Windows 10 will be a massively important release for Microsoft, and a raft of new rumors about this operating system have recently emerged. This is a particularly significant version of the operating system for Microsoft, as its previous iteration in the Windows series, Windows 8, was critically panned. Windows 8 failed to gain any traction with the business community in particular, and Microsoft must significantly improve on this extremely unsuccessful piece of software when Windows 10 is released later this year.
In fact, Windows 10 has only been named as such owing to the fact that Microsoft is attempting to reboot the whole Windows concept. Windows 8 was such a monumental failure that Microsoft doesn’t even think that calling the new release of its flagship operating system Windows 9 represents enough degrees of separation from its predecessor! This speaks volumes about the problems that Microsoft experienced with Windows 8, and it will certainly be looking to extinguish any such difficulties when Windows 10 is released.
Windows 10 to be last ever Windows?
But important though Windows 10 unquestionably is to Microsoft, there is already an intriguing suggestion that this could be the last ever version of its flagship operating system. This sounds like a completely impossible notion considering that Microsoft has based its entire business strategy in the desktop computing market around Windows for many years. Of course, Windows is not going to disappear completely, though. The suggestion instead is that Windows 10 will be the last major release of the operating system, and that Microsoft will alter its approach to a completely new model in the near future.
Rather than producing a brand new operating system every couple of years, it is rumored that Microsoft will instead move towards a Windows-as-a-service policy. This would suggest a future for the Windows operating system which is based on evolution as opposed to revolution, with Microsoft steadily upgrading the Windows software over a period of time, as opposed to offering massive silver bullet solutions.
This would also suggest that Microsoft is about to significantly alter the way that Windows makes money for the corporation. It is good news for Microsoft that it is no longer as reliant on Windows income as it once was, but the fact is that the operating system still remains a significant part of its revenue stream. Microsoft will have to tinker with the way that Windows makes money if it is no longer to sell it as out of the box software. It would thus seem that a subscription service for Windows will be extremely likely in future years.
Final release confirmed by execs
Comments made by Microsoft executives this week indicate that the corporation is already moving towards this model. A statement issued to the publication The Verge explicitly stated that Windows will be delivered as a service in the foreseeable future, and that this will enable Microsoft to bring innovations and updates to the operating system in an ongoing manner. The software giant has suggested that this will enable them to deliver continuous value for both consumer and business customers.
Future branding of the Windows platform has not been decided at this time, and Microsoft states that it is not even discussing this internally at the moment, but instead concentrating on this Windows 10 build. However, the statement made to The Verge explains to customers that Microsoft is confident that future Windows releases will remain more up-to-date than their predecessors, and that they will work with a wide variety of Microsoft manufactured devices.
Meanwhile, as the future of Windows continues to be a subject of discussion, work within Microsoft is continuing focused on the Windows 10 software is self. And according to reports one of the primary focuses of this has been on the big browser overhaul which is intended to ship with the final product.
Browser update
Microsoft had initially codenamed this browser program as Project Spartan, but has now seemingly ditched this particular name in favour of the simple Edge (not to be confused with the Galaxy Note Edge). The company has recently revealed more details about this browser, which was certainly needed considering the relative lack of success at Microsoft in this arena.
Although Internet Explorer has gained a significant market share thanks to being included with the Windows operating system, most canny Internet users have ditched this browser a long time ago. With Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome hugely popular, and Apple’s proprietary browser Safari also having its share of devotees, Internet Explorer has lagged behind as a rather dated, slow and buggy browser.
So Microsoft has plenty of incentive to improve its core Internet browser, and Microsoft has confirmed that there will be numerous improvements to this piece of software. One would hope above all else that this new browser Edge will simply work more slickly, and crash less often, but Microsoft was keen to emphasize additional bells and whistles which will be included.
Edge improvements
The ability to sync passwords, bookmarks, tabs, and history across all Windows 10 devices will be essential to this release, while Microsoft’s Cortana virtual assistant is to be included from day one. Microsoft has placed a huge emphasis on its Cortana program in recent months, and it is clear that it intends to improve the capabilities of this virtual assistant as Windows 10 develops.
In time, Microsoft is also intending to have a vibrant extension ecosystem by letting developers port their work from Chrome and Firefox. This has been a criticism of Internet Explorer in the past. Microsoft is also working on extension support for smartphones, although this probably won’t be a day one feature of the release. In the meantime, it is fair to assert that this browser will be a significant step up from Internet Explorer, although whether it can complete with Chrome, Firefox and Safari remains to be seen.
Above all else, Microsoft seems to have listened to his customers with the release of Windows 10, reinstalling the Start menu, improving its browser, and recognising that its business model needs to move with the times. There will be many frustrated Windows 8 owners hoping that it can significantly improve on this condemned release.
