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The future of Microsoft depends upon Windows being free of cost

Posted on October 13, 2014 by in Microsoft Windows

Keep in mind the days when you would head out to the shop to pick up the most recent model of Windows, on DVD, for something like $130? Or if you were unlucky adequate to not get upgrade pricing, possibly also $239? Those days may appear in the far-off past, however in truth Microsoft is still billing for upgrades in between major variations even as of Windows 8.1.Yet this isn’t really going to be the future of Microsoft; the days of billing for upgrades are over and the business is being slowly backed right into a corner by the style of free upgrades on mobile as well as Apple completely taking out OS upgrade pricing on Mac. Consumers just aren’t willing to spend for upgrades any longer, as an alternative, they anticipate them to be free for the majority of the life time of a device.

The worth of OS upgrades has actually been entirely shed in a time where we’re useded to getting complimentary updates to cell phones as long as they can continuously deal with the software program. Why does this same design not apply to the PC yet? Microsoft has taken on cost-free upgrades for Windows Phone already, so why not for the COMPUTER?

Microsoft has remained peaceful on what its prepare for Windows rates in future, yet did make it free of cost for customers to update from Windows 8 to 8.1 as well as we understand the upgrade from 8 to 10 will be free, however will this proceed? The company lately revealed Windows 10 however didn’t detail whether it would be an additional free upgrade or otherwise; nevertheless, it probably should be a totally free upgrade for a lot of Windows customers.

It requires to decouple the business and consumer markets if Microsoft wishes to preserve it’s iron hold on the future COMPUTER market. It’s entirely sensible to expect businesses to pay to authorized software– even if just to get extended updates as well as assistance– yet expecting completion individual to care sufficient to invest over $100 to update every 2 years is absurd.

For lots of consumers, Windows upgrades are straight tied to when they change their COMPUTER’s. Why else would certainly numerous individuals not also bother to update from XP? Their PC’s are flawlessly efficient in running Windows 7, however why would they wish to pay $130 merely to obtain the most up to date software application? Change could be tough and instead of troubling to pay and also upgrade for a new permit, these customers have actually chosen to remain on unsupported versions due to the fact that it ‘works’ fine.

Making Windows complimentary has a variety of tangible perks for Microsoft; not just does it urge customers to update frequently (and takes out mostly all barriers to doing so), it suggests that users are more likely to make use of the most up to date version of Microsoft products and connected services. It additionally means that Microsoft could eliminate all the perplexing and also needless SKU options and concentrate on 2 markets: consumer and venture.

Envision Windows 10 was made free of cost for all users from Vista as well as up– the install base would rapidly move to the latest variation (similar to OS X users, or iOS users flock to the latest release), suggesting less heritage support for Microsoft and the capacity to promote bigger numbers. The firm might simply have a different version and a demand for those using Windows in company situations.

Because it’s cost-free for numerous residence users to obtain the most recent model of Windows, it seems likely that these exact same users would be much more about to spend for associated services using registration as an alternative, like OneDrive or Office365, which would certainly total up to a lot a lot more repeating profits for the company.

I anticipate that Microsoft has actually already pertained to this same, unpreventable verdict and will certainly make Windows 10 complimentary for those utilizing Windows 7 as well as up. It’s most likely a tough choice for the company– Windows is a $5 Billion a year business– yet it’s a crucial one, that it has to make in order to stay appropriate.

As less and fewer PC’s are sold each year, the business should look for various other methods to generate income by offering assisting solutions on a longer term basis as opposed to attempting to persuade individuals to dip the money on an upgrade every three years.

Consumers simply aren’t purchasing brand-new computers any longer as they last longer or change to depending phones as well as tablet computers, so Microsoft has to seek brand-new means of obtaining revenue, beyond Windows. Windows will become the conduit for consumers to acquire Microsoft solutions.

The days of paid Windows upgrades have fulfilled their end, even if Microsoft hasn’t already confessed it.

Photo credit history: Getty Images

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Keep in mind the days when you would certainly move out to the shop to select up the most current variation of Windows, on DVD, for something like $130? Those days could appear in the remote past, yet in truth Microsoft is still charging for upgrades between significant models also as of Windows 8.1.

Microsoft has taken on free of cost upgrades for Windows Phone already, so why not for the PC?

For several consumers, Windows upgrades are directly linked to when they replace their COMPUTER’s. Their COMPUTER’s are completely capable of running Windows 7, yet why would certainly they wish to pay $130 simply to obtain the most recent software?

