Kinect built into every Windows machine
At CES this year, Steve Ballmer showed off new ways to use the Xbox 360 Kinect camera peripheral. Using arm gestures and voice commands, players can now use applications on the Xbox and play media. The demonstration shows only a fraction of what Kinect-like interfaces will be capable of in a few years. While it is an Xbox exclusive at the moment, why not integrate Kinect technology into all Windows devices? Imagine being able to gesture or tell your laptop to open up different apps and control many onscreen actions directly with your hands. It could finally give laptops and desktops an interface that could compete with the direct-touch interfaces of tablets and smartphones. And on touch devices, enhanced gestures and voice commands would also come in handy in many ways. Kinect with its infrared camera is a huge potential advantage for Microsoft should they choose to liberate it from the Xbox.
Live tiles and new proactive interfaces
Kinect offers a lot of opportunities, but so does Windows Phone. Rumor has it that Microsoft is already adding Windows Phone Live Tiles to Windows 8, with the option to turn them off. This is a great idea and I hope Live Tiles are used for tablet devices as well. However, I’d like to see the team in Redmond take it a few steps further. Microsoft has been experimenting with some cool new bubble-like interfaces (seen below) that attempt to predict and make the computing experience far more proactive than it currently is. For example, if you’ve booked a flight and the weather has gotten bad, maybe Windows would proactively notify you that things aren’t looking so good for that flight on Tuesday. Or perhaps your computer or smartphone Cloud account may remember that you always participate in March Madness and notify you of unique opportunities.
A new Explorer for a new age
Understanding navigation and storage is also something many Windows users don’t get. They know what a My Documents is, but 20 years into the concept of folders and a significant number of users don’t understand directories and how they work. Manipulating directories is the key to knowing how to fiddle around in Windows. I’m not sure if Microsoft needs to eliminate folders entirely, but people need to know where their files are. The differentiation between the Desktop homescreen, My Documents, and C:\ Drive is too complicated for many users to understand. It should be better explained, or the Explorer should be replaced with a system that is more effective. Microsoft’s Ray Ozzie hinted at this in his farewell letter last October. With the Mac App Store, Apple has already begun to better hide directories from the end user’s view.
Windows Surface
Our own Rob Enderle mentioned how great Microsoft’s Surface technology is back in his Imagining Windows 8 article in January. I agree. Surface employs a new technology called “Pixel Sense” that lets a touchscreen actually see the items that are touching it and download files from other digital devices. In a demonstration at CES this year, Microsoft showed how the Surface technology could actually see a black and white version of items that are places on it. Using shape recognition software, a number of amazing new possibilities could open up for interface design and gaming. Currently, Surface is only being sold as a gimmicky product for businesses to use to attract attention, but the potential is there for a whole lot more. If it’s financially feasible, Surface technology would be ideal for almost any touch device.
Windows Marketplace with Xbox
Apple made the first move when it launched its Mac App Store, a brazen first attempt at bringing the App ecosystem of iOS back to Mac computers. With Android Honeycomb, Google has upgraded its app store to also serve tablet devices. Microsoft should take it one step further, allowing apps across all platforms with UI that automatically modifies, depending on device type. The days of the CD are ending. While I don’t hope for a day when I can’t load a program outside of an app store, the stores bring a lot of simplicity and convenience to application installation, updating, and deletion.
While some criticized Google for allowing malware onto its Android Market last week, thanks to the control the app store process allows, Google was able to delete the infected apps, remotely remove them from infected machines, notify all of the 200,000 some users infected, and push out a patch that eliminated the virus. This entire chain of fixes is impossible under the free-reigning PC ecosystem of the last 20 years, and we’ve paid the price for it.
In addition, Microsoft has already begun leveraging its successful Xbox brand, integrating avatars and other Xbox features into Windows Phone 7. This is a great line of thought. There’s no reason why Microsoft shouldn’t be investing significantly in high quality video game Xbox software for Windows 8 using Surface, motion, and Kinect technologies in creative new ways.
