The 3 biggest failures that Microsoft has had to 'bitterly devour' in the last 10 years

Microsoft is instrumental in launching and revolutionizing the personal computer industry. From the early days of DOS to the current context of Windows, Office and other popular products, the company in many ways expanded and brought the benefits of technology to both consumers and consumers. businesses. But when the American giant tried to keep up with the market by trying different strategies, it also stumbled countless times, for many reasons. Here are three of the biggest failures Microsoft has encountered over the past decade.

Windows 8

Windows 8 interface

After achieving success with Windows 7, Microsoft tried to try something different with its next operating system update in 2012. Realizing that people no longer work solely on PCs, The company has tried to create a new hybrid version of Windows between PCs and tablets. But the problem is: When trying to satisfy everyone, Windows 8 has become an unpopular eccentric.

In an effort to become more tablet-friendly, Windows 8 has failed to attract desktop users who are still more comfortable with the standard Start menu, Desktop . Another familiar feature of Windows 7. Windows 8 also proved too eager to change itself. Instead of slowly redirecting users to a new way of doing things, Microsoft has rolled out a series of sudden changes at the same time. There is no Start button, the Start menu has been replaced by the Start screen, the new Desktop mode is difficult to use, the keyboard shortcuts are not intuitive, the annoyance of new settings and the old Control Panel.

Users who are familiar with Windows 7 now suddenly don't know where to go or what to do to perform familiar tasks in Windows 8. Consumers have no interest or patience to learn new things. And businesses also don't have the time or money to train employees on another operating system. In the end, Windows 8 failed collectively, with both consumers and corporations. With Windows 8.1, Microsoft tried to fix some bugs by returning the Start button and Desktop Mode to make it easier to use, but these are still late damage repair efforts.

Windows RT

Tablet running Windows RT

As if Windows 8 itself was not enough to bring about failure, Microsoft introduced a parallel version of the Windows operating system, aimed at the market of tablets and similar devices with low configuration. Designed for 32-bit ARM architecture, Windows RT is an attempt to come up with a lighter version of Windows, requiring no power from the CPU and x86 architecture. At the time, Apple's ARM-based iPad gained traction, so Microsoft needed a competing operating system and device in the form of a Surface RT tablet. But in designing Windows RT, Microsoft once again failed because it failed to properly address and meet customer needs.

First, Windows RT makes it difficult for users to run their favorite applications. Because in addition to the core integrated applications, the operating system only takes users to limited applications downloaded from the Windows Store, with very few software options.

Windows RT also offers Desktop mode, but is limited to certain Microsoft applications such as Office and Internet Explorer. You cannot install a third-party program like on a desktop computer, for example Adobe Photoshop. Not to mention, the experience of using touch screens with traditional Office applications is also an extreme.

Introducing Windows 8 and Windows RT at the same time is also one of Microsoft's biggest mistakes. Consumers have had difficulty trying to find the difference between these two types of operating systems and Microsoft has been too poor at trying to explain the advantages of one over the other.

Some vendors have tried to launch tablet devices running Windows RT, but have not been very successful, especially when competitors are low-cost Windows 8 tablets and iPads. Microsoft's Surface RT tablet also stumbles into life, forcing the company to swallow bitterly with $ 900 million worth of inventory. The final Windows RT tablet is the Nokia Lumia 2520, sold by Microsoft after the acquisition of Nokia's Lumia product line. But in 2015, Microsoft also had to withdraw this product line from the market, officially putting an end to Windows RT.

Windows Phone

Windows Phone went early but the wrong way.

Microsoft is known to be slow on mobile, but that's not entirely true. In 1996, many years before the iPhone and Android phones were born, Microsoft researched Windows CE for embedded devices. Windows CE finally turned into Windows Mobile in 2003, then became Windows Phone in 2010.

Windows Phone is not a bad operating system at all. In fact, it has earned a significant reputation for its unique design, fast speed, lots of customization and interesting features like Live Tiles. Devices running Windows Phone, most notably the Nokia Lumia series, are praised for their screen, color, camera, cheap price and more. But Microsoft's efforts are too little and too late.

When iPhones and Android phones dominated the mobile market, Microsoft struggled to attract device manufacturers and application developers into the Windows Phone ecosystem. Retailers and carriers have made no effort to boost the market for Windows Phone devices compared to iOS and Android. As a result, customers don't see a compelling reason why they should choose a Windows Phone device.

A Reddit user, claiming to be a Nokia engineer, recently cited some of his own reasons for the failure of Windows Phone. Specifically, Microsoft has underestimated Google, especially when the search engine giant played a trick by blocking access to Windows Phone to popular applications like YouTube and Google Maps. Another problem is that people have combined Windows Phone with Windows 8, paying attention to both to make both fail. Not to mention, Microsoft is also quite conservative in testing new areas and platforms, so in 2014, when most mobile users were stable and stable in the iOS or Android ecosystem, no one had Motivation to try another platform.

Microsoft finally bought the Lumia product line from Nokia as a late effort to try to gain third place in the mobile sector. But the company continued to see its small market share shrinking, then forced it to retire in 2017. Since then, Microsoft has been focusing on creating applications. Apps and services for iOS and Android. The company is planning a new mobile phone in the near future, with a folding screen called the Surface Duo. But it will run the Android operating system.

Refer to Techrepublic