Microsoft opens Windows 10 to revive growth

With the launch of new operating system Windows 10, Microsoft believes that it can reach its target of billion devices with a set of features that is aimed to please both individual and enterprise users.

Three years after it launched Windows 8, this latest edition of the software that runs in 8 out of 10 computers in the world, also marks another chapter in the company’s efforts to woo a cross-section of customers who have started to move away from some of Microsoft's applications.

Amongst a host of features, Bhaskar Pramanik, Chairman of Microsoft India, told BusinessLine that that this release is more personal, with features such as a personal digital assistant, added security features and a phone companion app that enables iPhone, Android and Windows users to work on Windows devices.

Pramanik calls the latest edition as a watershed moment for the Redmond-based giant and it feels that the proof is finally in the pudding. “We believe that the combination of our app ecosystem and new features such as security will help propel the usage of Windows 10,” he said.

CEO Satya Nadella who is in Kenya for the launch, tweeted: “Arrived in Kenya to celebrate @Windows 10 launch with fans & learn how tech is #empowering Kenyan people & orgs.”

With the launch of Windows 10 – a free upgrade for users of Windows 7 and 8 versions, Microsoft believes that it can reach its target of billion devices in the next three years.

“A new era of Windows starts today. From the beginning, Windows 10 has been unique — built with feedback from over 5 million fans, delivered as a service and offered as a free upgrade,” said Terry Myerson, Executive Vice- President, Windows and Devices Group, at Microsoft.

In India, the company is banking on 1,500 retail stores and push from device makers such as Lenovo, Dell, Acer, iBall, Micromax and others to push Windows 10 across different kids of devices.