2012 isn’t far away
Windows 8 is rumored to be released in the later half of 2012, about three years after the release of Windows 7. This means that the first private betas may start in late 2011. It is a scary time for Microsoft. Tablets will be a couple years old by the time Windows supports them in any meaningful way and the smartphone market continues to slip away from the Redmond giant. However, for the time being, PCs are still vital to daily living, which means Microsoft can take its time. However, the game is changing. The Windows dynasty will not last forever (not even in the business market) if Microsoft isn’t able to recapture some market share in smartphones, tablets, and whatever new devices crop up next. Ballmer and Co. need to get a lot nimbler if they hope to compete with today’s emerging platforms.
Thats cool but check out this article on The top 10 features that Windows 8 should offer businesses
http://www.windows8update.com/2011/03/28/the-top-…
Will there be a day where you create "post-pc" applications on a "post-pc" device? I sure as hell hope not. In terms of business and education I'm not sure a tablet will be able to out do a PC. I'm not going to give my kid a Xoom or iPad for Christmas and then go tell him type that 4 page paper and code his computer science homework.
All my kid will do with a tablet is sit on the couch and play Angry Birds or browse the web in a lack-luster fashion since most sites are not completed geared for tablets (and if they are, it's a dumbed down lesser experience). This argument is very similar to those who stated the XML would once completely replace HTML.
It all seems like to me that us as consumers want specific devices for specific purposes rather than an multi-tool for everything. It's sad in a way, because companies have somehow found how to make us demand a lesser product and still pay the same amount, if not more, for it.
Totally agreeing with you. I've been wondering, who (using a tablet for productivity) would purchase a $700 tablet with only 32GB of hard drive, when i could purchase a high quality desktop PC with 500GB? But do you know why people buy tablets? They're flashy, and stylish, with touch screens and nice portability. Hey, I'm not saying I hate tablets… maybe I would buy one now. Now, seeing as I have already purchased a PC
My friend is currently stranded with only an iPad and I use the word stranded intentionally. He has quickly figured out that not everything is "post the pc". FYI, I bought my desktop ASUS (i5 3.2GHz, 1TB, 6GB) for $700 and received a 22' monitor as well.
The headline is “Five reasons why the sun is setting on windows dominance”. I’d like to check whether the article really says anything related to this headline. Let’s take this one at a time:
1. “PC’s are no longer dominant”. This section seems to mean by “PC” any computing device that sits on a desk, since it goes on to point out that other device types like smartphones, tablets, and smart TV’s have been developed which not only take the emphasis away from the PC (the thing sitting on the desk), but further no longer require connection to that PC. Windows is not mentioned anywhere in this section, so presumably the same assessment of dilution of computing devices away from desktop devices also applies to Apple desktops and laptops – which it does if you think about it.
2. “The iPhone spawned a new breed of competitive, capable OSs”. This is true. And it’s not just Apple OS’s. Microsoft have developed the Windows Phone. Sure, some might comment here about the small market share that Windows Phone has at this point in time – but it is there nevertheless, and is growing.
3. “Windows 7: Unfriendly to touch”. How come we’re not mentioning Windows 8 here? Come to think of it, how come we’re not mentioning here that Apple desktops & laptops are also not touch friendly? This section doesn’t seem to say anything, other than that current desktop & laptop solutions from any vendor are not particularly touch friendly yet – Apple included.
4. “Microsoft split its platform with Windows Phone 7″. I’m confused by ths section. Apparently (in the mind of the author) all of this Windows Phone stuff is “sending mixed messages when the market doesn’t know what to do”. Er, why is that again? Let’s see: there’s something about a connection with Zune – don’t know what that’s got to do with anything, The author provides positive comments for Windows Phone: “has a unique and imaginative new interface” (sounds good); “is a beautiful OS that could run tablets and other devices wonderfully” (sounds good); “It would be nice if Microsoft would tap its full potential instead of trying to shove Windows 7 into most touch devices” (I guess that’s why they’ve been busy developing Windows 8 all this time!)
5. Really, it’s all Apple. Ok, I think I get it now. Apparently Apple is the only (pun half intended) device in the author’s eye. Hang on, though: the article also mentioned all that stuff about the astronomical growth of Android; and the beautiful OS of Windows Phone. So how come “it’s all Apple”?
