Ever since Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have dominated the mobile operating system (OS) market, Microsoft has been running scared and has realized they cannot rest on their non-mobile products and established business application strongholds. The present and future OS market is heavily about mobile cloud-connected devices and that is why Android holds 78% of the mobile OS market (Fig. 1, 2015). Google’s release of the Chromebook in June 2011 was a quiet nuclear bomb against Windows, thus threatening their personal computer OS leadership.
Microsoft’s counterattack was supposed to be Windows 8.1 in 2012 to 2013 which was designed to run effectively on mobile and traditional devices but as per Fig. 1. their phone market share fell from 3.2% in 2013 to 2.5% in 2014 and then rose only to 2.7% in 2015. These results are horrible for a global software company that dominates the non-mobile OS and business application markets with more than 1.5 billion daily users according to Corporate Vice President of Education Marketing at Microsoft, Tony Prophet (2014). Windows 8.1 did not go over well because the Microsoft Store has few apps, people did not like the new tile start menu, it is clumsy to navigate, Internet Explorer is slow, and next to no one was inspired to get a Windows Phone because of Windows 8.1.
Fig. 1. Smart Phone OS Market Share
(IDC, May 2015, http://www.idc.com/prodserv/smartphone-os-market-share.jsp)
Windows 10 is supposed to be Microsoft’s comeback album and it’s going to be just as big as Carlos Santana’s 1999 Supernatural album with the hit song “Smooth”. Windows 10 was released on July 29th and so far the reviews are great all bugs aside. To share the love they are giving away free upgrades from Windows 8.1, 8.1 Phone, and 7 for one year. Microsoft never could quite sell the idea to everyone that you didn’t need a start menu. The Windows 8.1 start menu became the start screen, much the same way your tablet or cell phone works with tiles laid out like a board game. Thus Microsoft is bringing back the start menu on the bottom left yet they are leaving a partial live tile display for mobile enthusiasts that can be collapsed or expanded as per Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Windows 10 also introduces a function that allows you to utilize multiple desktops not just screen extensions, and this is a lot like Mission Control from Apple OS X. This will be a big benefit for business users, creative users, students, and people who do a lot of multitasking. The hot key shortcut to open a virtual desktop is: Windows key + Ctrl +D. Windows 10 also adds something new for gamers and graphics focused users, direct X12, which is a Microsoft proprietary graphics card decoder that communicates with and optimizes the many different graphics chips on thousands of computer models. It is the industry standard and that is why it’s used on the hugely popular X-Box. Windows 7 and 8.1 will not get access to direct X12 so graphics will be better on Windows 10. A creative person could even game in one desktop while they work in another assuming they have the RAM and CPU power needed for those specific applications – this is pretty cool. Another interesting visual add is the Windows Snap feature which allows you to split your screen into two, three or four separate areas and the hotkey shortcuts for this are:
- Windows Key + Left – Snap current window to the left side of the screen.
- Windows Key + Right – Snap current window to the right side of the screen.
- Windows Key + Up – Snap current window to the top of the screen.
- Windows Key + Down – Snap current window to the bottom of the screen.
For years customers have been unimpressed with the slow speed and incompatibility of ad-ons with Internet Explorer. Microsoft made a good move to create an all new browser similar to Google Chrome and it’s included for free with Windows 10. Code named Project Spartan and unveiled as Edge the new browser is up to 112% faster than Chrome according to Business Insider (07/15/15, http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-edge-windows-10-faster-than-google-chrome-2015-7). Edge allows you to circle, highlight and write your thoughts directly on web-pages. It also has a very cool reading view that strips out all the ads, sidebars, pop-ups and links, so you can scroll through a single column of text and pictures. However this does not work on all web-sites because some websites have not made the updates for 10. We really like this feature as we have been annoyed by these distractions when reading on-line and we like a lot of people do a lot of on-line reading.
Yet probably the second biggest addition to 10 will be Cortana. This is Microsoft’s digital assistant and promises to be much bigger than other voice assisted programs out there. Cortana is much like Dragon or Siri but much more advanced and integrated into the operating system. It will tell you your schedule and schedule things for you and is also an advanced web encyclopedia. It will learn more about you based off of Microsoft’s cloud databases which you can opt to share information with, including your e-mails, phone numbers, and web search data.
Fig. 3.
