There has been a groundswell of rumors and discussion surrounding much in the Microsoft universe these days, be it the speculated return of the Start Button to Windows 8 or the so-called App Gap that leaves the company falling behind Google and Apple in at least the quantity of apps offered to users.
This is why we were grateful to have a chance to speak personally with Microsoft Senior Product Planner Kelly Amsbry -- who has been with the company in one way or another for years and is both an engineer and has an MBA -- about what makes Microsoft tick these days ... And what we have to look forward to in the future.
iTech Post: Do you see the end of PCs as we know it, especially considering all we are seeing with everything from mobile devices to aggregate reality gadgets such as Google Glass or other wearable computers?
Kelly Amsbry: I don't think completely going away is a reality. Or it's very long term reality. Things are going to change and morph, but there are still a lot of needs that people have that have to do with physical input. Getting things into a machine. Creativity. Productivity. A lot of scenarios where smaller readers make it very difficult to do those tasks. Those tasks aren't going away.
iTech Post: But what happens when larger changes come to the way we input data as well?
KA: As we move forward in the industry, I think there will be a lot of innovation there. Natural user interface stuff. I'm not sure how long that stuff takes. It's difficult to predict how long it will take. Maybe mouse and keyboard goes away for gesture-based. But we don't see that any time in the immediate future. In the Windows market, we just keep looking at it as, "How do we keep working and adjusting for what is right for the people?"
iTech Post: With that said, what are your thoughts on the App Gap when it comes to what Microsoft offers versus Apple or Google?
KA: App volume matters. It does matter. I believe app quality and having the right apps matters more in the end. So it's a matter of having the right things from then right developers on your platform that meet most people's use cases. That said, Apple being able to say they have 300,000 apps for the iPad is an important piece for them to be able to tout. As a user, there's not even ten percent of those you would want or need. But it's a great, powerful marketing fact they can our out there.
iTech Post: What are some of the apps out there Microsoft offers that just do it better than Android or Apple?
KA: We've worked with a lot of folks internally with Windows 8 to make a Skype app that works great for Windows 8 UI and has great functionality. It is tuned to that interface. A lot of people use Skype for video chat and we've tailored it for voice and video in Windows. That's what I think of for the right type of apps. I don't think there's much of a question that in terms of video chat apps, it's the best.
iTech Post: There's been a little bit of a backlash about companies having reticence about switching to Windows 8 from 7 or other issues with 8. What is your take on this?
KA: Enterprises, larger companies, they have a much longer cycle. A lot of them don't refresh with [each] OS. They may do it with hardware, but it's a long cycle. We expect that for some companies, it may take them a while to embrace it because it wasn't in their multi-year budget. Consumers react in a different way. They update when it makes sense to them.
iTech Post: How about bringing the Smart Button back?
KA: (laughs) I don't have any idea. I read the same rumors you do. I have no clue on that one.
iTech Post: What about what might be in the works with Windows 9?
KA: So we work in cycles and we're always looking to improve the product. It's a constant thing.
iTech Post: It seems that Microsoft still really leads the pack when it comes to word processors. Do you feel Google or other competitors are keeping up?
KA: I don't work with that team but in terms of word processing, I don't even understand why people would want to compete. I'm not saying Google couldn't build a better product. But they don't. It's not nice to say but you couldn't get Excel from my cold, dead hands.
iTech Post: Do you ever use other products and platforms?
KA: We have a suite of every device that comes out so we can understand them. I'm required to understand everything about the market. Competing with each other means we should be building better products in the end, which is a good thing.
iTech Post: Any truth to rumors about a Microsoft smartwatch?
KA: I haven't even seen that one! When did that one come out?!
iTech Post: Samsung is just blowing it away with the hype and marketing where it seems Microsoft is holding back a little with its promotion.
KA: Yeah, well there are flashes like with Windows 8 when we took over Times Square. Our marketing folks are going to do that when it's appropriate. Samsung is on a roll with a lot of continuous stuff. They're doing a great job. We spend time when we are quiet. We're on a cycle. We're spending time right now with Windows 8 in the market. And a lot of it is about getting feedback. That largely funnels into what we do as we move forward.
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