Today was Microsoft's day to report earnings. (They were disappointing, thanks to the costs of the major restructuring of the Nokia group.) In the conference call with analysts, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that the company plans to "streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into on single converged system for screens of all sizes." No timeline to achieve this task was announced.
http://www.businessinsider.com/nadella-merges-windows-phone-windows-2014-7
This plan is both obvious and revolutionary. Obvious in that today Microsoft sells Windows Phone OS, Windows R/T, and several versions of Windows 8.1. A single OS will help developers keep the faith. Users of Microsoft desktops will be able to use tablets and phones without a lot of retraining. Long live the PC!
It's revolutionary in that Microsoft's former CEO, Steve Balmer, was adamant that there should be different OSes for different types of computing. Nadella's announcement is 180 degrees away from Balmer's policy. I'm sure a lot of long term Microsoft employees will not like this, as it concentrates power into a single OS development effort.
There are several hurdles to overcome to achieve this plan. Microsoft has to come up with an interface that works across platforms. Remember how so many people complained when the "Start" menu disappeared from the new Metro desktop? That's just a taste of things to come. And Microsoft has to convince corporate customers to speed up their migration from previous versions of Windows. (Windows XP, introduced in 2001, is still popular in corporate America.) They need to find a way to convince their large customers to journey into the future.
Apple is slouching in the direction of one OS as well. iPhone and iPad work the same today. And most iDevice owners are familiar with using a Mac desktop. But so far MacOS does not use a touch screen interface. At some point, it will make sense for Apple to bring MacOS into alignment with iOS.
Google is the third force in operating systems. The Android OS is well accepted for phone and tablet use. But Google is pushing Chrome as a notebook, and eventually desktop, OS. It's not at all clear where Google is headed.
[Update: Google recently announced a plan to make Android apps run in a window on Chrome. Under the plan, apps will have to be significantly updated to work in Chrome. That's a stopgap at best, but will give Android users a way to use their favorite tablet apps on a laptop. It may take a year or more for updated apps to start appearing. ]
http://www.businessinsider.com/nadella-merges-windows-phone-windows-2014-7
This plan is both obvious and revolutionary. Obvious in that today Microsoft sells Windows Phone OS, Windows R/T, and several versions of Windows 8.1. A single OS will help developers keep the faith. Users of Microsoft desktops will be able to use tablets and phones without a lot of retraining. Long live the PC!
It's revolutionary in that Microsoft's former CEO, Steve Balmer, was adamant that there should be different OSes for different types of computing. Nadella's announcement is 180 degrees away from Balmer's policy. I'm sure a lot of long term Microsoft employees will not like this, as it concentrates power into a single OS development effort.
There are several hurdles to overcome to achieve this plan. Microsoft has to come up with an interface that works across platforms. Remember how so many people complained when the "Start" menu disappeared from the new Metro desktop? That's just a taste of things to come. And Microsoft has to convince corporate customers to speed up their migration from previous versions of Windows. (Windows XP, introduced in 2001, is still popular in corporate America.) They need to find a way to convince their large customers to journey into the future.
Apple is slouching in the direction of one OS as well. iPhone and iPad work the same today. And most iDevice owners are familiar with using a Mac desktop. But so far MacOS does not use a touch screen interface. At some point, it will make sense for Apple to bring MacOS into alignment with iOS.
Google is the third force in operating systems. The Android OS is well accepted for phone and tablet use. But Google is pushing Chrome as a notebook, and eventually desktop, OS. It's not at all clear where Google is headed.
[Update: Google recently announced a plan to make Android apps run in a window on Chrome. Under the plan, apps will have to be significantly updated to work in Chrome. That's a stopgap at best, but will give Android users a way to use their favorite tablet apps on a laptop. It may take a year or more for updated apps to start appearing. ]