14 DAY TRIAL // In a recent interview, Steven Sinofsky, president, Windows and Windows Live Division noted that there simply was no way of telling how Microsoft would be able to outdo Windows 7 with the forthcoming Windows 8. And yet, a Program Manager on the Windows team, working on Windows Update, published a blog post in which he enthusiastly promised that Windows 8 would end up being completely different than everything customers expected of a Windows release. While it offered no actual details on the next iteration of Windows, the PM managed to shed light on the enthusiasm that was undoubtedly fueling the people behind the Windows project, as Windows 7 was a smashing success, with over 60 million sold licenses since launch.
As more and more details were made available of Windows 7, Microsoft watchers commented that the company had set only modest goals for the release and that it managed to overdeliver on them. It is clear that neither Microsoft’s own, nor customers are expecting the same of Windows 8. In fact, I would dare say that there are already high expectations of Windows 8 forming, especially inside Microsoft.
MSFTKitchen recently linked to a CIO interview with Mangelaars, regional vice president, Consumer and Online, EMEA, Microsoft. Mangelaars admitted that Apple had been making headway against Microsoft, but noted that the software giant produced an excellent OS with Windows 7. "Apple is doing well on the PC side but Windows 7 is a blockbuster. We got it really right. For me, Windows 8 will be mind-blowing," he stated.
Setting high standards for a project is undoubtedly a move contributing to driving innovation and a way for Windows 8 to be a revolutionary platform, as opposed to the evolutionary Windows 7. But, at the same time, goals need to be realistic and achievable. Microsoft needs to absolutely avoid overpromising and under-delivering, namely a repeat of Windows Vista. Nobody wants a comeback of the Wow, I’m sure.
Obviously, Sinofsky will do more than just cross his fingers and hope that Windows 8 is better than its predecessor, but at this point in time there’s no telling exactly of what it will be. It’s safe to say that the top dog for the Windows project has stumbled upon a winning recipe with the development of Windows 7. Rave reviews, happy and satisfied customers, and all-around accolades are a testament to this fact. And, in this regard, it should only be expected that Windows 8’s development follow in the same footsteps, but with Microsoft perfecting the strategy to ensure a superior product.
A key element of Windows 7’s success was the intimate collaboration of the Windows team with members of the software and hardware ecosystem revolving around the operating system. Software developers and hardware manufacturers got an early preview of Windows 7 one year ahead of general availability, and this time around Microsoft’s evangelism efforts paid off. With Windows Vista serving as the sacrifice platform in terms of interoperability, the vast majority of software and devices were fully compatible with Windows 7 even before the OS was out the door. With Sinofsky at the helm, Windows 8 will undoubtedly play just as nice with third-party products.
Also critical to Windows 7’s success was the work Microsoft did with its OEM partners. Nothing hurt Vista more than the lack of driver support, incompatible software and poor performance. And with support and compatibility dealt with, Microsoft also focused on increasing the speed of the OS. This led to Windows 7 actually requiring less system resources than Vista, a precedent that needs to become the rule, as cheap and “hardware challenged” netbooks continue to grow in popularity. I am more than sure that there are customers out there that would simply jump at the chance of being able to run a slimmed-down version of Windows 8 on their Windows Phone. And I’m talking about the actual Windows 8, an OS based on the MinWin kernel, not a flavor of Windows Mobile as we know it today.
Obviously, there’s a lot of pressure on Microsoft to outdo Windows 7 with Windows 8, to aim higher, after all modest goals, slow evolution and potentially mediocre releases will only help rivals grow their market share to the detriment of Windows. But all the while, the Windows team needs to avoid repeating the masterpiece (Longhorn)-to-the-dud (Vista) journey.