Microsoft Windows 10 launch conference was held at Redmond headquarters at 9:00 am on January 21, Pacific time. This press conference is the first event for Microsoft to enter 2015. It must show the uniqueness of Windows 10 to the industry, so as to prove that Microsoft is still making progress rather than declining as some media said. Microsoft has been mired in the mobile war for the past seven years. The strategic transformation since Nadella took office has made it turn around. Investors and consumers have high hopes. Microsoft's market value has climbed to $400 billion and defeated Google to regain the second place in the industry. Can Microsoft revive its momentum with Windows 10? Now is the time for Nadella to deliver.
We can see that there was not much surprise in the whole conference, but there were also some surprises in the ordinary. Reviewing the details of the press conference, we can confirm what Microsoft has promised, what progress it has made, and what strategies it has used.
◆ The passivity and urgency of the Windows 10 upgrade policy
The first is free. Microsoft promises that the first year after the release of Windows 10, Website production All Win7/8.1/WP8.1 devices in can be upgraded to Win10 for free. Free is not so much a benefit as a passive strategy of Microsoft. We know that Windows software revenue still accounts for a large share of Microsoft's revenue, and this situation must continue until Microsoft successfully transforms into a service-oriented company. Due to the free strategy of Apple OS X and the rising momentum of Mac sales in recent years, unlike Apple's ability to grab profits by relying on hardware sales and brand premium, Microsoft's free decision reflects its maximum concession.
In addition, why is it a year? This contains Microsoft's urgent vision of promoting Win10 system. The release of Win10 is not only a product replacement, but also an important strategic layout of Microsoft. The poor performance of the Win8 family, which has suffered a lot in the past few years, has made Microsoft realize that it must reposition its future product direction and even reshape its operating system architecture to make it more compatible with the product operation model of the "cloud era". The release of Windows 10 is equivalent to a major reshuffle since NT6.2. Microsoft must guide users to move to a new platform as soon as possible, which is of great significance for restructuring the platform's new ecology and implementing the cloud layout after the reshuffle. In the vacuum period when both Apple and Google lacked innovation, investors did not leave much time for Nadella.
◆ Style micro innovation, open up the whole platform, and pay more attention to user experience
Many people think that Windows 10 is not outstanding in terms of product form. At best, it is the combination of Win7 and Win8. Microsoft also has its own difficulties here. We know that Win7 is the most successful system version of Microsoft after XP, which currently hosts 54% of its own users; Win8, on the other hand, has poured a lot of organizational assets and technology deposits into Microsoft. Although it is a chicken, it should not be abandoned. Therefore, a Win10 that matches the styles of Win7 and Win8 becomes a compromise solution.
However, Windows 10 is not just a combination of Win7/8, and its micro innovation in interface, function and operation details is also commendable. For example, the start menu and dynamic magnet have been redesigned, and more shortcut functions have been added to the notification center.
Windows 10 claims to be the most compatible operating system in history. According to Terry Myerson, the head of the Windows department, "compatible" here refers to sharing the same operating system from PC to mixed devices to mobile phones. Different from Apple's practice of designing operating systems for different devices, Microsoft uses the Continuum interface solution to help users switch freely and smoothly between touchable and non touchable environments.
We find that Windows products pay more attention to user experience in the era of Nadra, and they are learning from Apple in more aspects while retaining traditional advantages. From the implementation effect of the Windows Insider plan, Microsoft is more inclined to listen to users' opinions on the detailed design of the new system, which may be a new change in Microsoft's attitude towards future product development, and also help to narrow the gap between its superior products and those of its competitors.
◆ Outstanding advantages: more intelligent Cortana and integrated and interactive Xbox applications
When we saw the scene of "flirting" between Joe Belfiore and Cortana in the press conference, we felt warm. Cortana has performed very well on various Win10 platforms. Unlike Google now and Siri's mechanical answers, Microsoft has injected more humanistic elements and rich semantic libraries into Cortana; What's more, users can decide what Cortana knows and doesn't know (personal privacy), which reminds the author of a classic scene of a palace drama: "Little Shunzi, you should know what Aijia told you; don't talk too much about what you shouldn't know!" "Cha! I understand!"
In addition, Windows 10 also provides PC and Xbox users with a unified social experience. Users can find recently played games, user lists, clip game videos, share interactions, and other operations in the application. We know that Microsoft's acquisition of the popular game Minecraft last year triggered many disputes in the industry. Now we can roughly confirm that this is Microsoft's strategy to attract cross platform players to join the Win10 ecosystem. Microsoft's long-term focus on the game field is unique from other upstream giants, while its long-term research and development of game software and Xbox cultivation will bring about fruitful results in subtle influence.
◆ The new HoloLens surprises the audience, and Spartan wins more expectations
If there is something amazing about the ordinary Windows 10 launch conference, it is definitely the debut of HoloLens, a holographic headworn device. The device integrates the most advanced holographic image scheme at present, and combines stereo effect system to show the holographic scene in recent science fiction movies. Users can realize holographic interaction with sensors through gestures, voice, and the environment. What's more, this device can be used independently without cable connection and synchronization of PC and smartphone. Netizens can't help sighing that Microsoft's black technology has finally come true, and another creation that will change the world has been born.
The Spartan browser, which is also a new product, is also commendable. Although its style is simple and even has some instant vision of Chrome, the page annotation function and unique page reading mode of the new browser add a lot of points to it. In addition, Spartan has built-in Microsoft Cortana voice assistant, and the support of Microsoft cloud products such as OneNote and other practical applications, making it more confident in competing with similar products.
From the performance of the whole press conference, Windows 10 made a good start for Microsoft's new chapter, but it does not mean that Microsoft has won the starting point. After all, its gap in the mobile short board is too large, and it is hard to recover from the Android iOS market, which accounts for 93% of the global mobile intelligent device market. Nevertheless, we can see that Microsoft's product ecosystem has moved into a broader field, and Nadella's cloud strategy is still working hard. It is hard to say that it is not Windows 10 but other products that will revitalize Microsoft in the future?
