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Monday 12 October 2015

October 12, 2015

7 Microsoft Improvements We Need To See

Microsoft has demonstrated its commitment to building tech for the future, but there is still some room for improvement across Windows, Office, and hardware.

This has been a big year for Microsoft, which is ramping up its efforts to compete as a modern tech company with the likes of Apple and Google.
An eventful and promising 2015 brought the launch of Windows 10, Office 2016, and new Windows 10 hardware; however, there are a few key areas Redmond will need to focus on as it makes the transition into 2016.
When CEO Satya Nadella took the helm in early 2014, he introduced the "mobile first, cloud first" vision that would dictate Microsoft's future. Since then much of the company's structure, products, and services have been revamped to better reflect Nadella's ideas.
Much of Nadella's changes seem positive for Microsoft. The Windows 10 OS caters to a cloud- and mobile-savvy user base with a cross-device platform. It has been downloaded on more than 110 million PCs, eight million of which were enterprise devices.
The Office suite also underwent a tremendous amount of change as Microsoft narrowed its focus on enabling productivity in the cloud. Office 2016 wasreleased on Mac and Windows; it was also optimized for mobile use on iOS and Android devices.
Some changes did not affect Microsoft's products and services, but the people who make them. An executive shakeup in June, which resulted in the departure of former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, was intended to better realign Microsoft's engineering efforts with its three core ambitions: creating more personal computing, reinventing productivity and business processes, and building the intelligent cloud.
There remains room for improvement among Microsoft's key products and services as it plans for the future. Let's take a closer look at where it'll need to buckle down for the rest of 2015 and into next year.

Windows Phone CEO Satya Nadella has reaffirmed the company's commitment to mobile, but it's hard to believe Windows Phone will ever gain any significant marketshare from mobile giants Apple and Android. Microsoft unveiled two premium Lumia handsets at its Windows 10 hardware launch earlier this week, but even the promising specs of the two smartphones could do little to sway stubborn iPhone and Android users. High-quality hardware may not motivate people to choose Windows Phone, but the Windows 10 Mobile operating system could have more swaying power. As a system that promises to connect the smartphone to the PC through its Continuum feature, Windows 10 could prove extremely useful to both the enterprise and consumer markets. However, Microsoft will have to make a strong case for its mobile OS, including the security and productivity apps users truly need from their mobile business devices.

Windows Phone

CEO Satya Nadella has reaffirmed the company's commitment to mobile, but it's hard to believe Windows Phone will ever gain any significant marketshare from mobile giants Apple and Android. Microsoft unveiled two premium Lumia handsets at its Windows 10 hardware launch earlier this week, but even the promising specs of the two smartphones could do little to sway stubborn iPhone and Android users.
High-quality hardware may not motivate people to choose Windows Phone, but the Windows 10 Mobile operating system could have more swaying power. As a system that promises to connect the smartphone to the PC through its Continuum feature, Windows 10 could prove extremely useful to both the enterprise and consumer markets. However, Microsoft will have to make a strong case for its mobile OS, including the security and productivity apps users truly need from their mobile business devices.

Windows 10 Adoption August 2015 was a tremendous success for Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system. In its first month of general availability, the OS had surpassed 75 million installs and captured 5% of the PC market. Of those downloads, 1.5 million were conducted on enterprise PCs. Its first month was an encouraging boost for an OS that promises to set the course for Microsoft's future. Progress slowed in September 2015, when Windows 10 grew by 1.42%. It currently holds 6.63% of the OS market. Windows 7 holds 56.53%, Windows XP has 12.21%, and Windows 8.1 is at 10.72%. The most recently reported number of Windows 10 downloads is 110 million, said Windows and Devices leader Terry Myerson at the Oct. 6 hardware launch. The download slowdown is expected, since much of August's success could be attributed to eager customers taking advantage of the free upgrade offer. With that behind them, Microsoft now has to determine how to market its OS in order to boost the download momentum. (Image: Microsoft)

