Foreign media reviews Windows 10: Seemingly compromising but actually ambitious

Microsoft recently presented its latest operating system, Windows 10, at a product launch event. The new version of Windows has restored the traditional operating interface similar to Windows 7, but has integrated the Microsoft "dynamic tile" design of Windows 8 in detail. The online version of the well-known technology media Wired magazine published an article saying that Microsoft seems to have compromised to cater to the needs of consumers in Windows 10, but behind this lies its great ambition. The following is the main content of the article.

Microsoft's new generation operating system Windows 10 has been officially released. We have seen the return of the classic "Start" menu in this version. This can be said to be a compromise or concession by Microsoft, but at the same time it is also a long-awaited and preferred way of using Windows by consumers.

When Windows 8 came out, its "live tiles" style and the lack of a "start" menu were criticized by most consumers. This has changed in Windows 10. Compared to Windows 8, Windows 10 is more like Windows 7. The traditional "start" menu has returned, but the "live tiles" have also been integrated into the start menu, so we can think of Windows 10 as a fusion of Windows 8 and Windows 7.

Consumers should be very welcome to this change in Windows, after all, Windows 8 has not been widely recognized. The latest data from market research firm Net Applications shows that about half of the world's PCs are running Windows 7. The second place is not Windows 8, but Windows XP, which Microsoft has stopped providing technical support but is "always alive" (about 24% installation rate), while the combined installation rate of Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 is only about half of XP (12%).

Although the importance of mobile devices is still steadily increasing, the PC is still the best work and life tool for most people sitting at a desk. Although Windows is a bit boring, it is still one of the best production tools for PC workers. So if people feel that the distance between Windows and PC is getting bigger and bigger, then they may stay away from it.

From the perspective of the system interface, Windows 10 has made some concessions, but hidden behind this compromise is Microsoft's ambitious development strategy. Microsoft is making an extremely bold attempt through Windows 10, hoping that this new system version can meet the needs of both desktop and mobile users, and hopes to achieve several major goals, including encouraging 75% of desktop users to upgrade the system, attracting more developers, and increasing the market share of mobile operating systems.

The emphasis on developers and mobile terminals are two important highlights of Windows 10. First, Windows 10 realizes the importance of "write once, run anywhere" to Windows development. Microsoft promises that programs written for Windows 10 will be able to adapt to mobile phones, tablets, desktop computers and other Windows 10 devices at the same time, and users no longer need to choose different versions of software according to their devices, which will undoubtedly provide consumers with a better software experience.

Secondly, for those mobile developers who intend to leave Windows, Windows 10 also provides some measures to retain them. Considering that Windows has more than 90% market share in the PC field, if the application software can be adapted to any Windows device, then Windows Phone, which has only 3% market share in the mobile field , will not be a problem for Microsoft, and the number of applications for Windows Phone devices may explode.

Objectively speaking, the hardware configuration of Windows Phone devices has reached a very high level, such as the well-made HTC One M8, the Nokia WP phone with outstanding camera capabilities , and the Surface Pro 3 tablet with excellent overall performance, etc. Therefore, if Microsoft can integrate the existing huge application software ecosystem of desktop Windows with the WP platform, then WP will have the strength to break the "duopoly" of Android and iOS in the mobile field, and form a three-legged situation.

It is worth noting that Microsoft's strategy of trying to create "an adaptive operating system" is different from Apple's strategy. Although the technology industry is following Apple's footsteps, Microsoft's Windows 10 has chosen another path. Apple is trying to seamlessly connect mobile devices and desktop computers through the Continuity feature, while Microsoft is building a multi-device platform, that is, allowing an operating system to run on multiple different devices at the same time.

Although the idea has been around for a long time, no manufacturer has made it a reality, so Microsoft's move is unprecedented. When Jobs released the first iPhone, he said it was running Apple's own OS X operating system, but it was not. However, it doesn't matter. After all, most people think that not choosing to directly run OS X is the main reason for the success of the iPhone. Relatively speaking, the mobile version of Windows 10 will not copy the functions of the desktop version, but will support more applications.

Most importantly, the mobile version of Windows 10 has a very high support for application software. Just like people don't like the "desktop/touch" hybrid version of Windows 8, most consumers think that the experience brought by hybrid applications is very bad (compared to real mobile applications), so if Microsoft wants to really make a difference in the mobile field, it must change this situation, and Windows 10 is expected to undertake this mission and help Microsoft achieve a big breakthrough in the mobile field.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.