Redmond View
Will Windows 10 Make Computing More Personal?
Nadella and the company are banking on its unified app platform, among other new features in Windows 10, to change how the public interacts with PCs.
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella this month made what he described as "tough choices," key among them writing off most of last year's acquisition of Nokia. Some interpreted this move as Microsoft's exit from the phone business or even worse, a deemphasizing of Windows Phone. But despite its 3 percent market share, Microsoft isn't throwing in the towel on Windows Phone -- certainly not before customers get a taste of how Windows 10 can bring the PC experience to phones.
With the release of Windows 10, the new Continuum technology is the first iteration of Windows built on a single code base to provide consistent application experiences and a common app store, regardless of the devices, apps and services they're using.
In his keynote address at last month's Worldwide Partner Conference in Orlando, Nadella recalled the mission of founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen: to make computing personal by bringing it to every business user and home. With Windows 10, Nadella said the goal is to make computing even more personal in the digital world we now live in.
Nadella is bullish that technologies in Windows 10 such as the Cortana digital assistant and the forthcoming HoloLens for holographic computing will give individuals and IT decision makers the opportunity to use the OS in a more personal way than ever before.
The unified platform that Microsoft is rolling out with Windows 10 and Universal Windows is what Microsoft believes makes the new OS unique. Its ability to bring natural interaction that spans all devices is what makes Windows 10 more personal, Nadella said. Now we're about to find out if the mass market of customers, IT pros and developers feel the same.
About the Author
Jeffrey Schwartz is editor of Redmond magazine and also covers cloud computing for Virtualization Review's Cloud Report. In addition, he writes the Channeling the Cloud column for Redmond Channel Partner. Follow him on Twitter @JeffreySchwartz.