Microsoft launches Windows 10 operating system

NEW DELHI: Microsoft has launched its much-awaited Windows 10 operating system with an eye on reviving its fortunes in the mobile devices market, as consumers shift from PCs to smartphones and tablets, hurting the software maker’s revenue from its breadand-butter computing devices. "Globally, the expectation is that by 2018 there will be over 1.5 billion devices with Windows 10," Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik told ET on Wednesday.

Being the world’s second largest and fastest growing smartphone market, India becomes critical to Microsoft’s strategy in the mobile devices space and will mirror worldwide adoption trends. The company’s India arm has got multiple partners such as Acer, Asus, Dell, HP, Micromax and Lenovo who will bring laptops, tablets, hybrid laptops and PCs on the Windows 10 platform. According to Pramanik, some of these may be available in the retail space in the next few months, while worldwide stores will begin getting new devices between mid-August and September.

Redmond-based Microsoft plans to come out with a flagship smartphone for Windows 10 operating system besides handsets across price segments on the new platform this year. "You can expect the flagship devices," said Vineet Durani, director, Windows Business Group, Microsoft India. "We will build phones for business users, as we are very strong in the enterprise space, we'll bring all our services and capabilities. The third category we'll focus on is the value segment," he said. Pramanik said companies today operate in a challenging environment, with regular instances of hacking into services. "Windows 10 has the best security features, whether it’s at the personal level or enterprise level. That I think is the one of the strongest reasons why people are looking at how fast they can adopt Windows 10," he said.

Microsoft is hoping to claw back lost market share in the devices space through phones for business users and the budget segment. Nokia, once the market leader, fell sharply off pace, and even after its acquisition, the Microsoft-branded devices haven’t cut much ice with consumers. In fact, Microsoft recently announced a record $3.2 billion quarterly loss on $22.2 billion in revenue, owing to an almost total write-off of the Nokia phone business it bought for $7.5 billion last year.

In the quarter ended June, Microsoft had 8.1 per cent share of the overall Indian handset market, but significantly lesser in the smartphone space, as per Counterpoint Research. Market leader Samsung was way ahead with nearly 19 per cent and 24.5 per cent market share, respectively. As per Goldman Sachs’ estimates, in 2000, Windows ran on 97 per cent of the world’s consumer computing devices, including phones and tablets. Today, it’s under 20 per cent, underlining the need for Microsoft to improve performance.

The company has pinned its revival hopes to the Windows 10 OS, which by virtue of working seamlessly across platforms—handsets, tablets and desktops. The new OS gives a window into the future as well, with its ability to connect to Internet of Things, offering it a much needed turn around and power to compete with the likes of Apple.