Microsoft is Working On a New Iteration of Windows To Take On ChromeOS, Report Says (petri.com)

Petri's Brad Sams writes: For more than a year, we have been hearing about Windows Core OS and how it is a modern version of Windows. As Microsoft continues to build out the platform, it's time to take a look at what the secret project actually includes and how the company is positioning the platform. In Microsoft's feverish attempts to shove out insider builds at an impressive rate, the company doesn't always do a great job at scrubbing the finer details from the builds. Because of this, and some help from a couple insiders, I have been able to piece together what Lite is and where it's headed.

Microsoft is working on a new version of Windows that may not actually be Windows. It's currently called Lite, based on documentation found in the latest build, and I can confirm that this version of the OS is targeting Chromebooks. In fact, there are markings all over the latest release of the insider builds and SDK that help us understand where this OS is headed. If you have heard this before, it should sound a lot like Windows 10 S and RT; Windows 10 Lite only runs PWAs and UWP apps and strips out everything else. This is finally a truly a lightweight version of Windows that isn't only in the name. This is not a version of the OS that will run in the enterprise or even small business environments and I don't think you will be able to 'buy' the OS either; OEM only may be the way forward.

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Re:Ah yes, the perpetual follower

[Oswald McWeany]

Microsoft always skating to where the puck was, never where it's going. No one who chooses to use Windows wants a dumbed-down ChromeOS clone. If they want ChromeOS they'll use the real thing not the shoddy imitation that's called Windows that isn't really Windows.

Yes, they're making the same mistake as Windows Phone. Instead of innovating something new, they're trying to imitate the competition long after the market is established and already saturated.

Too late for this MS. Think of something new- innovate instead.

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Google Focused on the Chrome NOT the OS

[mykepredko]

I don't think Microsoft understands that ChromeOS is successful because it primarily brings the World Wide Web to the user via a small platform via the Chrome browser. Most of the user requirements are fulfilled using various web pages/services not through the software bundled into the OS.

ChromeOS is successful because of the browser integration, not because it's a new OS and I think that's where Microsoft is getting hung up.

If Microsoft really wanted to compete, it should be getting the smallest, tightest OS they have that can still run networking, create a full featured HTML5/WebKit compliant browser (which they should have done YEARS ago) and let users log in using their Microsoft accounts. Develop the user base, understand what customers want in terms of apps (ie Office) without charging for the privilege of helping Microsoft figure out what customers want and develop a product plan based on this.

Otherwise, it's going to be a molasses slow experience on systems that ChromeOS zips along with.

Re:Google Focused on the Chrome NOT the OS

[swillden]

Well, it would presumably support Office365 and all its webapps. Perhaps that might not be super useful for a general purpose PC, but for a light duty workstation it could do well.

Given their move to a Chromium-based browser, it could potentially also run all of the Chrome web apps. Throw in an Android container, and you'd have something equivalent to ChromeOS, except that I presume it would run the MS webapps "natively" (right now, to run Office365 on a Chromebook you have to use the Office365 Android app in the Android container, or so I read). If the set of Universal Windows Platform apps grows to be something useful, those would provide another advantage over Chromebooks.

And, honestly, Lite probably doesn't need to actually be better than ChromeOS. If it's only as good then it may provide a way to stop the bleeding, and that's probably enough. Microsoft still has the dominant PC OS. That dominance is at risk because of the success of ChromeOS in education, which may create a generation of users who are accustomed to something else. Or maybe not; after all, Apple tried that strategy in the past and failed. But if Microsoft can get an MS-branded equivalent into the markets currently being served by Chromebooks it may be possible to mitigate the risk they pose.

Though it's not really evidence of anything, I'm quite certain that it would be far, far easier to convince my dad to use a Microsoft browser OS than to use Chrome OS. It wouldn't surprise me if there were a bunch of other people out there who really only need an enhanced browser and would be happy to try one from Microsoft but won't stray outside of the MS fold.

Re:That didn't take long

[tripleevenfall]

It's just M$ doing their usual song and dance - showing up late to the party to do a poor imitation of the innovators in a space, and being soundly rejected by consumers.

Re:Ah yes, the perpetual follower

[LinuxIsGarbage]

The big thing that makes computers anemic is the web. Load a modern browser up and it's taking 500MB RAM.

Then there's the webpages. Content hasn't changed, but they've become bloated. From a recent post of mine:

If you're reading a news article (for example), requirements haven't really changed since print. You want some text, and a few images. Text is very bandwidth efficient, and the pictures you usually only glance at are 2.5"x1.5" and don't need to be super high res. Even if you have an 8k phone, you're scrolling by. Click to load a larger picture.

But webpages include bundled custom fonts you don't care about, 93 tracking JavaScript plugins for social media sites and ads, 15 JavaScript frameworks where a fraction of the framework is used, 16k resolution stock images, and videos that you don't care about that start playing.