Microsoft is expanding its initiative to have a variant of its Windows operating system on as many devices as possible. At the same time, it discussed a more universal version of Windows for devices other than computers and tablets, and also announced that it would offer these versions of Windows to users and developers for free. Also free will be Windows installations on devices with screens smaller than nine inches. The move is intended to widen the install base of mobile versions of Windows, and will likely drive adoption of Microsoft-branded services such as Skype, Office, and OneDrive.
The moves are in constrast to ex-CEO Bill Gates' philosophy of paid software. New CEO Satya Nadella spoke at the end of today's Build conference, and in a canned and curated question-and-answer session spoke to a realignment of Microsoft, and a reinvention, likening the current stage of the company's development as similar to when Gates and company ported Microsoft Basic to an assortment of operating systems and computers in the dawn of the home computer era.
Top