Top 10 Microsoft Stories of 2017 (Premium)

2017 was another epic year for Microsoft. Here are my picks for the top 10 Microsoft stories of 2017.

Note: To be clear, I cover personal technology. So it's likely that others might pick some stories about Azure, Office 365 Commercial, or whatever.
#1: Windows 10 on Snapdragon
Microsoft announced in December 2016 that it would bring Windows 10 the Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835 by the end of 2017, and while it didn't technically meet that goal, we spent the entire year trying to figure out what this means for Windows 10 and PCs in general.

My most important contribution to this story happened way back in March, when I wrote that Microsoft's big bets on ARM are really about Intel. And while I didn't reveal this at the time, I will tell you now that this insight isn't so much an insight as it is an explanation based on insider information. Microsoft has partnered with Qualcomm specifically because it feels that Intel needs a kick in the ass. And it is correct on that score.
#2: Microsoft's bold new strategy for Windows 10
While Windows 10 S and concerns about Windows as a Service (WaaS) absolutely make the list for 2017, as you'll see below, there was a bigger Windows 10 story this year. And I don't think it's gotten enough press: Many of the most exciting new features we're going to see in Windows 10 going forward are designed to make your (non-Microsoft) smartphone better.

Think about that for a second. And then consider the "Continue on PC" features that Microsoft is bringing to various mobile experiences, like Cortana and Microsoft Edge. Think about Timeline, arguably the biggest new feature of the Redstone 4 update, and how it is for Windows 10 andAndroid and iOS. Put simply, Microsoft is positioning Windows 10 for a role that actually makes sense in the post-PC world. And by making mobile devices better, it is also making Windows 10 better in the process.
#3: Windows as a disservice
With hundreds of millions of people still using Windows 7, Microsoft has another Windows XP on its hands. But it's insistence on hammering Windows 10 users with constant software updates---a strategy it calls Windows on a Service (Waas)---may play an even bigger role in alienating its key customer base: Businesses. This year, Microsoft formally decided that it would upgrade Windows 10 twice a year, or double the rate at which Android and iOS are updated. And this is a huge mistake, one that Microsoft will have to deal with in the years ahead.
#4: Windows 10 S
This year, Microsoft revealed and released a new Windows 10 product edition called Windows 10 S. And this is another area in which I have extensive insider information, which helped me to deliver better explanations of the strategy than you could find anywhere else.

Of course, the big story here is that Windows 10 S simply isn't ready, and isn't something that any user could or would want to use. But that will change over time. Indeed, I believe that Windows 10 S is the future of Windo...

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