things other than Facebook.

Microsoft will be more successful with Windows 10

[MtViewGuy]

And with good reason: the default user interface of Windows 10 on desktop and "conventional" laptops is the Desktop user interface, not the "Modern" tiled interface that frustrated users transitioning to Windows 8.x to no end. As such, users of Windows 7, Vista and XP will be able to transition to Windows 10 quickly, and that means much higher consumer end user and corporate user acceptance this time around, meaning likely a much more "normal" upgrade cycle.

One OS to rule them alll ...

[gstoddart]

Wasn't Microsoft making noises about releasing a single OS which would be the same for a mobile device and a desktop?

In which case I expect a "one size fits some" approach, which will lead to a bloated mess on smaller devices.

Mobile devices aren't the same as desktops, don't have as much resources, and need to be a little more slimmed down -- like apps which weigh in at 10s of megs instead of gigs.

I'm just not sure Microsoft is going to hit the mark and not end up with something which is useless on at least one platform.

I don't want my tablet or my phone running the same OS as my desktop -- because that makes no sense unless you're just going to force the mobile devices to get even bigger.

Sometimes, I just think Microsoft has no real understanding of the markets they're chasing.

Re:One OS to rule them alll ...

[gstoddart]

I think you're missing the part where the GUI and the OS are two different things.

No, I'm missing how a bloated hog of an OS trying to be all things to all people isn't going to be a bloated hog of an OS.

If you're using the same OS on my phone as you are on my server ... it's going to probably do a shitty job on one of them.

It tells me that MS either can't, or won't, embrace the notion that you have different builds for different things. They've always had this "common OS for everything" mentality -- which to me says they don't understand how those platforms differ. Or they don't care.

Re:Windows 10 is Windows 7.10

[BuckaBooBob]

"Later this week Microsoft will provide more details of Windows 10, most likely focusing on how the new operating system will look and feel on smartphones and tablets."

So basically what they are saying is they are still forcing the Tablet/Smartphone interface on PC's and laptops.

Doubt it

[BobSwi]

Windows 10 will just be another spyware ridden OS, it wont let you uninstall OneDrive, the Camera app, or the Windows Store. It seems like it'll have at least 2 browsers again, at least 2 calculator apps, and default search is "Everywhere" (sending your search queries to MS).

Re:Doubt it

[jones_supa]

I hate that garbage. Newer releases of Windows try really hard to get me to use some stupid online account to log into my own computer. At the same time, all sorts of spying and datamining features are conveniently brought into play.

Re:Doubt it

[jader3rd]

Newer releases of Windows try really hard to get me to use some stupid online account to log into my own computer. At the same time, all sorts of spying and datamining features are conveniently brought into play.

I'd be surprised if Microsoft cared enough to spy on you. But, by signing in with an online account your settings sync between different computers/reinstalls. Tech people like talking about "the first thing I do when I reinstall my machine is ...", and a lot of that now goes away if you log in with an existing account, and all of your settings are laid down for you.

Re:There's nothing wrong now...

[TheRaven64]

Rather than each running app having a separate in-memory copy of a DLL, now if separate apps have the same DLL dependency, then there's only one copy in memory. Probably my favorite feature of Windows 8

Huh? DLLs are shared libraries. They've been shared between all applications that use them since 16-bit versions of Windows. The only time that wasn't the case was when you couldn't locate them at the same virtual address (win32 dlls are not position-independent code, because PIC is slower, so are statically relocated for a particular address), but in 64-bit apps DLLs are PIC and so that's not an issue.

Re:Microsoft needs to undercut the competition

[TheRaven64]

They just released the first sub-$100 Windows Phone, so it seems that someone agrees with you. Surface is aimed more at the corporate market, so the price doesn't matter as much. Spending $1000 on a computer that lasts a couple of years and makes an employee more productive is usually a good investment.

Re:It will never happen

[QuietLagoon]

...Windows has the best track record in terms of longevity....

Probably because Microsoft messed up the "next version" and people do not want to upgrade.