Finally: “Get moving, Microsoft”. They have. The author has even mentioned a couple of the important things that Microsoft has been moving (and very well) on – Windows Phone, with its “unique and imaginative new interface”, and its “beautiful OS that could run tablets and other devices wonderfully”. All sounds good to me.
Now, to be fair, I’ve just noticed that this blog was posted on February 10, 2011. That would explain the lack of commentary about Windows 8. But there’s plenty of other material as pointed out above to show that Windows is far from the setting sun. And now we know, with Windows 8 just around the corner, that Microsoft has been far from sitting on its hands, and has not only come up with a touch-friendly OS, but more importantly an all-encompassing and unfragmented devices ecosystem.
Now it looks like Apple is going to be the one that will be behind the 8 ball (pun half intended) by not having a touch friendly OS that works as a compatible and unfragmented ecosystem across all of its device types. I guess, by this author’s definition, that would make Apple “unfriendly to touch”, and with a “split platform” that sends “mixed messages” to the market.
Very importantly, the comments of other respondents here need to be given serious consideration: the corporate world operates in a Windows-dominated sphere. Apple is doing almost nothing to provide the corporate sector and datacenters with the hardware and sofware that it needs for its infrastructure. Apple may have some chance of turning this around to some degree at the level of the desktops, laptops, tablets, and smartphones – but is long past the setting sun in turning anything around at the server level.
Corporate IT is renowned for being loath to mix its systems. Corporate IT departments will want to keep deploying Windows devices to end users. The greater degree of control, security, and support level that they can exercise naturally leans them this way – not to mention the importance of Active Directory in a large networked environment. The new phenomenon of BYOD – where users bring their own device to the work arena – certainly presents challenges, change (and headaches) to corporate IT departments; but this is all the more reason why corporate IT will be keen to see Microsoft enter the tablet and smartphone market with devices that not only present a serious challenge to Apple devices, but more importantly are all the easier to integrate with current corporate IT infrastructures and practices.
Being into the OS scene pretty heavily, and having used all versions of Windows from 3.11 until Windows 7, a Mac for a year, and at least 10 Linux distributions I can safely say that Windows 7 is the best operating system on the market right now. However, for a decade now Microsoft has a trend of every other version being crap. Also, being in the IT industry I feel if Microsoft decides to throw in a bunch of features that change the default interface, or add additional layers of complexity (cloud) that users will just discount Windows 8 as another Vista. If it is one thing I know, it is that people detest change and forcing users into using a new interface or cloud is a bad move.
What can really save Windows in my eyes? keeping it simple and not changing too much and continuing along the success of Windows 7 with Windows 8. Yes, having a separate interface for tablets and smartphones is necessary, but if they force customers to adjust to a new interface no one will adopt it. Couple this with terrible driver support and backwards compatibility due to needing to store stuff in the cloud, and you have Windows Vista R2
Why would you both compare a tablet with a PC though? A tablet in my mind is complementary, not a replacement for a laptop or desktop.
This article stats that the world is coming into a "post-pc" era that Microsoft cannot keep up with in it's current state. I was simply stating that I too think the tablet is complementary and will completely replace PCs.
I don't think it will completely replace PCs, or at least the idea of a screen + keyboard + mouse combination. The keyboard is a very useful feature that seems to keep cropping up, even in smartphones.
Sorry if it seemed like I was discrediting your article in anyway. I very much enjoyed your piece and I agreed with many of the statements within it. My only peeve is with this whole "post-pc" notion that websites, not necessarily digital trends, make seem like tablets will be the end all be all and we can throw away our physical keyboards and mouses for good.
Ah, I get ya. Yeah it's becoming a popular word. Tablets are hot right now, but they won't be forever. They're just one piece of the puzzle. I think Post-PC really means a world where the PC isn't the end-all-be-all of the computing world like it has been for 20 years. In the future, PCs will be one of many equally weighted computing devices which will probably include tablet type devices and smartphones. Really, we'll be using all of these devices in coordination to go about our daily lives.
Not to get political, but it's a lot like how the United States is learning to deal with the rise of other countries around the world. While it is still dominant in many economic sectors, there will come a day when countries like China, India, and others will be on a level playing field with the U.S.