14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft unveiled Windows 10 Preview in late September to give users a quick glimpse of the feature lineup of the next operating system coming out from Redmond, thus trying to show the world that it’s listening to user feedback and trying to fix many of the annoyances in Windows 8.
And at first glance, Windows 10 indeed addresses users’ complaints and brings back the Start menu, while also introducing some new options, including multiple desktops and a so-called Task View option to quickly see all running apps on your computer.
CCS Insight Vice President Geoff Blaber tells DigitalSpy in an interview that Microsoft is indeed using Windows 10 to tackle issues in Windows 8, and although this could sound like stating the obvious, the analyst points out that the new OS is also the first step towards a mobile first, cloud first approach.
“Windows 10 is the product of a difficult Windows 8 launch and a process of refinement based on vocal user feedback. Microsoft will hope that this marks a fresh start that will convince developers, enterprise and consumers of its One Windows strategy,” he has said today.
Microsoft adopts a web mentality
Speaking about the way Microsoft tackles the OS market, the analyst explains that Redmond has almost completely changed its strategy when it comes to OS releases, and the new products are more based on cloud and mobile than their predecessors were.
“With Windows 10 Microsoft has re-evaluated its approach to software releases by adopting a web mentality that dovetails with the Cloud first, mobile first vision under Satya Nadella,” he adds.
“This open, collaborative approach is critical if Microsoft is to overcome the wave of negative sentiment that has plagued Windows 8 since launch.”
Satya Nadella took over from Steve Ballmer in February this year and tried to push Microsoft from the very beginning towards a new approach that would help the company gain more from markets such as mobile and cloud.
Nadella’s main intention is to make Microsoft a mobile first, cloud first company with the focus on customers, hence the “based on user feedback” motif that’s reiterated with every new launch.
Focus on enterprise
The analyst also acknowledges Microsoft’s increased focus on enterprise, explaining that Redmond clearly wants to make the most of this market and tries to use Windows 10 as a key tool to expand into this business.
"The unveiling of Windows 10 is notable for its emphasis on enterprise. This dialling up of corporate versus consumer functionality is much needed not least because enterprise replacements are driving PC market growth,” he said.
“Developers are the lifeblood of any platform so it is critical that Microsoft's One Windows mantra delvers on the promise and re-energises developer engagement.”
Windows 10 Preview is already up for grabs, but the stable version won’t be here sooner than spring 2015. The preview is set to expire on April 15, 2015, so the full OS build should launch by this deadline.