The W10 Universal App Strategy

[jlzimmerman]

]MS is banking on the all-device-encompassing W10 platform to help bridge the app gap with their universal app strategy. Nadella and crew are gambling on the fact that the enormous user base of desktop/Xbox users will entice developers to create apps, which of course can then be easily molded to W10M use. This sounds like a great move until you bring up the fact that developers hardly develop apps for desktop. And why would they? Every W10 desktop machine is a powerhouse (compared to smartphones) with full-blown internet browsers with HTML5, Flash, CSS, and Javascript support. Why download an app when you can just use the website? Companies like Chase are not going to come back and create a W10M app when their site works just fine on the desktop. The Windows Store predictably has slim pickings because of this. And if there is no app, create a desktop shortcut to the site BAM! Instant app. If a developer isn’t going to make an app for 1 billion desktop users then they probably aren’t going to bring it to 60 million W10M users.

There are, of course, instances where apps are for mobile by nature, such as WP holdout SnapChat. No amount of universal app strategy is going to solve issues like this.

Apps were made to be for mobile phone. Steve Jobs started this whole you-must-have-apps-to-be-a-complete-human FUD. This is because web pages on the iPhone and iPad were/are complete garbage. I avoid the WWW on my iPad like the plague. Web development standards are the wild wild west. Some sites continue to be more mobile-friendly on my WP compared to my iPhone. Still, this whole app thing wouldn’t be an issue if web developers created a great mobile-friendly, complete web site to begin with.

And perhaps that is the silver lining in all this. If web developers started making web sites truly mobile friendly (the whole appeal of the WWW was because it was supposed to be platform agnostic) then maybe there would be very little need for apps. And this is where MS could actually say the app gap is closed.

Regardless, I hope the suits at MS and all their wisdom are correct in their gamble.

 

[colinkiama]

Honestly it could fail since native apps were only created because mobile web experiences weren't that good.

At the same time windows devices nowadays come in so many form factors. People that use the surface tablets tend to want to use apps tailored touch more than desktop apps (well at least the reviewers say so) universal apps really helps those users as well they prefer to have a native app rather than use a website.

 

[dkp23]

Here is MS's universal app strat in a nutshell so far. They wont even make skype a universal app, way to back your strat.

 

[jlzimmerman]

To add, there are always variables such as internet connection. If you don’t have one you need an app. But almost all apps require some kind of connection. If they don’t, most likely the app already exists for the ecosystem or exists natively to the phone (i.e. calendar, spreadsheet, calculators, etc..). And there are instances where some apps would be infinitely better than a great mobile site simply because it can be designed to more easily utilize phone resources such as the camera or SMS.

There’s also the issue of developer contempt against MS too. How many times is MS going to revamp their ecosystem. I still read plenty of hate regarding MS trashing of Silverlight.

 

[colinkiama]

Here is MS's universal app strat in a nutshell so far. They wont even make skype a universal app, way to back your strat.

Because it's being integrated into the messaging app.

 

[rhapdog]

First, let me say that Microsoft isn't worried about the apps in the short term. They have already stated this. Windows 10 isn't about trying to compete with iOS or Android, period. They are working on trying to create the next big thing AFTER smartphones. Microsoft predicted the next big thing after standard cell phones, but failed in the implementation. Apple mopped up the mess and brought their company back to life. Microsoft is good at predicting what will come next, it's their past implementation that has been hit and miss. I say hit and miss, because there have been more hits than misses. DOS = Hit. Windows 1 & 2 = Miss. Windows 3.1, 95, 98 = Hit. Windows Me? = MISS! Windows XP = Big Hit. Vista = Miss. 7 = Big Hit, 8 = Miss.

I believe 10 will be a big hit. I also believe what Microsoft has predicted as what will be next after smartphones is correct. I have been predicting the same thing for 10 years, before the iPhone came out. Even after the iPhone came out, I always thought it would be short lived, and would be eventually made obsolete by newer, more capable technology. We are finally at that point where technology can bring us forward.

The Intel chips rumored to be in Windows 10 for Mobile in 2016, though perhaps slow by laptop/desktop standards of today, would be like a supercomputer 20 years ago. They will be powerful enough to handle most people's needs with modest desktop apps when docked to monitor, keyboard, and mouse. Families that currently have to choose between a smartphone and a computer for kids schoolwork will no longer have to make that choice. In another 20 years, SoCs will be powerful enough to handle most intensive processing that require desktops today. Things are changing. They are moving forward. The future is touch technology for phones, tablets, laptops, desktops, walls, air (with hololens or some sort of holo-projector in the future). Microsoft sees this, and is embracing it. By the time Apple and Android figure it out, they are going to have a hard time catching up.

Will Windows 10 bring more apps to mobile? Not at first. However, the future of Windows 10 will bring apps because of touch interfaces becoming more common, and needing apps to accommodate those interfaces. I have a touch screen laptop, and find myself using apps instead of desktop programs for everything possible. The only thing holding me back from wanting more apps is the fact that apps are always full-screen. Windows 10 changes that, and I will want multiple apps in windows on the desktop now. Calculator, Spreadsheet, Book readers, Browser, to-do lists, etc. I prefer all these as touch whenever possible.

