Microsoft (MSFT) May Break Mold with New Windows 8 Platform
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If you're are a Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) investor, you're going to love this.
Microsoft is expected to release its Windows 8 operating system later on in 2012, and much speculation has surrounded the next generation of Windows. Some have mulled that the next Windows will be specifically designed for the tablet PC, a market which Microsoft has notably struggled to gain a foothold in.
But those aren't true, according to Digitimes. After getting a look at Windows 8's architecture, Digitimes believes it will be a PC-based OS which will expand into the tablet PC realm.
This will give Microsoft plenty of advantages, with the biggest and most obvious advantage being Microsoft's ability to build-up a large user base quickly with shipments of millions of Windows platforms annually.
Some drawbacks include a license fee of $70 to $80 per tablet for Windows 8, which would increase the cost of Windows 8-based PCs. Also, there might be some limitations for those consumers who don't need to upgrade their PC yet.
But, Digitimes thinks Microsoft will adapt a more flexible license fee mechanism, charging customers based on tablet functionality instead of a general base price.
Finally, Microsoft might aim to launch a new set of mobile phones in 2013 or 2014, which use Windows 8 and other software components developed for tablet PC applications.
Nothing has come out of Microsoft specifically on Windows 8 recently. Microsoft will be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, for it's final time, and there is expected to be more information on Windows 8 released toward the end of February.
With Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) dominating the tablet market (as well as the smartphone market), investors will be chomping at the bit to see what Microsoft is conjuring up for it's next generation OS, and how it will integrate into the latest and greatest consumer electronics devices.
Shares of Microsoft are slightly lower Wednesday.
Microsoft is expected to release its Windows 8 operating system later on in 2012, and much speculation has surrounded the next generation of Windows. Some have mulled that the next Windows will be specifically designed for the tablet PC, a market which Microsoft has notably struggled to gain a foothold in.
But those aren't true, according to Digitimes. After getting a look at Windows 8's architecture, Digitimes believes it will be a PC-based OS which will expand into the tablet PC realm.
This will give Microsoft plenty of advantages, with the biggest and most obvious advantage being Microsoft's ability to build-up a large user base quickly with shipments of millions of Windows platforms annually.
Some drawbacks include a license fee of $70 to $80 per tablet for Windows 8, which would increase the cost of Windows 8-based PCs. Also, there might be some limitations for those consumers who don't need to upgrade their PC yet.
But, Digitimes thinks Microsoft will adapt a more flexible license fee mechanism, charging customers based on tablet functionality instead of a general base price.
Finally, Microsoft might aim to launch a new set of mobile phones in 2013 or 2014, which use Windows 8 and other software components developed for tablet PC applications.
Nothing has come out of Microsoft specifically on Windows 8 recently. Microsoft will be at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV, for it's final time, and there is expected to be more information on Windows 8 released toward the end of February.
With Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) and Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) dominating the tablet market (as well as the smartphone market), investors will be chomping at the bit to see what Microsoft is conjuring up for it's next generation OS, and how it will integrate into the latest and greatest consumer electronics devices.
Shares of Microsoft are slightly lower Wednesday.
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