One Windows for All: Microsoft’s plans for device domination might actually pan out.
Is Microsoft taking a page from both Google and Apple? According to rumors, Microsoft is planning a move that is as unprecedented, as it is necessary.
Sources close to the development of Windows 9 report of a strong possibility that Windows 9 will not only be the very last Windows release we’ll ever see, but it will also shed its release number altogether, and be known simply as “Windows”.
Much like OSX, iOS and Android, this new Windows will need no re-installation to upgrade to newer versions. The operating system will simply go through routine rolling updates.
This is especially good news for consumers, as rolling updates mean a more stable operating system, thanks to a streamlined Windows Update experience. Windows users won’t be as dependent on one particular release, and will likely benefit from better hardware support.
Similar sources report that the software giant might be contemplating to merge Windows RT and Windows Phone, into one mobile operating system.
Microsoft has gone through its share of problems with Windows 8 and Windows RT. Many consumers have been left confused by the difference between the two operating systems, and often disappointed upon finding out that Windows RT is just as app-dependent as Android, with no ability to run regular Windows programs.
Much of this confusion was the reason for Samsung to choose Android over Windows RT, to market its devices to US customers. If rumors are true, Microsoft may very well be on its way to reconsider the retirement of the Windows Mobile brand, which would have the potential to be just as well-received as iOS, and just as widespread as Android.
Back to the desktop front, in consideration of these rumors, one question still remains unanswered:
How will Microsoft profit from the new Windows?
Let’s consider the potential scenario of consumers purchasing a laptop PC loaded with this new Windows. What will the pricing structure and licensing costs be like? Who will foot the bill for the updates?
Microsoft Windows has been a very profitable product for the company, due to package-based licensing fees. Up until now it has been a boxed product developed, and discontinued, at the same pace as technology itself, which created a legacy, with seemingly historic undertones.
Retiring that legacy represents a huge shift in mindset, one that Microsoft would have to deal with in at least three ways:
The Apple way
Microsoft takes the “White Pill”, and becomes a consumer product manufacturer, generating its revenue from the sale of products that extend beyond software solutions. There are several ways for Microsoft to do this, especially now that home automation and wearable technology is officially the next tech frontier.
In a world of interconnected devices, it wouldn’t be too difficult to imagine the Microsoft logo on household appliances, next to Frigidaire, Whirlpool or Dyson. In a future where a “Windows Home” powers everyday household electronics, it’s not hard to see a great potential for revenue from manufacturing, in a similar way as Apple has been consistently striving to do.
The revenue from manufacturing could allow Microsoft to impose Windows licensing only on manufacturers, and providing an affordable way for consumers to run Windows.
The Google Way
Microsoft takes the “Red Pill” and concentrates on software and cloud services, and becomes an advertising company. Bing and Cortana will need to become a central focus, effectively becoming integral parts of the Windows operating system, which, in order to be free of charge, will have to offer access to paid services, in a similar way as Google Play Store, officially entering media streaming territory, in a future where Windows Media Center could make a comeback in all its glory.
Of course, there is always the Microsoft Way
Microsoft takes the “Blue Pill”: The base Windows operating system is released under a paid license. Every major update will be issued as a “Service Pack”, requiring users to pay a fee in order to obtain a license renewal on what could fit the technical definition of a new Windows version.
With “Windows Threshold” being released soon, to developers, many questions will be answered, and we are sure, many new questions will arise as to what kind of Windows we’ll be running next year.