I am going to say "Yes"

[jacks smirking reven]

As many have mentioned, Windows 8 failure was purely from a UI standpoint. Any Windows users who have used it with Start8 or Classic Start can attest that it's faster, more stable and overall better than Windows 7. This is also the first Windows release under Satya Nadella (Ballmer Free!) as well as with a new lead for the Windows faction of the company (I have read many an issue with Sinofsky being a terrible lead for Windows 8) so I think 10 will likely be the "best" Windows we have seen yet.

Now to speculate, my belief is MS will continue its cheap/free licensing of Windows 10 for tablets and phones. They will also offer a free/cheap upgrade for Windows 8 users to upgrade to Windows 10, and unlike Android tablets MS can push that right to users without having to go through the OEMs (not sure about Windows Phone 8) so we'll quickly see Windows 8 market-share plummet and 7 and 10 will be the majority of users.

Now despite all this Windows will likely still drop marketshare on the desktop and will gain a bit on the mobile side. Linux folks will still use Linux. Apple folks will not be dropping their Macs and iPhones to get Windows 10, but that doesnt really matter. If Windows 10 is technically as good/better than 8 and get' the interface right (which it seems like they are doing enough to satisfy desktop users) then they will keep their Windows userbase happy and likely Win10 will be the one we see business move off Win7 and right now that's likely job #1 for them.

Re:There's nothing wrong now...

[yoshi_mon]

>Windows 8.1 isn't in need of being fixed, really. It's better than Windows 7, which was better than Windows 2000 (windows XP was a heaping pile of dung).

Huh? Your UID is not so high that you should be making such comments. But lets deconstruct it for the lols.

XP was a heaping pile of dung? XP had its issues, like every OS, but compared to having to run the OS on top of DOS like Windows was previously doing it was a huge improvement. Further the staying power of XP alone is a good indicator that it was not bad at all.

Next you say that 8.1 is better than 7. Why? What exactly does 8 (or 8.1) offer in technical terms beyond what 7 offers? There are a few things I'll grant it does offer but it does not offset the fact the awful UI that it has. A UI not designed with a desktop workflow in mind but rather a power play by MS, that failed, to force people into accepting such a UI for all devices.

Re:No.

[Anonymous Coward]

As the underdog, they'll need an revolutionary product, not the evolutionary junk they've tried in the past.

IE is a good example of how long it takes the evolutionary approach to take hold. And it was given away.

Windows 10 is something they are trying to sell into new markets, while simultaneously protecting the desktop market. This approach is doomed.

Re:Yes? No? Maybe So?

[Ravaldy]

I understand a end user saying something like this but if you are an IT professional I'm surprised to hear that. As an IT professional you life will always involve learning new software and technology. The day that isn't true you're probably are out of a job or at the bottom of your field.

Re:I've been saying for a while

[Anonymous Coward]

By replacing your desktop/laptop with a "phone" in a dock, you are changing the legalities of it. It's no longer yours. It is subject to mandatory backdoors and wiretapping abilitities, endless pushes by government for more backdoor / encryption key escrow type garbage, warrantless searches, etc. Plus putting Windows on there is just a bad idea: https://gnu.org/philosophy/proprietary/

Different trick

[Ungrounded Lightning]

The trick to the Betteridge law is that when a journalist writes a headline as a question, the question is suggesting what most people find improbable; and the improbable rarely happens.

There's some of that. But that's more about choice of subject matter. A journalist ALWAYS needs to write something that is SOMEHOW different from what the reader believes. (If he's just reinforcing what the reader believes, why should a reader bother reading his output?)

The real trick that leads to qusetion-headlines (that are almost always implying something that's wrong) is different.

When a journalist writes a juicy headline as a question, it's because he couldn't find evidence to support the conjecture, but wants to run it anyway.

Usually this is because he guessed wrong. The deadline is approaching, he's got to publish SOMETHING to stay employed, and he just wasted a bunch of time researching something that didn't pan out. Oops! So he runs his orignnal conjecture and the workup he did on it before finding out that it was either wrong (usual) or maybe right but couldn't be supported in the time available (rarely). He just phrases the headline as a speculation rather than an assertion.

That way his credibility isn't wrecked for the future, he gets to publish something, it's interesting and plausible (even though probably totally bogus), and in those rare cases where it WAS right he's scooped his competitors. However it comes out it's a win for the journalist - though it's a bunch of noise for the readers.