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Microsoft Gives Windows Device Makers Their 2017 Marching Orders (zdnet.com)

Posted by msmash on from the roadmap-2017 dept.

Microsoft officials have some fairly specific ideas about what they want their Windows-device-making partners to build in calendar 2017. From a report: Microsoft wants its OEMs and ODMs to make more Windows 10 detachables, convertibles, and ultraslims. They also are advising their partners to make devices and peripherals that highlight the "hero experiences" of Windows 10 involving Cortana, Windows Hello authentication, and Windows Ink. And another wish-list topper: Microsoft is looking for more Windows 10 PCs that can power mixed-reality peripherals and that are ready for gamers and "media fanatics."

10 of 171 comments (clear)

  1. Can't we just get PCs with Windows 7? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Can't Microsoft just offer PCs with Windows 7 once again? I don't like Windows 8, or 10.

  2. Is Microsoft really the one to give orders? by QuietLagoon · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Microsoft really should be listening to the device makers, not commanding them. Why is Microsoft still so friggin' arrogant towards its customers (a.k.a., product) and users? Hasn't the Windows 10 fiasco taught them any humility?

    1. Re: Is Microsoft really the one to give orders? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Insightful

      I'm hoping Microsoft gets brave and takes on the multiplatform developer arena properly. Right now CI in Linux is impoverished with Docker, endless complaints about Docker, Jenkins, Gradle and a veritable alphabet soup of technology that may or may not work together (take yer pick). Azure with Visual Studio can stop this madness. If they can take on the role of CI they can subsume the whole developer toolset and start to manage OSS projects - the boiler house of the tech industry.

      In reality Linux can't even choose a filesystem without have 200,000 forks of them "just in case" so it's an immensely hard problem to solve.

    2. Re:Is Microsoft really the one to give orders? by tlhIngan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Microsoft really should be listening to the device makers, not commanding them. Why is Microsoft still so friggin' arrogant towards its customers (a.k.a., product) and users? Hasn't the Windows 10 fiasco taught them any humility?

      Device makers generally make "safe" devices. They'd churn out crappy ass laptops all day everyday.

      It took Intel a couple billion dollars to get OEMs and ODMs to make more than just $500 craptops and start considering making higher end laptops with nicer screens, thinner form factors etc. (This became the "ultrabook" form factor).

      But they were happy making $500 crappy laptops with crappy screens. Intel's investment let them build higher end machines that competed with Apple's machines and got people spending more money per laptop.

      Microsoft's just trying to urge manufacturers to stop making just laptops and consider other form factors, as well as add features like IR cameras (Windows Hello requires it for biometric photo ID). Sometimes the best way to get what you want is to ask manufacturers to add certain features and then offer discounts on stuff like license fees.

      Microsoft has also been encouraging PC makers to offer a "Signature Edition" not exclusive to Microsoft stores - these PCs have no crap ware installed at all and are basically Windows, necessary drivers and applications only.

  3. really makes you think by thebullshitpatrol · · Score: 3, Insightful

    >microsoft is trying to force hardware manufacturers to build a cohesive apple brand image and UX for them (spread across 20 brands)

    They have TOUCH SCREENS guys, how can they not be flying off the shelves?

  4. I think that feature is a bug by JohnFen · · Score: 4, Insightful

    These bets are familiar ones: [...] a constantly updated version of Windows [...]

    Microsoft really thinks that the constant updating of Windows is a desirable feature? I disagree -- that "feature" is one of the top three reasons why I despise Windows 10.

  5. Dear Microsoft by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Hi Microsoft,

    Thanks for all the features you're working on. I can tell you're trying and that's great. It's just that all I really want from windows 10 is windows 10. I know this is hard to understand, but when I read things like 'windows ink', I already know I don't want it despite not knowing what it is. To be clear, this means I want no cortana, ms account, hello, tiles, ads, edge, forced updates or telemetry. The OS I just described is win 10 enterprise LTSB, but you won't sell it to me (I've really tried to buy it too - your volume licensers won't even quote me for one license)

    Windows 10 base OS is a GREAT OS. I want to buy it. You won't sell it to me. So my new Skylake build is running Windows 7.

    I hope this feedback helps.

    Regards

    Anonymous Coward

  6. Re:"Hero Experiences"?? by freeze128 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Everyone knows that Master Chief is the Hero, not Cortana.

  7. "Given their marching orders"??? by Harold+Halloway · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Giving someone their 'marching orders' basically means firing them. Therefore whoever wrote the headline has given a misleading spin to the story. As I read it, the headline says that Microsoft have sacked all their device makers. This is clearly not the case.

    1. Re:"Given their marching orders"??? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      No, "marching orders" is when you tell someone what to do and give them no choice in the matter. Much like in the military, when a commanding officer gives infantry an order to march.

      Just because some dipshit has used it incorrectly to mean "fired somebody" in the past doesn't mean that it actually means that to anyone else.