After upgrading to Window’s 10, we weren’t sure if we would use Cortana, but the more we use it the more we like it. In playing around with Cortana, you can provide feedback with screenshots that go right back to the teams at Microsoft. To prepare for the 10 release Microsoft was using an estimated five million external testers known as “insiders” to get this type of bug feedback. This impressive number is a considerable increase from prior releases. Cortana is easy to locate in the bottom left of the screen next to the start menu. We find that if the user types a question in the search bar it will add tips and give you interesting facts each and every day, if you let it. Cortana starts out giving you information on the weather, finance, and sports but you can customize this under notebook settings (Fig. 3). Cortana is very intuitive and can track things for you. If you’re receiving a package, it will tell you the progress or details of that package. Say you’re picking someone up at the airport, Cortana will tell you if the flight is on time.
We really see Microsoft using Cortana to compete with Google Search and Google Analytics. Much the same way Google uses search on Android, Microsoft can use Cortana to provide different results for what you are looking for on phones, tablets, or computers. This really gives Microsoft a link to future ad and analytics revenue which could seriously challenge Google’s revenue streams.
In summary, Windows 10 is a much better product than prior operating systems and is a real threat to Apple and Google’s OS growth. It is designed for mobile and non-mobile devices and has the ability to exponentially learn about you from your use habits and Microsoft’s big data in the cloud. It is also a threat to Apple because they do not have a touch based OS on their computers but only on their iPads and iPhones. A lot of companies up to this point are still using Windows 7 but we see some of them moving to Windows 10 thus bypassing Windows 8.1. Imagine an HVAC worker, health care worker, or tax assessor having the power of Windows 10 to query their corporate database with Cortana while working in the field customized from their GPS trail.
With Cortana, the cool mobile aesthetics, the useful features of touch, the speed of the Edge browser, the ability to use multiple virtual desktops, the quad split screen, this is a growing hit among consumers. Based off these new upgrades it is much easier to use and much closer to what people are familiar with from previous versions of Windows yet it is still creatively different. We think app makers who have focused much of their energy in the past on the Android and iOS platforms will be forced to make more apps for Windows 10 and this will force more phone makers to sign on with Windows 10. We predict Windows 10 in conjunction with Microsoft’s own proprietary devices like the Surface will help them gain a lot more of the mobile OS market in the next 18 months thus driving Microsoft’s stock price above $55-$60 per share.
Jeremy Swenson and Mike Cassem are two seasoned, Intel certified, retail technology marketing and training representatives on assignment at Best Buy for clients including Intel, Trend Micro, Adobe, and others. Tweet to them @jer_Swenson and @micassem.
This entrepreneurial effort is only likely to gain momentum and it shows that Chamberlin’s creativity is beyond music. In terms of the Smashing Pumpkins it shows that Billy Corgan is likely to tap Chamberlin’s business sense to help remake and remarket the Smashing Pumpkins since the band has been mostly a revolving door over the last 6 years. It will be much harder for Corgan to lose Chamberlin this time around as he has the ability to cross market the band’s shows via his company, even if it’s still in development mode. Corgan and Chamberlin truly could be at the beginning of a new music business nirvana but let’s hope egos and miscommunication do not get in the way of a reunion that has a history and talent that is worth much more than a small summer tour.
1) We knew there would come another well-positioned company who makes a pair of smart glasses like Google Glass and that it will derive more competition and innovation. Microsoft raised their hand right away with their HoloLens glasses which are hologram based, slightly “gamified”, and seemingly better than Google Glass largely because they tied it in with known Windows functionality (broader offerings). See a video of this cool new technology here:
There is no doubt that mobile will continue to grow and will be used on smaller devices like watches, ear buds, pacemakers, and contact lenses. Web design has shifted so fast to mobile that sometimes good web design and user experience is forgotten about for non-mobile users or business users who on average spend much more time on those same sites than mobile users. Thus a better balance of the two design types is needed, and an app is a separate project all together yet still needed. I also think Microsoft will take more mobile market share away from Android and Apple since they have learned a lot from their Windows 8 release and are quickly working to release Windows 10 as a better touch based mobility optimized O.S. that many are excited to try.
1) Stakeholder Management: Attain clear support from the executive stakeholders from the beginning of the project and schedule regular check-in meetings with them ahead of time as they tend to be very busy and are often pulled in many directions. Set the tone that their participation is needed and that they will need to approve change requests which is not uncommon. You should also use clever people skills and empathetic listening skills as you interview the many high-level stakeholders in the early part of the project so as to diffuse conflict and get consensus on disagreements about scope, business goals, order, and to find out who will be the thorn in your back as the sooner you know that the better. Also, accept that stakeholders will be different and they may not even directly work for your company which is ok as those ones tend to offer specialized expertise and are often very creative.
