Although Windows Phone 8 might not be the most popular mobile platform on the market, there is no denying that Microsoft’s OS has come along way from Windows Phone 7 and consumers and hardware makers are both starting to take notice and throw in their support.
Now a new job posting has now show up at Microsoft that is looking to hire a Senior Software Engineer that will “expose [the person hired] to multiple subsystems across Windows Phone and requires an ability to ramp to new hardware and technologies quickly”.
This secret Windows Phone project could certainly be anything from a security improvement team to a new effort to work on Windows Phone 9. It’s really hard to say, but it has me thinking. What’s next for Microsoft?
What Should Windows Phone 9 and Windows 9 Look Like?
Regardless of what the job posting is about, we know that Windows Phone 9 is likely already in the works, just like Windows 9 is. That’s the way things work, you finish a big project like crafting a new OS and you start looking towards the future.
With Windows Phone 9 and Windows 9, Microsoft has a huge opportunity to continue what they started by further pushing integration between these platforms and the new Start UI.
In the past I mentioned that Microsoft should drop Windows RT’s desktop and perhaps make Windows Phone 9 and Windows RT the same thing. I still feel that this makes sense, to a degree. Bridging Windows Phone 9 and RT2 together isn’t that important though, what’s more important is that they look/feel/work similarly, and that includes using the same apps.
Windows 9, Windows RT2 and Windows Phone 9 all need to access the Windows Store. There is no need to keep Windows Phone apps and Windows apps separately.
Smart software can detect what type of device you are using (the resolution, etc, etc) and match you with correct apps that will work on your phone/tablet/PC/etc, simple as that.
It’s clear that Microsoft’s live tiles efforts and other changes have been about making all their products work closer together, and keeping separate apps stores is a barrier that needs to be crossed.
What do you think needs to be different with Windows 9/RT2 and Windows Phone 9 for success? Tighter integration, more cloud features, universal settings that follow you on all your devices? Share your thoughts below.
All Comments
I agree with you mostly. Something apple’s really good at is integration. Microsoft not so much. This would make sense to me:
Drop the desktop in Windows RT. Make it a metro-only device, though you’d have to make an office for metro, and get more apps in the windows store. Make WP9 like it, just smaller, like Apple did with iOS. Windows 9, RT and Phone could all share apps, the difference is the Phone has smaller apps, RT has all apps, and Windows 9 includes the desktop. Makes sense to me at least!
WP9 also should be more of a tool I think a lot will change when Ubuntu Phone comes out, and Microsoft should follow them.
I agree with you mostly. Something apple’s really good at is integration. Microsoft not so much. This would make sense to me:
Drop the desktop in Windows RT. Make it a metro-only device, though you’d have to make an office for metro, and get more apps in the windows store. Make WP9 like it, just smaller, like Apple did with iOS. Windows 9, RT and Phone could all share apps, the difference is the Phone has smaller apps, RT has all apps, and Windows 9 includes the desktop. Makes sense to me at least!
WP9 also should be more of a tool I think a lot will change when Ubuntu Phone comes out, and Microsoft should follow them.
I do agree with you for windows 9/tablet/phone but I think they and android and apple should be heading to a cloud OS that literally the hardware in your hand/on your desktop doesn’t matter so much, you just log in and its your windows, setting, contacts, programs, games ect . The hardware just connects to the cloud and provides the input.
Of cause this requires always connected broadband and the hardware for the cloud to run it, but I can see this being the way it works by 2020.
I love windows eight, the problem is that a lot of people that I know don’t like it. For whatever reason they don’t like newness of a certain extent, so they should make more availability to throwback features while still extending the OS and taking it to new levels of responsiveness and access ability. Windows 9 should be effiecient. And yes the OS family should share apps. It just makes me sad that Microsoft isn’t Google, so they can’t provide the same services that android and chromeos provide. And if we can get a completely airborne os out of it, that would work too as long as it is super fast.
Total integration!!!! I love WP8 and W8. Integrate them!
Hopefully Windows 9 main goal is to get rid of some of the jekyll and hyde that is ever present in Windows 8. They need to smooth those edges to make it more awesome.