The Big Picture.

As hyped as we all got last week about the W10 Creators Update + Surface Studio I’m hit by a reality check.

Where is Microsoft in home automation, health or auto?

I just bought a Philips Hue system which I will administer via the iOS Home app.

Next year I will buy a vehicle with CarPlay/Android Auto built-in.

I don’t care about smartwatches but Apple is killing it in Health with their latest watch offering.

I see Microsoft creating new PC form factors but not offering anything in mobile, home automation, health or auto. It makes me very sad.

Conversation 11 comments

  • 399

    Premium Member
    01 November, 2016 - 6:10 am

    <p style="padding-left: 30px;"><em>Where is Microsoft in home automation, health or auto?</em></p>
    <p>They’re providing&nbsp;services like Azure to companies that are&nbsp;in to home automation, health, auto, etc. Or are at least trying to provide such services (AWS is still #1).</p>

  • 2

    Premium Member
    01 November, 2016 - 6:41 am

    <p>Fair point.&nbsp;It’s interesting that "new form factors" is just "more PCs" and not something new. It does seem that their pushes beyond the PC with Windows 10 have been&nbsp;less successful, for the most part.</p>

  • 124

    Premium Member
    01 November, 2016 - 8:26 am

    <p>Does Microsoft make hardware or don’t they.&nbsp; People make up you minds at least on what you expect.&nbsp; This site has just become a Bitching Session site.&nbsp; The sad thing is that is why I came to this site in the first place to get information on MS and Windows and get away from the Apple, Android drones that was doing what this site is now doing.&nbsp;</p>
    <p>Maybe time to reconsider.</p>

    • 6672

      07 November, 2016 - 10:19 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#24089">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/lwetzel">lwetzel</a><a href="#24089">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>Well, they certainly make hardware, but the 3rd-time’s-a-charm syndrome still haunts Redmond.&nbsp; Band? Rev 3 will be perfect. Phone? Let Apple and Android do the first two revs, and…Ooops!, 3rd into market is one too late. There are other examples. They need a visionary with authority to run full-speed, to completion. They clearly have the revenue stream to support that tactic, but original ideas seem in short supply. Fold your already-obsolete Studio flat? I’m waiting for the Dell patent lawsuit.</p>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>

  • 1377

    Premium Member
    01 November, 2016 - 12:30 pm

    <p>Maybe Windows 10 Mobile/IoT is too much larger in storage and resource needs than other embedded OSes. Wasn’t it the case that MSFT never got Windows running on the Band? As for autos, didn’t MSFT have a deal with Ford for a while? What happened there?</p>
    <p>OTOH, home automation could work with a central PC doing most of the processing while devices around the home do most of the resident-facing tasks. Problem with that is redundancy: central PC goes down, nothing works.</p>

    • 5486

      03 November, 2016 - 5:47 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="#24156">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/hrlngrv">hrlngrv</a><a href="#24156">:</a></em></blockquote>
      <p>I believe Ford tried a Windows based in-car system, but it was rubbish, and they eventually dumped it.</p>

  • 3229

    Premium Member
    03 November, 2016 - 5:31 am

    <p>I think auto is very strongly coupled to phone, so their weakness in mobile causes weakness for any auto offering they could come up with (now that Sync is obsolete).</p>
    <p>I’m going to go out on a limb and say Satya has chosen to ignore home automation such as the lightbulbs with chips in them for now, though that doesn’t seems to be stopping the <a href="http://thetechportal.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/lg-windows-10-fridge-990×743.jpg">refigerator manufacturers</a>.</p>
    <p>I am pretty sure MSFT wants to do something in health after the Band, but I don’t think they know exactly what that is yet.</p>

    • 1

      Premium Member
      08 November, 2016 - 11:31 am

      <blockquote><em><a href="../../../../users/inlocoabsentia">inlocoabsentia</a><a href="#24353"> Posted</a></em><br />
      <p>I think auto is very strongly coupled to phone</p>
      </blockquote>
      <p>&nbsp;</p>
      <p>It’s a good point. &nbsp;When I read that question I thought immediately of this&nbsp;<a href="../../../../mobile/android/84767/google-bringing-android-auto-phone">Google is Bringing Android Auto to Your Phone</a></p>

  • 248

    Premium Member
    07 November, 2016 - 9:24 pm

    <p>It seems like Microsoft is waiting for something before jumping into the ‘headless devices’ categories. Maybe there is a plan to bring Win10 IOT to a workable point where it can be the backbone for cars, speakers, home automation, etc. but a cohesive plan is better than a crappy one which will just burn all the early adopters.</p>

    • 1377

      Premium Member
      08 November, 2016 - 11:55 am

      <p><em><a href="#25059">In reply to </a><a href="../../../../users/TheJoeFin">TheJoeFin</a><a href="#25059">:</a></em></p>
      <p>Or perhaps Windows 10 IoT is so much larger than other embedded systems OSes, requires so much more in system resources, that opting to use Windows 10 IoT adds 25% to such devices’ costs right from the start.</p>
      <p>I’m not saying this is the case, but it’s remarkable HOW LITTLE is publicly available on what Windows 10 IoT requirements are.</p>

  • 8260

    08 November, 2016 - 1:26 pm

    <p>Apple isn’t killing it with watch. Fitbit is killing it with watch. They make a more durable product.&nbsp;</p>

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