Microsoft looks set to tackle Google’s dominance over the mobile operating system market with the announcement of their own free operating system. ‘Windows for Internet of Things’ is going to be offered for free for use on any device with a screen less than 9” in diameter. This means that if all goes well we will start to see more and more devices using the Windows operating system in the future.
As you may know, despite the best of efforts, Microsoft are finding it VERY difficult to get a firm grasp on the mobile market. Part of the reason for this is the high licensing costs of their operating system and the relatively small marketplace they have for it at the moment. This has meant that very few manufacturers are willing to take a gamble on something which is highly unlikely to be that marketable. The majority of manufacturers of ‘smart devices’ are opting to go for the safer option of Google Android. This is a completely free open-source operating system which has an immense amount of popularity at the moment (more Google Android devices are sold than those which offer the Apple operating system). Microsoft are looking to try and at least grab some of those manufacturers that are wanting to offer something a little bit different about their device. It is unlikely that the Microsoft platform will be ‘open source’ however (very little discussion has been held on this though to be honest)
It is likely that ‘Windows for Internet of Things’ will run on the same sort of code structure as the Windows Phone 8 operating system. However, we probably can expect to see a couple of downgrades. For example, Microsoft have already come out and said that they are not expecting desktop software to be able to run through this ‘free’ operating system. Instead it will be limited to mobile apps only. HOWEVER, at the same time they also announced that a new system for application building would be launched at the same time. This system will allow applications to be developed on all Microsoft devices. This includes the Xbox. This means that in the future we may actually see some pretty powerful applications developed. I mean, at least people are now going to take a gamble on the Windows operating system as it is likely to be used in more devices.
Do not expect the launch of this operating system to be too quick. Microsoft are likely to go through a transition period. After all, Windows has been the operating system of choice for most people around the globe for a while now. Microsoft is likely to want to milk this for all it is worth. What is nice however is the fact that Microsoft really is starting to realize that if they want to tackle the mobile market they ARE going to have to change their strategy. This is exactly what they are doing with the free Windows Operating System. I for one hope it works out well for them.for them.with the free Windows Operating System. I for one hope it works out well for them.
