Could Windows 9's Killer Feature See It Outsell Windows 7?

  Antony Leather Contributor

If there’s one thing that Microsoft MSFT -0.24% is keen to achieve with each iteration of its operating system, it’s universal appeal. We last saw this with Windows 7, which admittedly was launched at the start of the tablet and touchscreen notebook craze, but nonetheless, it’s the last operating system I remember that all my tech buddies went out and bought on day one. It was essentially Windows XP, but better.

It was faster, better-looking, more stable, had built-in solid state disk support and included nifty features such as Snap and the Snipping tool – things I use practically every day and Snap, which allows you to instantly place windows or programs side by side amongst other things, is one of those features you wonder how you ever lived without. More importantly, this is exactly what I want from Windows 9 – features that are so useful, you curse the time and effort wasted beforehand that you can now achieve in an instant with a new genius feature.

Microsoft also made the bold move of offering early adopters a huge discount with the OS retailing for just $49.99. I know a few people that bought several copies for friends and family as well as one for themselves as a result. All this, combined with favorable reviews, an aging Windows XP along with an XP fan base that had shunned Vista, meant that Windows 7 sold by the million, far out-stripping sales of Vista and Windows 8. In fact, shortly after its release, Microsoft announced that it had sold 90 million licenses compared to just 40 million for Vista during the same timeframe, making Windows 7 the fastest selling operating system in history.

Windows 7′s Snap feature is one of those tools you wonder how you lived without.

So it can be done. Despite PC sales already falling back in 2009, Windows 7 hit the nail on the head as far as its audience was concerned. Fast forward five years and it’s fair to say that Windows 8 hasn’t been nearly as popular with PC and notebook users. The Start Screen and lack of a Start Menu saw plenty of third party applications spring up that allowed you to boot straight to the desktop and reinstate a Start Menu – features whose absence were still missed even on touchscreen notebooks. The fact remains that a keyboard and mouse or touchpad are still the preferred inputs for these devices and I’d argue that forcing the Start Screen and removing the Start Menu on desktop users doomed Windows 8 from the start.

Windows 8 – great for touchscreen devices but it left PC users pining for the desktop and start menu (Photo credit: Lord of the Wings©)

In fact, there’s a definite ‘Vista’ effect going on, with plenty of people admiring certain aspects of Windows 8, such as its speed, reliability and more recently its enhanced scaling for 4K monitors, but are sticking with Windows 7 because the negatives outweigh the positives. It’s no way near as bad as Vista, but it still represents somewhat of a failed operating system as far as Microsoft is concerned; it has not tempted anywhere near as many Windows 7 users away from their beloved OS in the same numbers as Windows 7 did with XP. As such, Microsoft is keen to move on.

So what does Windows 9 need to do? Well, the answer was possibly revealed in just the last few days, which is to maximize universal appeal. Microsoft got it wrong with Windows 8 in that it tried to use an identical OS across a number of devices. That’s not inherently wrong in itself, but it should have looked at the successful Apple AAPL +0.66%, which knew the same or similar interface wouldn’t work for all manner of devices. It has iOS for its iPads, iPhones and iPods and OS X for everything else. The only way to span everything from phones and tablets, to touchscreen notebooks and all-in-one desktops as well as PCs, is to cater for each device’s strengths.

Microsoft Surface Pro 3 – tablets and touch screen notebooks will likely see the Start Screen and tiles remain with Windows 9 (Photo credit: Skakerman)

To work with this, Windows 9, also known as Windows Threshold appears to be able to recognize the device and its input peripherals, be them a mouse and keyboard or touch screen, and morph into a better interface all on its own.

For instance, if a keyboard and mouse are attached, you’ll see the traditional desktop and a new mini Start Menu, which looks set to include customizable tiles like the Start Screen, plus the usual list of programs. A touch-centric device will see it switch to a tile-based Start Screen layout. This means Microsoft can once again focus on making the OS great to use on specific devices – for instance, for desktop users, without sacrificing the user experience for owners of its surface tablets.

The new mini Start Menu incorporates features of the traditional Start Menu and Windows 8′s Start Screen

There’s more work to do behind the scenes, but it’s an essential feature if you plan on using the same OS across a number of different devices and making it appeal to everyone. It’s also exactly what Microsoft should have done with Windows 8. Of course, it’s easy to say that with hindsight, but any PC or notebook user could have told Microsoft that they preferred Windows 7′s traditional layout.

The success of Windows Threshold on PC’s at least will largely depend on how far Microsoft has gone with its ‘PC mode’ and it also looks certain that the return of another killer feature – a full Start Menu, could bypass Windows 8 to make Windows 9 more attractive to PC users as well – something that won’t please Windows 8 owners. Windows 8 will likely be unable to shake its Vista-like stigma as a result, so you can expect a public preview of Windows 9/Threshold as early as later this year as Microsoft gears up for a summer 2015 launch. My prediction is it will sell better than Windows 8.