How Microsoft's cross-platform efforts are maturing into a great Microsoft experience

The advent of consumer-facing smartphones and app ecosystems began irresolute the confront of computing over a decade ago. No longer are Windows PCs the average consumer's primary computing device. iPhones and Android phones with touch-centric UIs, apps, constant-connectivity, and ultra-mobility are the earth's well-nigh "personal computers."

Microsoft realized, perhaps too belatedly, the importance of apps and a consumer-friendly mobile UI and platform. In 2022, continuing an existing Windows-on-phone strategy, Microsoft revamped its mobile OS. Information technology also strove to intertwine its mobile and desktop ecosystems via a Universal Windows Platform (UWP). It hoped to leverage its Windows PC install base of operations forcefulness to assist build an app ecosystem that would buttress Windows-on-phones (while its sights were set on a Windows-on-mobile strategy beyond smartphones). Sadly, Microsoft's smartphone efforts failed miserably.

Still, during the acme of Windows-on-telephone's struggles and in the wake of its decline Microsoft aggressively seeded iOS and Android with a plethora of start-party apps. It saw a presence on successful mobile platforms as meliorate than no presence at all. Though a kickoff-party mobile device and platform are paramount making rival phones "Microsoft phones" via a continual migration of apps is a reasonable Plan B or something more than. Microsoft'southward Windows PC personal computing legacy trained the visitor to provide a comprehensive OS, software and OEM partnership computing solution when computing was express to desktop PCs. The company'southward ambitions remain unchanged in a personal computing landscape where the Os is now the cloud, its software is cross-platform and device agnostic, and Surface pushes OEM partners to higher standards. Given computing'southward evolution, Microsoft'due south cantankerous-platform efforts would accept likely evolved in its electric current direction even if Windows-on-phone's succeeded though perhaps with less exterior criticism and internal urgency.

Microsoft apps everywhere

Microsoft has been criticized for its delivery to making bang-up get-go-political party app experiences on iOS and Android. What Microsoft was and is doing, still, is what it has always washed. It is edifice corking software for its get-go-political party operating system that it hopes volition dominate calculating. Historically that was Windows. Today and into the foreseeable future information technology is the cloud. Namely Azure.

Microsoft sees Azure as the globe'due south estimator and iOS, Android and Windows as sub-platforms that run on this super-platform. In this context, Microsoft's motivations to ensure bang-up software experiences on popular mobile platforms and Windows is an intent to ensure a bully Microsoft experience on the modernistic Microsoft OS – Azure. Microsoft's first-political party apps similar Function, To-Practice, Cortana, Outlook and dozens more work in sync with Windows. And this is the key. Microsoft apps on other platforms may have initially looked like a disconnected commitment to rival platforms and an abandonment of its own. This was not the case.

With Microsoft Graph connecting iOS and Android to Windows through the cloud, Cortana mediating user activity across devices, TimeLine and Your Phone keeping smartphones and Windows PCs in sync, a cohesive cloud-supported Microsoft experience is condign more axiomatic. The foundation of device-agnostic apps that work seamlessly across this cloud experience is essential to its success. Complementing this is enterprise-course device management with Intune for Enterprise and Intune for Teaching. A Microsoft experience with Azure as the OS and iOS, Android and Windows as interconnected platforms is Microsoft'south strategy.

Information technology's easier to sympathize, (though not concur with) Microsoft's motives for forsaking a languishing Windows-on-telephone platform, though much of its struggles were self-inflicted, from this perspective. Still, mobile calculating is an access point to ecosystems. Thus, succeeding with its Surface Andromeda Pocket PC is key to Microsoft complementing its cross-platform deject efforts to drive more mobile users to its ecosystem.

Surface demonstrates aspirational hardware and feel

Surface is demonstrating an optimal integration of PC hardware and Windows software. Surface Pen combined with Windows Ink'south integration throughout the Bone and Microsoft apps, and hardware that reclines 165-degrees or detaches from its keyboard shows the versatility of input modalities. Moving between laptop and tablet mode supported by Continuum that switches the OS accordingly demonstrates how hardware and software arrange to user context. This 2-in-ane, high-finish hardware has been emulated by OEM partners that take created devices that compare and even surpass Surface in some areas.

Though Surface demonstrates optimal hardware and Windows 10 experience Microsoft's Yusef Mehdi, Vice President of Modern Life and Device Group stressed it too demonstrates a broader work and life PC experience. Mehdi stressed a five colonnade work/life delivery that is a manifestation of a vision former CEO Steve Ballmer outlined in 2022 and current CEO Satya Nadella pushed after becoming CEO.

Microsoft'southward work and life commitment starts with Surface and includes organizing users lives with Outlook and To-Do. Keeping experiences flowing between PC and phone with Your Phone and Timeline. Providing enterprise-course security across personal devices. And supporting creativity with artificial intelligence and 3D. Microsoft's goal is that OEM partners emulate the hardware, and work-life experiences Surface enables.

Microsoft's cantankerous-platform efforts are growing up

Microsoft's decisions to invest so heavily in other platforms isn't just about survival. Information technology'south too a manifestation of an awareness of a potential to continue a legacy of providing a leading computing OS albeit being Azure and not Windows.

With Android investments going back to Cyanogen, a highly successful Android launcher and increasing Android and Windows integration it will exist interesting to see how far Microsoft will go.

With Google'south OEM partners in the European union no longer prohibited from making Android phones that don't accept Google services there could exist a benefit in Microsoft making an Android phone with Microsoft Launcher every bit a UI. Such a determination has many shortcomings, only with its unprecedented openness and cantankerous-platform investments, at that place are some pros to an Android phone Microsoft may consider equally its cross-platform efforts mature. I have my reservations, merely will Microsoft?