3) Quality Management: Having worked on many complex projects in highly regulated industries over the last 5 years I have noticed a shift towards agile methodologies vs. waterfall. From my perspective this is really about quality and timely flexibility. Aligning the project tasks in small pieces allows you to test the results independently and faster, and if the results are bad that’s a good thing because it’s just one piece of the project and you can learn from it – getting an early warning. Yet to get better quality out of an error you need to have documented what went into the error from beginning to end and you need intelligent consensus. On SDLC projects there will be many small errors which then raise questions about other systems and how they relate to the business rules. Yet with good process flows, screen shots, and JAD sessions with key people, you can ensure that these errors are nothing more than normal bumps in the road. Every project has its bumps but the real test is having above average quality on budget and on time at the projects end thus creating a reusable plan others can learn and be inspired from.
4) Risk Management: In this new era where almost everything is in the cloud and hackers are targeting large and mid-sized companies to steal and sell their data, every risk analysis document/plan should take into consideration data security, customer privacy, access controls from the project team, and there should be an independent audit plan – often out of scope of the project and done by a different group for checks and balances. No project has no data so data is always a part of a project, sometimes more and sometimes less. Question number one is who should have access to the data and at what point? In today’s environment you should embrace a need to know policy and you should document that to reduce risks. You should also imagine a worst case scenario and be prepared for it and run this by the executive project sponsors, and/or risk officer if your company has one.
The general consensus is that a HVAC contractor for Target, Fazio Mechanical Services, who had access to Target’s networks got their own networks hacked via an e-mail phishing attack, normally an elementary attack method; yet that attack installed malware that then got onto Target’s network and installed more malware that copied personal data from Target’s payment processing terminals when it was in the “working memory area” or “cache” of the software/system – that is before it gets encrypted to be sent to the bank to be authorized. This is part of the reason why it was not detected so fast and yes these hackers were smart.
Yet Target did not take this alert seriously but why? Fear of change, ego, poor leadership, and too much bureaucracy got in the way of the costly software’s effectiveness. At the time of the breach FireEye was a new software tool for Target’s technology group and what I know about new technology is that people delay embracing and learning new systems of out of fear that those systems will be buggy or not as good as the old ones. I understand this very well having worked part time in the P.C. dept. at Best Buy for more than 3.7 years representing Intel and related software makers Microsoft, Symantec, Trend Micro, and Adobe. When Windows 8 came out all kinds of people were doubting it not because it was bad but because it was more work to get to know, and if they saw something really different about it, they were inclined to think it was a bug when in fact it was a useful design feature they didn’t yet understand. The same bias can be applied to Apple computers. People falsely think that they are immune from viruses because Apple designs them that way. What a joke. Apple computers are only as secure as their understanding of the latest virus. Yes it is true the Apple operating system is not targeted as much for viruses but it is also not used as much and it is hardly used by large companies and governments.
Although Prince is no lawyer, he has hired some great ones over the years, L. Londell Mcmillan – the famous entertainment lawyer and owner of the Source R&B Magazine, and Clive Davis – the Harvard Law educated record mogul, chart-topping producer, and long time record company CEO at Sony, Arista, and J records. Prince’s legal and business maneuvers have helped him win a legal case against his estranged half-sister, got him out of an unfavorable contract with Warner Bros in 1996 to redefine his brand under a new name thus renewing interest in his art, allowed him an open record deal at Arista Records in 1999, and in 2004 his business team came up with the idea to sell his album with each concert ticket sold for his large worldwide Musicology arena tour thus bringing his album sales numbers to the top of the Sound Scan charts in an unprecedented move. Yet Prince like the King / Elvis has lost a few battles, mostly due to his poor management style and huge ego. In one case a European court ordered him to pay $2.95 million dollars to a European concert promoted he stiffed — for good or bad reasons – Prince is indeed battle-tested. Yet presently he has renegotiated a new contract with Warner Bros to re-master and remarket Purple Rain and many of his best albums of years ago and for the most part, he gets the rights to the masters which is unheard of for most artists. Purple Rain helped broaden free speech in music for today, brought about “explicit lyrics” stickers, and encouraged multiculturalism in a band that has mass appeal.
Abstract Forward Consulting 