Ovum Comment: Can Mircrosoft recover from the Windows 8 debacle?

By: Richard Edward, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Mobility & Productivity at Ovum

“CIOs and corporate IT managers monitor this event closely, as every employee is first and foremost a consumer, and may be adopting bring-your-own-device (BYOD) to get work done. There could also be announcements that will materially affect business user computing strategies, as Microsoft and its Windows hardware partners try to re-boot the PC industry and gain a foothold in smartphone and tablet markets.”

 “Microsoft is no stranger to “debacles” where Windows is concerned (remember Windows Vista), but the effort, resources, and time required to extricate the company from each predicament increases with every occurrence. Indeed, on the last occasion Microsoft had to find itself a new CEO to steer the company away from the proverbial rocks. Yes, Microsoft can recover from the flop that was Windows 8, but it needs to plot a new course for its operating systems strategy to do so.”

“Ovum believes that getting Windows 7 users to upgrade to Windows 10 is not going to be easy, as there are two distinct yet interconnected markets to engage – the consumer and the business user – and each presents Microsoft with a different set of challenges and opportunities vis-à-vis Windows 7, 8, and 10. Ovum’s research data indicates that businesses and institutions will continue to deploy Windows 7 for the time being, even though “mainstream support” came to an end last week. “Extended support” for Windows 7 runs through to January 2020, so there’s no compelling reason for organizations to make the upgrade unless Microsoft presents one on Wednesday.”

“Will Windows 10 and the upgrade be free of charge?  Microsoft has not stopped looking for new ways to generate revenue from its client operating systems. We already know that it is building a single app store to coincide with this release of Windows, but it could also link Windows 10 upgrades to new products and offerings, as well as those that exist already. And of course new hardware from Microsoft and its partners could also provide a boost for Windows 10 when it launches later this year, especially if able to straddle both consumer and business markets.”