  • By Owen Williams, thenextweb.com
  • View First

 

We aren’t going to have 3 different versions of Windows

Posted on December 4, 2013 by in Uncategorized

Summary: A Microsoft official confirms the organization is planning to trim the quantity of different versions of Windows inside its portfolio.
Microsoft currently has three different versions of Windows running on mobile devices. But Microsoft is working to reduce that number, Julie Larson-Green, Executive Vice President of Devices and Studios, confirmed in an interview last week.
At present, Microsoft offer plain-old Windows for Intel-based PCs and tablets. There’s Windows RT for ARM-based PCs and tablets. And there’s the Windows Phone OS for Windows Phones.
I reported earlier this year that one of my sources said Microsoft is planning to whittle this down to two versions, though possibly not until the spring of 2015.
Speaking at the UBS Global Technology Conference last week, Larson-Green confirmed Microsoft plans to reduce the number of Windows variants it has in its portfolio. She told attendees during a question and answer session the following:
“We have the Windows Phone OS. We have Windows RT and we have full Windows. We’re not going to have three. We do think there’s a world where there is a more mobile operating system that doesn’t have the risks to battery life, or the risks to security. But, it also comes at the cost of flexibility. So we believe in that vision and that direction and we’re continuing down that path.”
Larson-Green said Windows RT was Microsoft’s “first go” at creating a turnkey, closed system, similar to iOS for the iPad. Like iOS, Windows RT isn’t as flexible, she acknowledged, but it’s more seamless and simplified.
“I think we didn’t differentiate the devices (Surface RT vs. Surface Pro) well enough. They looked similar. Using them is similar. It just didn’t do everything that you expected Windows to do. So there’s been a lot of talk about it should have been a rebranding. We should not have called it Windows. How should we have made it more differentiated? I think over time you’ll see us continue to differentiate it more,” she said.
As I noted back in October, Microsoft seems to be thinking about creating some kind of hybrid OS that will bring closer together Windows RT and the Windows Phone OS. And at least according to one of my sources, it’s more likely that the Windows Phone OS core is what Microsoft will use as the starting point, rather than Windows RT. If Microsoft is pursuing this path, there might just be full Windows and the new hybrid ARM-targeted variant of Windows in just over a year.
Larson-Green dropped a couple of other interesting tidbits during her UBS interview on November 21. She hinted that Microsoft is working towards a future where users may carry multiple kinds of phones or portable devices of some kind. she said that there could be a time when users have “three or four” phone-like devices they’ll be able to switch between, using the one best suited to a particular scenario.
I have that six-inch one (presumably the Nokia 1520 or a device like it),” she said, “and when you’re traveling on the train and you’re using public transit so you can see more and do more, and then when you’re out in the evening and you only have your suit, or your evening dress, you have a small one that slips in your pocket. You can buy more than one.”
Microsoft is known to be working on wearable technology projects of various kinds, with devices sporting different kinds of sensors.

The Windows Mobile Strategy For Microsoft Office 2013

Posted on February 2, 2013 by in Blog

Is Microsoft Office 2013 Working

Microsoft is pinching CIOs by not providing an easy way to run the just released Microsoft Office 2013 except on Windows RT, the operating system for its Surface tablets. With little cross-platform integration, Microsoft is creating an opening for vendors that have a clearer path for a complete mobile workflow.Outlook is the killer app for Microsoft, but the company has not shown any interest in releasing it for Office on the Surface or any other mobile device, said Analyst Esteban Kolsky, Founder of ThinkJar. Instead, Microsoft makes the case for Office365 in the cloud. But so far it only has 20 to 30 percent of the functionality that a customer would get with the desktop version of Microsoft Office. See Sarah Perez’s article for her take on the latest from Office365.

Forrester Research Analyst Phil Karcher said to me in an email that Microsoft does have a complete suite of mobile apps for Windows RT and Windows Phone, but only has Lync and OneNote apps for iOS and Android devices. It has improved browser access to SharePoint 2013, which benefits users on Android and iOS. However, it does not have mobile versions of its core office productivity applications — Word, Excel, PowerPoint on iOS and Android. He sees it as a matter of time before Microsoft opens up more to other platforms.

But Karcher said that competitors have a mixed bag, too:

Google Drive has more editing functionality on Android devices than it does on iOS today. It only introduced editing capabilities for its iOS app in September, and to my understanding only supports docs, not spreadsheets or presentations. IBM Docs has native apps with comprehensive functionality for iOS and Android today, including collaborative document editing from those devices. But a major complaint from users in general is that they want compatibility with their documents formats. Both Google and Android have the advantage of native mobile apps on popular platforms and continue to present alternatives to Microsoft for office productivity in general. But any first mover advantage in mobile support I suspect may be short-lived.

Zoho Evangelist Raju Vegesna said similarly that Windows Phone’s poor market share is a main factor in how Office fares, especially as the desktop recedes in importance:

With Windows Phone share lingering at less than 5 percent and with no iOS and Android versions of Office, users will look for alternatives. Remember, mobile share is going to be more important than desktop marketshare moving forward. Countries like India have 10x more mobile users than desktop users.

I’d love to see Office365 become something important. That would be a shift. The issue for Office comes down to portability. I should be able to open any document, on any device and have an experience that makes the mobile workflow somewhat seamless.

But in truth, not one vendor has the mobile workflow working. It is still a mix of vendors, providing different tools in their various suites. IBM Dominos, for instance, integrates with IBM Traveler, its mobile software for pushing email to mobile devices. IBM Docs integrates OpenSocial, providing a clean web experience. But at least one IBM customer I talked to uses SAP Afaria to manage its mobile devices. That shows the mix that we will continue to see as customers seek out their own workflows for connecting employees and their mobile devices.

Original Page: http://t.co/hjRmxbHu