06-01-2015, 01:11 PM
I think the bottom line is that Microsoft is finally waking up to the fact that they are in trouble. They've lost way too much ground to Android devices in particular and they need to get their ass back in gear and nobody particularly liked Windows 8 or 8.1. Microsoft's forays into the mobile market failed, too.
I think what we'll see in the future is:
- Microsoft products will generally be released as multi-platform products capable of running on Macs and Android devices where applicable.
- Microsoft will try to push a Windows app store similar to the Google Play store that gives Microsoft a cut of the proceeds. This is basically what Windows 8 was trying to do but in a ham-fisted manner.
I also personally think Windows itself may eventually just be free. Microsoft's money is in patents and technology, not selling you an OS every 5 years.
I think it's basically the same as the mindset behind Microsoft's long-standing push for DirectX. They develop this awesome toolset that makes it significantly easier to develop complex graphics for Windows machines and they let everyone use it without requiring any kind of licensing agreement. Games made with DirectX are not paying anything to Microsoft. The idea is that Microsoft just wants you in the Microsoft habitat, where they have some potential for getting money from you, and not some other one where they have no chance at all.
I think the future of Windows as an operating system is starting to come into question now and Microsoft sees this giveaway as a way to play both sides: if they can keep you on Windows, they'd like that. If that fails, the backup plan will be more multi-platform releases of other Microsoft products.
I don't think this is a bait-and-switch.
I think what we'll see in the future is:
- Microsoft products will generally be released as multi-platform products capable of running on Macs and Android devices where applicable.
- Microsoft will try to push a Windows app store similar to the Google Play store that gives Microsoft a cut of the proceeds. This is basically what Windows 8 was trying to do but in a ham-fisted manner.
I also personally think Windows itself may eventually just be free. Microsoft's money is in patents and technology, not selling you an OS every 5 years.
I think it's basically the same as the mindset behind Microsoft's long-standing push for DirectX. They develop this awesome toolset that makes it significantly easier to develop complex graphics for Windows machines and they let everyone use it without requiring any kind of licensing agreement. Games made with DirectX are not paying anything to Microsoft. The idea is that Microsoft just wants you in the Microsoft habitat, where they have some potential for getting money from you, and not some other one where they have no chance at all.
I think the future of Windows as an operating system is starting to come into question now and Microsoft sees this giveaway as a way to play both sides: if they can keep you on Windows, they'd like that. If that fails, the backup plan will be more multi-platform releases of other Microsoft products.
I don't think this is a bait-and-switch.