Microsoft's annual inventory: shift from desktop and software to mobile and cloud computing

Lead: US it website eweek today, the past 2011 can be seen as Microsoft's "Year of Transition": from desktop to Mobile, from packaged software to cloud computing. In this process, Microsoft in the operating system, search, cloud computing and other markets encounter Google, Apple and other competitors strong challenges.

The following are the changes that Microsoft has made in four areas and the challenges it faces:

Windows

Microsoft's Las Vegas International Consumer Electronics Show (CES), held in January this year, announced that a new generation of Windows would support the SOC architecture, especially the arm architecture of partners such as NVIDIA, Qualcomm and Texas Instruments. The move is significant for Microsoft: Windows has long dominated the x86 platform used by traditional PCs, while supporting the SOC architecture could make Windows popular with mobile devices such as tablets.

Steven Sinofsky, President of Microsoft's Windows Business unit, at a press conference on January 5, Steven Snovsky analysts and the media about the future of the next generation of Windows. Microsoft will reveal more details about a new generation of Windows next year, which Microsoft has started to call "Windows 8", but this is not necessarily its final name.

Microsoft has even created an official blog "Building Windows 8", and Windows Department engineers have described in detail the various features they are developing in their blogs. At the time, it was thought that Microsoft's development of Windows 8 was not intended to introduce the traditional Windows desktop environment into the tablet ecosystem.

As expected, Microsoft decided to reinvent the Windows 8 user interface. Unlike the first few versions of Windows, which are completely focused on the desktop interface, the Windows 8 splash screen is focused on color and touch-sensitive tiles, making it easier to import Tablet PCs and other touch-sensitive platforms. It is reported that the Windows 8 beta is scheduled to be released in February 2012, and that the official version will be released later next year.

However, Windows 8 still has several major hurdles to overcome. First, Windows 7 is not obsolete, the operating system was released three years ago, and so far hundreds of millions of sets have been sold, successfully eroding the user base of Windows XP. Microsoft must also convince individuals and business users that Windows 8 is worth upgrading. Second, in the tablet market, Microsoft will face tough challenges from Apple and other mature rivals.

Windows Phone

While stepping up the development of Windows 8, Microsoft has not forgotten to aggressively advertise its smartphone operating platform, Windows Phone. Microsoft hopes to use the platform to compete directly with Apple's iphone and Android devices. Windows phone has been hailed by the tech media since its release late in 2010, but Microsoft's share of the smartphone market has been slipping in the past few quarters.

While this is partly attributable to the loss of Windows Mobile users of Microsoft's previous mobile platform, it also reflects the intensity of competition in the smartphone market. With high-end handsets such as the iphone and the Motorola droid already popular, any new platform that seeks a slice of the smartphone market will face great challenges.

On July 11 this year, Microsoft CEO Ballmer, Steve Ballmer, said in a keynote address at Microsoft's Global Partners conference that Windows Phone's market share was "very small". Still, Ballmer insists other data suggest that Windows Phone still has a bright future. "Of the 10 people who buy windows Phone, nine will recommend the platform to friends," he said. People in the mobile phone industry trust us. ”

To keep Windows Phone on the market, Microsoft has taken two important steps this year. First signed a partnership agreement with Nokia in February to make Windows Phone the main operating platform for Nokia smartphones, and a few months later, Microsoft released an important "Mango" upgrade designed to integrate hundreds of new features into the Windows Phone user interface.

The two initiatives could help increase Microsoft's share of the smartphone market, analysts said. In a July study, IDC, a market-research firm, predicted that Windows Phone's market share would reach 20% by 2015, surpassing Apple's iOS and RIM's BlackBerry's two main operating systems. But IDC's forecasts depend on whether Nokia can make a smooth transition to the Windows Phone platform.

(Responsible editor: The good of the Legacy)