Microsoft ready to find its voice after being drowned out by Apple

Trailling rivals Google and Apple, the apps and OS developer showed it still has a few tricks up its sleeve at recent conference.

The Nokia Oyj Lumia 1520, left, and Nokia Lumia Icon smartphones are displayed at the Microsoft Developers Build Conference in San Francisco this month. Microsoft is adding a voice-controlled digital Show more

At this year’s Build Developer Conference: the Next Generation of Modern Apps, held in San Francisco, it was evident that Microsoft was looking to shake things up.

Windows OS on mobile devices currently trails leaders Google and Apple. Microsoft’s operating system has long been playing catch-up with the competition, and now it is looking to narrow that gap with new features and an evolving ecosystem.

Personal digital assistants are nothing new on smartphones; Apple has Siri and Google has Google Now. It was only a matter of time until Microsoft revealed its version. Que Cortana, named after the character in the popular Halo Xbox game, does everything you’d expect from a personal assistant, with the addition of some interesting new features on Windows Phone 8.1.

Cortana can be operated via voice or text. Her scope includes the usual list of operations – composing emails, making calls, scheduling appointments, and searching the web. The interesting thing about Cortana is that she learns, and over time gathers information about you, your interests, and your habits. The addition of the Notebook feature lets users manually input their personal information for her to learn and make use of in the future.

Apart from Cortana, Windows Phone 8.1 brings with it a list of much-awaited features. Among them is Action Center: essentially, a drop-down notification centre that gives users the latest updates, notifications, and quick access to controls like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Airplane Mode. Shape Writing keyboard is Microsoft’s answer to the popular Android Swype keyboard, which allows users to input text by merely tracing over the desired letters of the keyboard. The addition of Wi-Fi Sense simplifies the process of logging into free and trusted networks by automatically accepting their terms and conditions, ultimately allowing for quicker and easier access.

According to the market research company IDC, although the addition of Cortana and some of the above-mentioned features are nothing new on other operating systems, it was essential for Microsoft to provide them in order to remain relevant and competitive. Whether they are used or not, customers have come to expect these options be available on their device.

Another feature that customers expect and cannot live without is an app store filled with the latest and hottest offerings; a major weakness in Microsoft’s arsenal, which can be attributed to its 6 per cent market share in the Middle East and Africa region (as recorded in IDC’s handset tracker).

Microsoft has been slowly and continually improving on its app ecosystem. Although still a far distance from the competition, Microsoft’s newly announced universal apps are tasked with narrowing that gap and bringing more developers to the ecosystem. Basically allowing developers to produce an app for one device and port it to any other Windows device with little effort – whether smartphone, tablet, PC or even Xbox. Payment for the user, if any, will depend on the developer. They may offer the app for free, have a pay-once feature (the app for all devices with a single payment) or require payment per platform. Microsoft’s Windows Phone Store will need to follow in the footsteps of Apple’s App Store and Google Play if it wishes to level the playing field.

However, now that Microsoft has caught up, the gap is likely to widen again soon, as Apple and Android are set to unveil the latest iterations of their operating systems this year. iOS 8 and Android 4.5 are likely to have newly tweaked interfaces and updates to existing apps as well as new apps, some of which will focus on health and fitness to accompany wearable devices.

Customers have grown accustomed to the operating systems that they use day in and day out. Upgrades allow an OS to remain relevant by offering something new while remaining familiar. Shocking users will push them to another OS or device, according to IDC.

Nokia’s smartphones will be among the first to sport Windows Phone 8.1. The Lumia 930 will serve as the company’s flagship device, while its Lumia 630 and Lumia 635 will cater to their popular and expanding lower-end markets.

Samsung, HTC and Sony have all released their flagship Android devices for this year and will likely rest on the success they enjoyed last year. The market’s game- changer will come from Apple, which will release its much-anticipated iPhone 6 later this year. To remain competitive against Android phones, Apple is likely to release the new iPhone in three screen sizes; 4, 4.7, and 5.5 inches. Expect the iPhone 6 to shatter sales records and gain back significant ground that was lost to Android, bringing its share of the MEA market closer to 10 per cent, according to IDC.

The biggest news of the conference, however, was related to licensing fees.

Microsoft will now be offering its Windows OS free of charge on any device measuring less than 9 inches. Times have changed, especially in the mobile space. The post-PC era is upon us, and Windows is at risk of being left behind in a race led by Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS.

Microsoft’s success will require an army of vendors and developers to push the Windows platform’s growth and popularity. IDC expects vendors already on the Windows bandwagon to reaffirm their commitment to the OS, many others to jump on, and a new wave of Windows devices to hit the market.

According to IDC, Microsoft’s announcements during this year’s conference indicate the need for something drastically different in order to survive. Under its new leadership, the company is catching up with the times, even if a little late. Expect Android and iOS to continue dominating the OS market in 2014. But Microsoft has shown it has the fight to become a leader once again, in time.

Saad Elkhadem is a research analyst at IDC Middle East Turkey and Africa

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