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Windows 10: new opportunity or channel threat?

Nicola Mawson
By Nicola Mawson, Contributor.
Johannesburg, 22 Jan 2015
Microsoft's Windows 10 is a catalyst for the channel to reinvent itself.
Microsoft's Windows 10 is a catalyst for the channel to reinvent itself.

Windows 10 - showcased last night by software giant Microsoft - will be a boon for consumers who cannot wait to get rid of its predecessor.

However, the new OS, set for release during SA's spring, will initially hamper the local channel, as upgrades from Windows 8.1 and 7 will be free.

Windows 10, like its predecessor, will also not boost hardware sales in the short-term, notes Steve Kleynhans, VP of Gartner's Mobile and Client Computing Group. He adds PC sales are starting to pick up again, after bottoming out in recent years, but will not reach the "huge growth we saw a decade ago".

Yet, all is not doom and gloom for the embattled channel, as the launch of Windows 10 is a "superb catalyst for the channel to reinvent itself", notes Word Wide Worx MD Arthur Goldstuck. The channel could benefit from offering value-added services, such as download centres for those who want to upgrade, while software developers can look forward to Microsoft's expanded ecosystem, which is set to include new devices and form factors.

Enterprise impact

AxizWorkgroup Microsoft executive Traci Maynard, whose initial impressions of the OS are generally favourable, says users who want to try the latest OS will either be consumers or developers, rather than business professionals. Businesses will want to make sure their current infrastructure will support the new OS before they invest, and only time will tell whether Microsoft's claims of ease of installation are true, she adds.

Kleynhans notes Windows 10 will impact the enterprise as companies will need to relook app, device and user management to cater for the introduction of the new OS.

Windows 10 offers new options for securing information, additional development tools, and new types of interaction, he notes. Among the new features highlighted last night is that Windows 10 adapts to the devices customers are using, and is its most secure platform ever.

"Enterprises will need a lot of help to figure out how to effectively leverage all of the new options presented by Windows 10. This creates a need for new skill sets, driving training and consulting opportunities. This could be a bigger opportunity than that created by the shift from Windows XP to Windows 7."

In addition, the new OS could boost sales in high-end two-in-one tablets, says Maynard. Last night, Terry Myerson, executive VP of the operating systems group at Microsoft, said Windows 10 allows users to easily move between tablet and more traditional keyboard and mouse form factors when working with two-in-one devices.

GfK senior product manager Nicolet Pienaar notes the market is ready to grow the tablet PC form factor, which is at about 6% of the overall market. She hopes Windows 10 will enable the market to accommodate a mid-range, well "speced" tablet PC to grow this sector and to bridge the gap between traditional PC and tablet.

Word to the wise

Although the channel will not benefit from a "great payday" on the back of the launch, it has an opportunity to "think out of the office" and offer on-site installation, education and optimisation services for users, says Goldstuck.

In addition, says ICT veteran Adrian Schofield, this creates opportunities for the channel to provide upgrades in instances when people cannot download the OS.

IT4Africa head Guy Whitcroft adds, if Windows 10 is successful in reaching across multiple platforms, being stable and gaining user acceptance, it would stimulate software and app development.

"It is likely that once users start working with Windows 10, they will become more inclined to want a new device to really access all of the new platform's features. That could bode well for PC sales in late 2016 and beyond."

Windows has amended the 'charm bar' to be more user-friendly, integrated better control over settings, and made it possible to easily interact with apps.

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