Review of 2017 by Microsoft

The article is in the 2017 summation series of technology giants in the world. Invite readers interested in following this series here Looking back at the year 2017 of technology giants in the world.

If 2016 is the year for the back-to-back failures, 2017 is the year that Microsoft is fully focused. Over the past 12 months, they have successfully implemented a plan to become a formidable competitor in the field of cloud computing. It is now a big part of Microsoft and will continue to grow next year. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also revealed Microsoft's future targeting artificial intelligence, mixed reality and quantum computing. We have seen the work they do in all three areas this year, even if quantum computing and artificial intelligence are still very far away.

1. AWS and Azure dominate the cloud world, above all, no one wins
2. Microsoft shook hands with Amazon to beat Google rival cloud computing

Microsoft has pointed out its future and started to win in the cloud but still keeps doing better every year making its name: Windows. This year there are two major Creators updates on Windows 10, aimed at Mixed Reality, 3D Paint and improved pen / touch manipulation. Microsoft continues to update Windows 10 with new features and when it is near the third anniversary of this OS, it seems that Windows 11 will not appear.

Besides Windows, Microsoft has a quite important year with hardware products. At the beginning of the year, we have a Laptop Surface, although it was a bit unexpected but still welcome. The Surface Pro and Surface Book also release new models. Surface Book 2 15 inch is the biggest change next to Surface Laptop. But Surface Studio PC has not changed much.

Surface Laptop serial line of Microsoft Surface

Surface is not the only product, this year also launched Xbox One X very well. Called Project Scorpio, this game machine could beat Sony's PS4 Pro when playing 4K games, but Microsoft still lacks proprietary games. One of the biggest games is Player Unknown's Battlegrounds, released exclusively on Xbox One this year. It is the most played game in 2017 and such products will help them compete with Sony's PS4.

This year also saw the introduction of Windows Mixed Reality, virtual reality headset for Windows 10 PC users, used with Windows Store or SteamVR applications and games. A great advantage of Mixed Reality is that there is no need for sensors in the room. Headset recognizes the room itself so you only need to plug in the laptop, PC and device will set up itself. There are already many headsets for Acer, Dell, HP, Lenovo or Samsung on the market, and next year there will be even more when Microsoft continues to contribute.

Headset of Windows Mixed Reality virtual reality

2017 is also the year Microsoft launched Windows 10 laptop running ARM. Only HP and Asus officially revealed, but the laptop is only in early 2018. These laptops use Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 chip and Microsoft promises to work all day. This is a challenge for Intel, which dominates the PC market. MIcrosoft also creates emulator tools for Windows 10 to open desltop applications on ARM processors. If you really have a good battery and work well, 2018 will be an exciting year for Windows laptops.

1. Microsoft and Qualcomm introduced Windows 10 running ARM chips all day without running out of batteries
2. 5 things to know about Qualcomm Snapdragon 845 chip

In 2017, Microsoft also spent time cleaning up unsuccessful products. They died Groove Music, stopped producing Kinect and confirmed the death of Windows Phone. Now, they focus on Android, iOS applications and even help mobile work more effectively with Windows 10. This strategy will bring many benefits to Windows users and make 2018 very promising. appointment.

Microsoft officially declared Kinect

One thing that Microsoft doesn't focus on this year is UWP applications, in part because Windows Phone is dead. Instead they expect the developer to put the app on the Windows Store, creating a version that works on both Windows, Xbox and Mixed Reality. iTunes is also capable of going to Store this year, but Apple needs more time than expected, so it is not sure.

The folding device received a lot of attention

In the last year, Microsoft's mobile predictions for the coming year will become more and more interesting. Some patents show that they are experimenting with devices that fold quite similar to Courier before. It's hard to say if it can hit the market, but rumors say Microsoft wants it as a notepad with a stylus. Maybe this is a Surface Phone but Microsoft has not said specifically about this device. Hopefully next year, Windows 10 machines running ARM can bring some competing products to traditional laptrops.

See more:

1. Turns out the Surface Phone, Microsoft's folded phone looks like this
2. How is Microsoft turning Android into a mobile OS for Windows?
3. Microsoft's dream of Windows on phones is dead, now is the time for Plan B