Windows 10 is about productivity — for businesses and consumers
Microsoft has lost a lot clout when it comes to its core consumer users. Whether it's Windows Phone, Groove, or Microsoft Band, those who invested in some of Microsoft's before visions rightly feel a sense of resentment.
But what about Windows x? I oft hear that Microsoft is not doing enough to add together consumer-friendly features, but instead, information technology is more than interested in business and enterprise. The question I have: What does that even mean?
Consumer versus productivity
Part of this commodity was inspired by a contempo quote by Brad Sams at Petri who addressed some of the latest Microsoft re-org news and what it means for Windows. One line stuck out for me:
At this time, nosotros don't truly know what the future will bring to the development of Windows as nosotros are all the same waiting to see how these new leaders volition add their ain flavor to Windows. I can say one thing with confidence though, and I have been hearing this for several months; it's business organisation features first, consumer features last. If a new feature does not add value for its corporate customers (where Microsoft makes a significant portion of its Windows revenue) then it'due south non a direct priority.
My initial reaction is some of that makes sense for Microsoft. Afterwards all, licenses to corporations and governments for Windows 10 are a huge cash cow. Losing that crowd (or at least angering the It managers) is something to be avoided. And many organizations are not happy with the cadency of Windows x updates, which stresses their job.
With Microsoft'southward seeming pullback from front-line consumer offerings, this sounds like another notch for the snide observation that "Microsoft wants to be just like IBM."
But what is a business feature, really? And what is a consumer one?
Going to extremes, I can recall of examples like Microsoft Intune for mobile and app management as existence purely business. That's an enterprise characteristic, and no consumer would want or demand that.
Gaming is increasingly a big deal for Microsoft and Windows 10.
At the other end, for consumers, there is gaming. In no world is the status of coincidental or even hardcore PC gaming a concern for Fortune 500 companies. Adding Game Bar to Windows 10 is not even on their radar, for case
If Microsoft is deprioritizing consumer features for business organisation ones, what would that look similar?
Information technology's about productivity, not sectionalisation
Is the new Timeline a business or consumer feature?
I question the seemingly old division between consumer and enterprise features for an OS. The Windows 10 Jump 2022 1803 update (a.k.a. Redstone 4) has many new feature that are neither consumer- or business-only. For instance:
- New Timeline feature for syncing history across devices.
- Nearby Share to features shares content between PCs on the same network.
- Fluent design improvements everywhere.
- UI and UX changes and enhancements.
- New Microsoft Edge design and improved features like EPUB and PDF support.
- Redesign of Cortana, the addition of Lists and Collections, and a new Skills department.
- Input changes, including one that lets pen users meet a handwriting panel automatically popup when selecting a text field.
- Storage Sense now includes Disk Cleanup settings and functions.
None of that is specially exciting (although Timeline and Nearby Share are huge for me), but it's difficult to look at that list – or the unabridged changelog – and brand a telephone call which changes are consumer-only and which are for business organisation.
The entire focus of Redstone iv appears to be productivity, or making Windows x better at doing stuff including sharing and processing data. That's not unique to Redstone iv either, as the previous releases have too focused on "inventiveness" and adding features that both consumer and business users can leverage.
A changing world
Are Surfaces just business organisation-focused, or for the prosumer, students, or engineers?
Making Windows 10 better at doing stuff is the right approach. The line between your piece of work at home versus what you may exercise at work is diminishing. People ofttimes want their computers to handle both work and private life on the same car. People also desire hardware they can use at piece of work and home that is elegant, premium, and tin do everything.
That'due south why I'one thousand dislocated about how Microsoft could only focus on one category and non the other. I've heard internally Microsoft refers to all Windows 10 customers only equally endpoints – whether artists, engineers, students, scientists, journalists, or office professionals.
Fifty-fifty something like Microsoft Teams, only thought of equally a concern feature, is now in classrooms. What's suitable for the 50-twelvemonth-old office drone is at present expert enough for your kid in 6th grade.
When you lot look at the ane extreme of consumer-only features, gaming, Microsoft is going in heavy. I've heard investment in Mixer.com is massive and increasing; Xbox Play Anywhere support is growing; and we're finally getting real PC games in the Microsoft Store.
Information technology'southward no secret that Xbox caput Phil Spencer, who was recently promoted to the leadership team, is keen on the idea of Xbox streaming as a service. The recent formation of an Xbox Azure squad testifies to that concept.
Mike Ybarra, corporate vice president of gaming at Microsoft, recently dropped a big hint of the continued focus on gaming in the forthcoming released of Windows 10 this autumn.
So, the ane consumer-only feature related to Windows 10 is the also the i area where the visitor is investing heavily. From what I take heard internally, none of that is irresolute. Nosotros'll hear more virtually it at E3 this summer.
What'due south missing?
Finally, it is worth mentioning that past no means is Windows 10 perfect or idealized for consumers either. Microsoft has a way to go in bringing Fluent Design to the entire Os or transitioning onetime UI elements to the new pattern language.
Only when I asked people on Twitter what feature is missing in Windows 10 compared to macOS or Chrome Os, most struggled. Many of the complaints were things similar regional-restrictions on Cortana, marketing, or missing apps in the Microsoft Store. But these are well-established and not missing, merely things that are incomplete or need massive comeback.
At that place are some legitimate gaps in Windows 10. Things like a modern pic maker and music app, ameliorate family unit controls, and improved Apple tree-like AirPlay features between mobile and PC. Only at its core, Windows 10 is even so a potent OS. Even when in that location is an app missing in the Microsoft Store, there is always the vast swath of older PC apps and games that anyone can install.
Affect is also another very mutual complaint every bit tablet mode however seems subpar compared to Windows 8.
Microsoft'south biggest problem, which is well established, is the lack of any skin in the telephone business. That'southward a devastating event but also at present dissever from the development of Windows 10.
Every bit to the future of Microsoft's OS, I call back it's safe to say information technology's evolving. The push abroad from centralized, local computing models to cloud-based, distributed processing is on the horizon and with it goes Microsoft.
For at present, Windows 10 is virtually doing more than work, better. The update this autumn should include Sets and Deject Clipboard, both of which again straddle the business and consumer markets. The force of Windows is almost doing work, and that focus has not changed because there is no distinction between students, business pros, or you.
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Keeping it affordable
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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/windows-10-about-getting-work-done
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