AccordingtoEdwards,Microsoftwillbeputtingmore ofits
effortsintothebusinessspacein2016.“IexpectMicrosoft
willfocusonhelpinglargeenterprisesprotectandsecure their
computingassets,whetherdesktop,server, mobileorInternetof
Things,”hesays.“Dataprotectionhastobetopoftheagenda,
whichmeanspreventingdataleakagewithminimalimpactto
employeesandtheirworkpractices.I alsoexpectMicrosoftwill
matchitsclient-sideeffortswithcloudandon-premisesinformation
securitymanagementservicesandproducts.”
Microsoftisexpectedtopromotethesmoothupgradepath
oftheOS,showcasinghowproductive,secure andcompliant
Windows 10 canbe.It willalsobepromotingthefuture of
Windows 10 beyond2016,declaringit tobethelastversionof
Windows,a statementgivingbusinessestheconfidencethatthey
canupgradetoit andnotfeelthatsomethingelseisgoingtocome
alongandsupplantit ina fewyearstime.Servicebrancheswill
tailorWindows 10 tobusinessneeds,andit shouldprovidea boost
totheoperatingsystemandthePCmarketingeneral.
WindowsStore
EdwardsalsobelievesthatMicrosoftwillputa hugeeffortinto
WindowsStore forBusinessthisyear. It emergedinNovemberas
a waytoquicklyfindandinstallappseitherontheirownoren
masse,andit lookssettoberolledoutaspartofa Windows 10
upgradein2016.“Itwillbethego-toplaceforapplicationsthat
helpemployeesgetworkdone,”Edwardstellsus.“Butwhilethe
WindowsStore forBusinesswillhelpITdepartmentsprovisionand
deploynewUniversalWindowsApps(home-grownandCOTS)to
Windows 10 computersanddevices,Microsoftcan’t ignore those
‘old’Win32applications.Applicationvirtualisationtechnologywill
helphere,butit willneedtobefully‘operationalised’.”
Microsoftwon’t beforgettingconsumers,though.Windows
Store willalsobeenhancedfurther, withgreaterpromotionof
universalWindowsapps.Wesawa schemeinAmericaover
Christmas,whichallowedcustomerstopicktenofthebest 2015
albumsforfree.TheideaistointroducepeopletotheWindows
Store andencouragethemtouseit inthefuture.It’s a crucial,
money-spinningareaforMicrosoftthatbringssoftware,mobile
apps,gamesandentertainmentintooneplace.
Browsing
WhatofMicrosoftEdge?Edwardsexpectsit willreceivemultiple
updatesthroughout2016.“Thewebbrowserisalsopartoftoday’s
applicationplatformstory,”hesays.Extensionswere settobebuilt
intotheEdgebrowserlastyear, buttheywere delayed,soyoucan
expecttoseethemintegratedoverthecomingmonthsinstead.A
leakinDecembershowedthatextensionswere comingsoontoa
Previewversion,andthere wasa webpagemadebyMicrosoftthat
announced“Extensionsare here!”,whichwasswiftlytakendown.
It showedthePinterestPinIt buttonandtheRedditEnhancement
Suite,andit alsosaidthatextensionswouldbemanuallyaddedto
enhancetheexperienceofthebrowser.
AdBlockPlushasalreadybeenconfirmedasoneofthe
extensionsthatwillbemadeavailable,controversiallycontinuing
itsjobofblockingadvertsfromwebsitesinkeepingwithits
abilitiesonChrome,Safari,OperaandFirefox.Ontopofthat,this
monthisseeingtheChakraJavaScriptengineoftheEdgebrowser
openedupasanopen-sourceprojectonGitHub.Ina blogpostOnTheSurface
As well as concentratingon the operatingsystem,
Microsofthas an interestin hardware,withthe Surface
Bookan importantflagshipelement.Last yearwasn’t
greatfor the device,though.It was proneto crashes,
sufferedbatteryproblems,and the screensometimesfell
shortof expectation.
But RichardEdwards,PrincipalResearchAnalystat Ovum,
says Microsoftwill workon the hardwareand comeup
withsomethingspectacularthis year. “Myhardwarepunt
for 2016is a SurfaceBook(‘GalaxyClass’),wherethe screen
separateslike it doestoday, only the screenwill actuallybe
an Intel-basedtabletrunningWindows10 Mobile.
“Continuumwill takecare of the ‘saucerseparation’
manoeuvre,just like you’veseenonStarTrek, and Office
365 will be the gluethat makesthe conceptwork.Both
deviceswouldoperateindependentlywhenseparate,
thoughof coursethe baseunit will requirea displayof
somekind.”