Microsoft is currently applying the final touches to Windows Blue, the upcoming Windows 8 upgrade. The public preview of the new operating system is set for an unveil next month at the BUILD developer conference.
But analysts have already started weighing up on the company’s Windows Blue strategy.
According to technology analyst Jeff Kagan, even though Redmond has already announced its intention to pay more attention to customer feedback in how Windows 8.1 will look, the software titan may need a different approach to make its new platform really successful.
“If Microsoft can create something more moderate, they could be successful. If they could let the customer turn up the dial, at their pace, as time goes by, this could work. The pace of change is different for each customer, so each customer should be able to control how much innovation they want to deal with at a time. Some will be all the way from the start, while others will take a while.”
So in a nutshell, one of the major problems with Windows 8 was that it brought too many innovations at once. But for this next version of the operating system, Microsoft needs to give users more customization options — so that they can pick the features that they best see fit.
Ultimately, though, Windows Blue needs to prove successful not just for end users but businesses and computer vendors also have a lot riding on it.
“Technology can bridge that gap. That is Microsoft’s new mission. Microsoft affects and impacts others in the industry as well. Computer makers want a successful version of Windows 8 so they can sell more devices, not to mention all the users around the globe who want more control over what they use every day. Let’s hope Blue can save Windows 8.”
Businesses obviously want Windows Blue to make its mark very soon, for the increased productivity the new platform could offer. Hardware makers, on the other hand, would like to see Windows Blue hit the ground running, so the sales of their devices get a boost from the word go.
