Life Between 0 and 1

It’s been a bit since I last posted something geeky, and this is a good subject to geek out on I think.  In the last few months, I’ve installed Windows 10 in my laptop (production release) and on my HTC One M8 (pre-production release) and I’m starting to see the strategy come together.  Microsoft has united everything from a small budget phone to a 102″ smart television with a common code core.  What this means is that the core operating system, what makes things work, is unified on every device bring with it an experience unified across multiple platforms.

Comparing my laptop with my mobile, I can see that there is a striking similarity in function and appearance.  There are things I change on my laptop that carry over to my mobile device and vice versa.  This is a fundamental shift in how operating systems should work and a slap in the face to Apple and Google as its a 180 from their current strategies.  Apple has a different OS for the Apple iPhone that doesn’t work on the desktop, which run OSX with some animal name attached.  Google was similar until the latest release of Android, but that really never ran on desktops as Chrome OS was used on those.

Microsoft is all-in with a singular strategy to unite the 1.5 billion desktop OS users with the 3-5 million mobile users currently using Windows Phone.  The idea of the universal application is what is driving all of this to what I hope will be a successful strategy.  The universal application, in a sense, will run on every device running the core Windows 10 operating system transparent to the hardware.  Example:  Facebook application, written once as a universal application, will be the same functional experience on a phone, tablet, laptop, desktop, server.  The only difference between them is the screen size and underlying hardware (some will be faster, some will be slower, etc.)  The bottom line is that what you do one device, won’t need to be done again on any other device.

I personally like the idea of something that is so seamless.  I admit, I’m sort of a fanboy for Microsoft as their products work well for me.  I don’t push them like a minister of a cult and shun non-believers.  Rather, I encourage everyone who listens to just try out alternative products for more than 5 mins at the store.  Make your own decision as to what works well and what doesn’t.  In my own world, Android and Apple don’t work for me as well as Windows does, plain and simple.  I have an Outlook account, OneDrive, Office365, etc.  I’m invested in Microsoft products to the point where it would be hard for me to migrate to anything else.  It was my choice based on research despite my opinions for competing products.  My one peeve with people is that they don’t recognize other products out there.  Not everyone will find an Apple iPhone or latest and greatest Android the answer to their needs.  There are other choices and that is what I stress.

Only time will tell if Microsoft has made a good bet to unify things across all devices or will fail miserably and join the ranks of Amiga, Commodore, RIM/Blackberry, etc.  The future is going to be awesome never the less and I can’t wait!