When I bought my laptop, I thought, "yeah, touch is just a gimmick. Give me a keyboard and mouse any day." But, I found it on a sale that was better in price for comparable specs to another laptop I was considering, so I thought, "eh, I'll give it a try." I can't imagine how I ever got by without one. Now when I have to sit at a computer that isn't touch enabled, I think to myself, "How do people stand this?"

It's coming. People are going to want more touch apps for their tablets, laptops, and, over time, desktops. New Windows 10 desktops sold will likely all be touch screen, as will new Windows 10 Laptops. I can't imagine why a manufacturer would release new Windows 10 hardware without touch being enabled. It just wouldn't make sense. I suppose a few local "build it shops" that are selling custom built desktops may not.

I also would imagine with the release of Windows 10, you are going to see a lot more monitors hitting the market that are touch enabled for desktops. Prices on them will begin dropping as they are sold. Once Windows 10 is the dominant OS in the market, this will be a natural driving force. More people will begin to own them. As more people own and use touch screens, then more touch friendly apps will begin to surface.

You may agree or disagree with my predictions of where the future is going, but it's basically what Microsoft sees. People didn't know they needed an iPhone or a smart phone of any sort until it came on the market. Instant hit.

Windows 10 may not be an instant hit, but with the free upgrades, a large majority of people will be using it, and it will have met Microsoft's goal of a billion devices within 2 to 3 years. Within 5 years, because of Windows 10 being dominant, it will be as difficult to find a non-touch screen monitor then as it is to find a monitor now that is a CRT. Color CRT monitors made the old black and white, green screen, and amber screen monitors obsolete. LED monitors have made CRT monitors obsolete. Eventually, Touch will do the same. What's next? I'm hoping for holo-projectors that display a hologram where a screen should be. Yeah, that'd be cool.

 

[jlzimmerman]

I also would imagine with the release of Windows 10, you are going to see a lot more monitors hitting the market that are touch enabled for desktops. Prices on them will begin dropping as they are sold. Once Windows 10 is the dominant OS in the market, this will be a natural driving force. More people will begin to own them. As more people own and use touch screens, then more touch friendly apps will begin to surface.

You may agree or disagree with my predictions of where the future is going, but it's basically what Microsoft sees. People didn't know they needed an iPhone or a smart phone of any sort until it came on the market. Instant hit.

Windows 10 may not be an instant hit, but with the free upgrades, a large majority of people will be using it, and it will have met Microsoft's goal of a billion devices within 2 to 3 years. Within 5 years, because of Windows 10 being dominant, it will be as difficult to find a non-touch screen monitor then as it is to find a monitor now that is a CRT. Color CRT monitors made the old black and white, green screen, and amber screen monitors obsolete. LED monitors have made CRT monitors obsolete. Eventually, Touch will do the same. What's next? I'm hoping for holo-projectors that display a hologram where a screen should be. Yeah, that'd be cool.

I agree with some of what you wrote and like you're optimism. I hope you are correct. But I don't agree with the touch screen thing catching on outside of the tablet market. It is not ergonomically sound or comfortable to constantly go back and forth between the touchscreen and keyboard/mouse. People want to keep their hands in one location or the other. One reason W8 was loathed is because it but the mouse ergos on the back seat in favor of a larger, touch-friendly metro interface. So to balance between touch screen monitors and mouse you pretty much need to have the Metro interface which most people love to hate. It's good that MS finally has gotten their heads out of their a$$e$ and are giving users options with W10.

 

[rhapdog]

I agree with some of what you wrote and like you're optimism. I hope you are correct. But I don't agree with the touch screen thing catching on outside of the tablet market. It is not ergonomically sound or comfortable to constantly go back and forth between the touchscreen and keyboard/mouse. People want to keep their hands in one location or the other. One reason W8 was loathed is because it but the mouse ergos on the back seat in favor of a larger, touch-friendly metro interface. So to balance between touch screen monitors and mouse you pretty much need to have the Metro interface which most people love to hate. It's good that MS finally has gotten their heads out of their a$$e$ and are giving users options with W10.

I used to think that would be an issue going between touchscreen and keyboard/mouse. There are times when touchscreen is just more convenient than a mouse, and it is certainly more ergonomic and less likely to cause issues with Carpel Tunnel syndrome, to which extensive keyboard/mouse can contribute heavily. I know, I've had the surgeries for it.

At first I was rather put off by the touch screen. It was different, and I just didn't like the idea of getting fingerprints all over my screen. However, it has proved not to be an issue with an oleophobic coating. It took some getting used to, but I operate more efficiently by using all three and knowing when it is best to use which.

When I'm surfing the net, I just move the keyboard out of my way and use the touchscreen. It's much more intuitive. If I need to respond to a post, I can grab my wireless keyboard and respond. Very natural. I use my touchscreen on my desktop more than a lot of people use their mouse.

Yes, it's my opinion. I know a lot of people are resistant to change, but a whole new generation is going to grow up with this new way of doing things, and it will be more natural for people who are just learning. My Father-in-law, who just 10 years ago started getting on the computer, still tries to touch the screen for on-screen buttons, and he has never had a touchscreen. It's the way he has to interact with the Kiosk at work, and he thinks it should just work that way. He's got a keyboard and mouse, and a non-touch screen, and he still wants to try to touch the screen. I have a feeling a lot more people are that way than we realize. Perhaps one day soon, we'll start to find out for sure.