Windows 9 may pip IOS and Android

The Redmond Giant is launching its next operating system in about 10 days and I’m putting my money on the OS succeeding wildly. Let me explain the reasons for my seemingly irrational optimism by first explaining what we are likely to see in Windows 9.

While everyone is expecting Windows 9 to correct all the mistakes MS made with Windows 8 (let us not forget that Windows 8 itself was a huge leap in terms of resource management); I for one am sure it will go much beyond. So while we can take return of the start menu for granted we are also likely to see, the traditional desktop metro interface i.e. tiled applications, Cortana become our new digital assistant, phone style notifications on our desktop, greater power efficiency and cloud integration out of the box.

I can already hear most of you saying so what’s new? All these features and more exist in OSX and I have rattled out a bunch of desktop features, so how can Windows 9 pip IOS and Android? Well the answer is the proposed unification of the Windows platform.

Unification of Windows across platforms is a CIO’s dream come true and if implemented appropriately, CIOs across the globe will get a silver bullet for their BYOD headaches. If CIOs can provide workplace like security and application experience on mobile devices then quite a few will actively champion the adoption of the platform across device categories. Complementing this will be the ability to run the OS on a wide variety of hardware configurations, which means a plethora of price point and configuration choices for consumers.

Applications developers across the globe will share the same sentiments and the ability to develop once and deploy anywhere will mean renewed focus on the Windows ecosystem.

So Windows 9 is likely to be the first platform that not only gives users a uniform experience across devices but also allows them to seamlessly experience their workplace on all their devices. Combine this with an active application ecosystem and devices across price points and you have a winner on hand.

The only party pooper can be pricing, if MS continues with its Office 360 pricing philosophy and allows multiple installations for each subscription, then the winner can become a blockbuster.