Microsoft is most commonly known for developing the most popular personal computer operating system in the world, Microsoft Windows. The company is also very famous for developing the world’s most used office tools software, Microsoft Office. However, for years, these two products have defined the company in its entirety and hence have remained the center focus of Microsoft as well.
In the highly dynamic world of today, it is very hard for a company like Microsoft to sustain itself with just two products. Therefore, the company needed to redefine itself in the light of the changing trends and needs of the people. The world has moved on to cloud computing technology, and consumers are now focusing on linking all their gadgets together to form what has come to be known as an ‘ecosystem of technologies’. Microsoft resisted this changing trend, selling separate software for separate technologies, without establishing any seamless way to connect all the devices together, even if they are running Microsoft software.
The company has yet to disappoint in the personal computing operating system field, where Microsoft Windows has performed exceptionally well for over 20 years. Microsoft Windows is stable, functional, and gets the job done without any hassle. It is also the most dominant operating system in the world today, hence enjoys a much higher compatibility with third party software compared to other operating systems existent in the world.
Perhaps where Microsoft has lagged the most is the smartphone division, which the company has tried to cater to but failed miserably. The company launched Windows Phone as its attempt to run smartphones in the light of a Windows operating system, trying to achieve something very similar to what Apple had already achieved with the development of the iPhone iOS. The iOS has always been very compatible with the operating systems that run Apple’s Mac machines, and Microsoft wished to establish a similar relationship between its products.
However, as simple as Windows OS on PC is to operate and use, it proved just as limited on the smartphone medium. Windows Phone failed to perform well, and lagged behind the much superior Apple iOS and Google Android OS. It even drove Nokia to extinction (before the brand was taken over by Microsoft).
But now, Microsoft seems changed and revamped. According to a source close to the company, Microsoft’s focus for the current year is reinvention of the brand. The company is all set to launch Windows 10, skipping the Windows 9 version due to technical issues, which would be the defining moment for Microsoft and would introduce the changed company to the entire world.
Windows 10 is not just for PCs. The OS aims to create an ecosystem of technologies, just as the users have demanded. Windows 10 would also come on smartphones, installed in Microsoft Lumia phones, and would establish a perfect link between the smartphone and the PC, making it seamless for users to connect all their devices under the flag of the company.
Under the leadership of the new CEO Satya Nadella, Microsoft seems to be heading in the right direction. Shares of the company have gone up 36% ever since Nadella joined the company as CEO.
