On the Windows 9 system, what are the four daunting challenges facing Microsoft?

The final name of the next-generation operating system is likely to be Windows 9? Is it true? Microsoft will disclose the next-generation Windows information code-named "Threshold", and its preview version will be available to the public for trial shortly after it is released.

According to the news, the final name of the next-generation operating system is likely to be Windows 9. On the interface, Microsoft has officially announced that the start menu will return. In design, there will be a new modern design, and in terms of functionality, future mobile applications (Metro style) may be able to run in Windows desktop mode. . Recent news also shows that Cortana and virtual desktops will appear on Windows 9.

A lot of people said that this is Microsoft's last heavyweight version of Windows, but in fact this heavyweight version was released two years ago. Yes, this honor should belong to Windows 8, which introduces a new application model and removes the user interface that users have long been accustomed to, but has this heavyweight system been favored by users? No!

What about Windows 9 in the future? Ed Bott, a blogger on the foreign website ZDNET, recently wrote an article pointing out the four serious challenges that Microsoft will face on Windows 9.

1. The Windows boundaries of enterprise and consumer versions need to be strengthened.

In 2001, Microsoft unifies consumer and enterprise versions in Windows XP.

At the time, this was a good idea. In the era when there were no tablets or smartphones, this was very effective, and there was no big difference between enterprise PCs and consumer PCs. But today, business and consumer devices are starting to make a big difference, and in the last two years the two have become nervous, and this tension and confusion can be seen on Windows 8.

Although you can't ignore the corporate market, you can't expect to get innovation in this traditional enterprise. Many companies buy desktop computers as dedicated devices, and most business laptops only run Office, browsers, and other small applications. Yes, when was the last time you saw a new desktop program and a new PC peripheral? You may have to work hard to think about it, but the obvious fact is that almost all innovations in applications and Web services are concentrated on mobile devices.

In addition to the above, there is another problem for business users. They paid a big price for a Windows license, just to be stable, but to hope for less change. For the average user, their Windows is used less and less in front of mobile devices, but they also want to use new features and applications on Windows without any headaches and complicated management operations.

So Ed Bott guessed that in the future, the two Windows branch development routes will be re-separated. This approach, perhaps the only thing that will keep a conservative IT staff happy, will not slow down Windows' innovation in the consumer space.

2. Improving the Desktop Experience

Before the release of the final version of Windows 8, the then Windows department leader Steven Sinofsky pointed out that in the foreseeable future, the desktop will still be in many people. Life continues to play a very important role, so he promises that they will continue to improve it.

In two years, although Windows 8 adds some features for the desktop experience, there is still more room for improvement. This doesn't mean a big investment in functionality and applications, and there's no need to remove meaningful improvements in the Windows 8.1 kernel. As long as Microsoft is more on the management tools, and on the classic desktop elements and the new modern user experience, continuous improvement in ease of use.

What is the purpose of doing this? Significantly increase the percentage of Windows installations and let users be willing to jump to the current version of the upgrade and keep the latest version. To do this, Microsoft must remove the objection that users are opposed to, or they may continue to use older systems, including Windows 7 and Windows XP.

3. Solving IE Problems

IE is like Rodney Dangerfield in the browser (an old American comedian who complained that he is not respected), it doesn't Respect to web developers and old Windows users. Recently, it has been reported that IE developers consider changing the name of the browser because of reputation issues.

Microsoft continues to support IE8 and IE9, but these browsers require some action to render properly. IE11 is much better, but some developers have made the pages created in the latest version of IE by good faith neglect or aggressive "curve Microsoft" ("screw Microsoft”) encoding.

As shown above, users must manually add the Microsoft.com Compatibility View list. If Microsoft's marketers can't fix their business partner website, why should they expect third-party? What are the efforts of web developers?

From a personal point of view, IE in Windows 8.1 is generally very good, but many imperfections and compatibility issues, so most users have to use a third-party browser to replace IE . Over time, Microsoft may be able to solve the incompatibility problem and make IE a browser that can use the experience, but whether it can clear the bad impression in the minds of developers and some advanced users, this is still An unresolved issue, if it can't be overcome, does Microsoft have a plan B?

4. Suppressed by Google

Google is the world's most successful mobile app publisher, according to relevant data, among the top 10 most popular apps, Google has won five Apps, including YouTube, Google Search, Google Maps, and Gmail.

In these applications, only Google search can be used on the Windows platform. At the same time, some critics continually point out that the Windows 8.1 platform lacks local applications for Youtube, Gmail, and other Google services. On mobile devices equipped with Microsoft operating systems, tablets, laptops, and even Surface devices developed by Microsoft itself, anyone who spends money on these devices may be disappointed with the idea of ​​using Google services. Ultimately, this disappointment will enable them to install Google Chrome on their Windows PCs.

Yes, Google has no motivation and no desire to cooperate with Microsoft in any form. In fact, shortly after the release of Windows 8, Google deliberately removed support for it from the free version of Gmail. In order to break through the support of Gmail, Microsoft later released the Windows Mail client and Outlook 2013.

In addition, Google released APIs to be able to interact with its services, but it prohibits developers from using them to build a comprehensive email client to access applications. Since the discovery of Microsoft's Windows Phone version of Youtube last year, Microsoft has also been banned from the reverse engineering of Google services to build Google applications.

In the face of Google's challenges and threats, Microsoft's problems do not know how to solve them? Do you want to develop a Windows version of Chromium to avoid Google tracking? To run an Android open source project in a virtual machine, can you use the Google app in disguise? However, Lenovo’s absolute leadership in search (also in search advertising) and Microsoft’s failure on mobile platforms may be the ultimate solution for Microsoft. However, this seems unlikely.

Conclusion

For Windows 9, these are quite daunting challenges, and we look forward to seeing that Microsoft can solve these problems one by one, giving us a better user experience. operating system.