Context: Windows 10 is the Holy Grail - almost

Latest OS tops Windows 8 'non-event', analyst claims

Analyst Context has said Microsoft has very nearly nailed it with Windows 10 by making the user experience more consistent across devices.

Last week, Microsoft unveiled its latest operating system which is claimed marks "the beginning of a more personal computing era". It stressed that the age of mobility means user experience is essential and should "work in a seamless, familiar way across devices".

Context founder Jeremy Davies said the vendor's efforts to move away from different OS versions for different devices was a huge step forward.

"They have made huge efforts in getting [Windows 10] across all their platforms – mobile, tablet and PC," he told CRN. "They've made huge steps forward, they really have.

"It is not 100 per cent there yet but I think if you look at the user experience on a PC, a tablet and a Windows Phone, you're much closer to a stage where you can say 'I am going to go with the Windows platform' and it does everything you need it to do. Now that is the Holy Grail.

"It is easy to talk in hindsight, but you had Windows Mobile, then you had the Surface with its own RT [operating system] and full-blown Windows on PC – that sort of stuff just doesn't work. Users have proved it by voting with their wallets."

He said the arrival of Windows 10 could be bad news for Apple.

"If [Microsoft] really works hard and they make it so you can get your phone, your tablet and your desktop and you get the same user experience and same interface, then they are home and dry," he said. "Not even Apple is there yet. This is where [Microsoft] potentially could get one step ahead I reckon, but it depends how quickly they do it."

Windows 10's predecessor Windows 8 divided opinion among customers. According to recent figures, the OS managed to grab only about 13 per cent of the global PC market back in August.

Davies described Windows 8's arrival into the market as a "non-event" but said Microsoft has moved on.

"With Windows 10, they went back and licked their wounds, and said 'OK, we have got to get serious about this'," he said. "Never write them off – they are a massive company with massive resources – it may take them time to get things done but when they do, they get it spectacularly right. And Windows 10 might be the inflection point."