Microsoft will today show off the first major revamp of its Windows
operating system since 2015.
The software that turned Microsoft into a household name and dominated
personal computers for years has been overtaken in popularity by devices
using Apple and Google software, but it is still core to Microsoft's
strength in the corporate market.
The upgraded operating system may also appeal to individuals, who have
helped drive sales of PCs sharply higher over the past year due to
work-from-home practices adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Analysts expect the successor to Windows 10 to be called Windows 11 and to
contain updates for business users that could make it easier to use with
dual-monitor setups.
It may also hold updates for PC gamers, another important customer base for
Microsoft, including an Xbox app.
Microsoft may also give more details at today's online launch event on its
plans for a revamped Windows Store.
The company recently cut commissions on games sold through the store to 12%,
lower than the 15% it takes on regular apps, and has been a vocal critic of
Apple's App Store, which charges 30% commissions and requires developers to
use Apple's in-app payments systems.
Windows powered Microsoft's rise in the 1990s as PCs became a fixture among
businesses and consumers.
But the operating system took a back seat to Apple's iOS and Alphabet's
Google as mobile phones displaced PCs as the primary computing device for
billions of users.
Windows remains one of the biggest platforms in the technology world.
Microsoft's personal computing segment, which includes Windows revenue from
businesses and consumers, accounted for $48.2 billion of its $143 billion in
revenue in its most recent fiscal year.
Windows 10, the most recent version, has 1.3 billion users, nearly as many
as Apple's total installed device base of 1.65 billion users but less than
half of Alphabet's 3 billion Android users.
Among PCs and laptops, Windows lost some market share in 2020 to Google's
Chromebooks as schools opted for cheaper devices for online learning but
still retained greater than 80% market share, according to data firm IDC.
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