Has “Windows” become a liability to Microsoft’s mobile strategy?

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Using the name “Windows” brings all sorts of baggage. InfoWorld Tech Watch.
[See the full post at: Has “Windows” become a liability to Microsoft’s mobile strategy?]

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No, I don;t think it is. In fact, I think it’s a conscious marketing strategy from MS. Win8 is clearly not gearing up to be a replacement for a “real” (work-grade) PC, with its lack of a start menu, and lack of built-in DVD playback support.

The lack of DVD playback is a clear indication that Win8 is aimed at PCs that don’t have DVD drives: fondleslabs and dumbphones.

As for the lack of a start button, are we really going to be satisfied with zillions of unrecognizable icons on the Metro desktop? No, not for a serious work machine. That would only be acceptable on a lightl used dumbed down toy like a fondleslab or a dumbphone.

The emphasis on a finger-happy interface, too, is an indication that Win8 is designed to be for fondleslabs and dumbphones.

I think MS is bringing Win8 to the market to help sell its Nokia phones and whatever portion of the tablet market it can still grab away from iPads & Linux.

It’s JUST a name, though, and perhaps some small indicator that our other Windows apps MIGHT run on Win8, on those sexy brainless toys.

Win8 is certainly not aimed at highly productive PCs in the workplace nor at home. Trust, those guys will be sticking with their XP or Win7, already having been burned by the thousands of unnecessary menu changes and rearrangements between XP and Win7. Anyone who wants to be productive with their PC is not going to saddle themselves with yet another senseless cycle of “learn to do what you already know how to do on the older O/S”.

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Microsoft certainly seems to think it will sell more Lumia Phones by not referencing their Windows OS, judging from their TV ads in the US. On phones at least, the Windows brand has already become a liability. And this is straight from Microsoft’s own commercials.

On Tablets, it would be harder to conceal that there really is a Windows OS inside the devices. There, just branding the entire Tablet “Metro” or “RT” probably won’t sell many devices.

So it remains to be seen, but I’m thinking MS will drop “Windows” from the RT brand on ARM Tablets. It won’t help much, but this entire OS iteration is looking more and more like a “Hail Mary” Pass.

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