Windows 10 Adoption

August 2015 was a tremendous success for Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system. In its first month of general availability, the OS had surpassed 75 million installs and captured 5% of the PC market. Of those downloads, 1.5 million were conducted on enterprise PCs. Its first month was an encouraging boost for an OS that promises to set the course for Microsoft's future.
Progress slowed in September 2015, when Windows 10 grew by 1.42%. It currently holds 6.63% of the OS market. Windows 7 holds 56.53%, Windows XP has 12.21%, and Windows 8.1 is at 10.72%. The most recently reported number of Windows 10 downloads is 110 million, said Windows and Devices leader Terry Myerson at the Oct. 6 hardware launch.
The download slowdown is expected, since much of August's success could be attributed to eager customers taking advantage of the free upgrade offer. With that behind them, Microsoft now has to determine how to market its OS in order to boost the download momentum.

Wearables Microsoft Band: More than a fitness tracker; not yet a smartwatch. The sleek wearable is more compact than the Apple Watch and Android Wear, but pricier than your average health band. The updated Microsoft Band brings a curved Gorilla Glass display and a range of new capabilities. In addition to monitoring steps taken, calories burned, and quality of sleep, it tracks health data like altitude climbed, oxygen consumption, and UV exposure. The Band also provides smart notifications like text and email previews. Cortana integration gives you subtle hints to get moving. Wearers can access their health data and gain actionable insight on the Microsoft Health app, which also works with iOS and Android. Microsoft's new Band is an extremely capable device, and a definite improvement over the original. There's little doubt it will appeal to a specific audience of people who are willing to pay for a tool that will tell them anything they could want to know about their fitness. But will its popularity extend beyond that group? Customers looking for a fully capable smartwatch, and willing to pay the price for one, are more likely to pick up the Android Wear or Apple Watch over the Microsoft Band. Those seeking a more health-focused device can simply download a health app onto their smartphones, or purchase another brand of fitness band for less money. The new Band will retail for $249 when it becomes available Oct. 30. Right now it seems fitness is the primary focus for Microsoft when it comes to wrist wearables, but is there a chance we could see another device to help it better compete in the wearables space?

Wearables

Microsoft Band: More than a fitness tracker; not yet a smartwatch. The sleek wearable is more compact than the Apple Watch and Android Wear, but pricier than your average health band.
The updated Microsoft Band brings a curved Gorilla Glass display and a range of new capabilities. In addition to monitoring steps taken, calories burned, and quality of sleep, it tracks health data like altitude climbed, oxygen consumption, and UV exposure. The Band also provides smart notifications like text and email previews. Cortana integration gives you subtle hints to get moving. Wearers can access their health data and gain actionable insight on the Microsoft Health app, which also works with iOS and Android.
Microsoft's new Band is an extremely capable device, and a definite improvement over the original. There's little doubt it will appeal to a specific audience of people who are willing to pay for a tool that will tell them anything they could want to know about their fitness. But will its popularity extend beyond that group?
Customers looking for a fully capable smartwatch, and willing to pay the price for one, are more likely to pick up the Android Wear or Apple Watch over the Microsoft Band. Those seeking a more health-focused device can simply download a health app onto their smartphones, or purchase another brand of fitness band for less money. The new Band will retail for $249 when it becomes available Oct. 30.
Right now it seems fitness is the primary focus for Microsoft when it comes to wrist wearables, but is there a chance we could see another device to help it better compete in the wearables space?

Windows Store The Microsoft Windows Store offers far fewer apps than do the more popular Apple App Store and Google Play. That fact is one of several reasons Windows Phone has continued to lag. Microsoft introduced its Universal Apps strategy earlier this year in an effort to inspire developers to create apps for the Windows Store. It's also simplifying the process for iOS and Android app developers to port their apps to Windows 10. This way, developers can use their existing code to create a Windows 10 Universal App so that the app is tailored to the Windows interface. It's early to tell whether this will successfully bulk up the Windows Store, but it could be promising for an app store that has traditionally fallen behind those of the mobile giants. (Image: Microsoft)

Windows Store

The Microsoft Windows Store offers far fewer apps than do the more popular Apple App Store and Google Play. That fact is one of several reasons Windows Phone has continued to lag. Microsoft introduced its Universal Apps strategy earlier this year in an effort to inspire developers to create apps for the Windows Store. It's also simplifying the process for iOS and Android app developers to port their apps to Windows 10. This way, developers can use their existing code to create a Windows 10 Universal App so that the app is tailored to the Windows interface. It's early to tell whether this will successfully bulk up the Windows Store, but it could be promising for an app store that has traditionally fallen behind those of the mobile giants.

Transparency Microsoft handled a great deal of backlash regarding the privacy in Windows 10 after customers voiced concerns about how their information was being stored and used. Officials recently cleared the air on the Microsoft blog a few months after the OS release to explain how much of user data is collected anonymously in order to identify problems and more quickly release bug fixes. Data is also collected to improve the user experience through services like Cortana, but users have control over how much or how little Cortana knows. If desired, this data collection can be disabled for user security. It was a welcome update; however, users would have undoubtedly appreciated hearing the explanation much earlier than they did. Maintaining user trust through security will be critical to Microsoft's success going forward. (Image: Microsoft)

Transparency

Microsoft handled a great deal of backlash regarding the privacy in Windows 10 after customers voiced concerns about how their information was being stored and used. Officials recently cleared the air on theMicrosoft blog a few months after the OS release to explain how much of user data is collected anonymously in order to identify problems and more quickly release bug fixes.
Data is also collected to improve the user experience through services like Cortana, but users have control over how much or how little Cortana knows. If desired, this data collection can be disabled for user security.
It was a welcome update; however, users would have undoubtedly appreciated hearing the explanation much earlier than they did. Maintaining user trust through security will be critical to Microsoft's success going forward.

Cortana Many industry experts anticipate Cortana will eventually become the primary user experience for Windows. Instead of interacting with the Start menu or pop-up windows, customers will use Cortana to navigate the operating system and engage with different apps and services. Yes, Microsoft is working to offer Cortana on iOS and Android, but the interface will be fairly limited in how it performs on those platforms. There is far greater potential for Cortana in Windows because Microsoft can more deeply integrate the digital assistant into its OS to create a natural user interface, explained Gartner's Steve Kleynhans. (Image: Microsoft)

Cortana

Many industry experts anticipate Cortana will eventually become the primary user experience for Windows. Instead of interacting with the Start menu or pop-up windows, customers will use Cortana to navigate the operating system and engage with different apps and services.
Yes, Microsoft is working to offer Cortana on iOS and Android, but the interface will be fairly limited in how it performs on those platforms. There is far greater potential for Cortana in Windows because Microsoft can more deeply integrate the digital assistant into its OS to create a natural user interface, explained Gartner's Steve Kleynhans.

PC Sales The PC market is sluggish, and predicted to stay 'relatively flat' throughout the end of 2015 into 2016. Windows 10 is unlikely to boost sales, because Microsoft made the OS a free upgrade available for download on older devices. In that case, there is little reason for Windows customers to purchase new PCs if they can upgrade their current devices to Windows 10. Microsoft is working to establish itself as a hardware supplier. Its latest move to increase PC sales is the introduction of Surface Book, a sleek powerhouse of a laptop it believes can tackle the MacBook Pro. Surface Book is impressive, but can it drive Microsoft's hardware sales? Can it steal the spotlight from Apple's laptop? These answers will likely dictate Microsoft's mobile strategy in the months to come.

PC Sales

The PC market is sluggish, and predicted to stay "relatively flat" throughout the end of 2015 into 2016. Windows 10 is unlikely to boost sales, because Microsoft made the OS a free upgrade available for download on older devices. In that case, there is little reason for Windows customers to purchase new PCs if they can upgrade their current devices to Windows 10.
Microsoft is working to establish itself as a hardware supplier. Its latest move to increase PC sales is the introduction of Surface Book, a sleek powerhouse of a laptop it believes can tackle the MacBook Pro. Surface Book is impressive, but can it drive Microsoft's hardware sales? Can it steal the spotlight from Apple's laptop? These answers will likely dictate Microsoft's mobile strategy in the months to come.
- October 12, 2015