After a successful tech event, many of us are excited to see the future Microsoft holds in store for us.  Windows 10, Spartan, Cortana, Xbox One streaming are all things to be excited about.  Hololense seems to be the crowd favorite, and its already been used on Mars.  Ladies and Gentlemen, we are living in the future.
By Robert Graves

Microsoft has been iterating devices over the past 10 or so years to get to this moment in time.  Windows 10 is what Windows 8 wanted to be; a central hub and cross platform operating system.  The Surface Pro 3 has finally reached the goal of replacing your laptop.  Weaker links like the Xbox One with Kinect or Windows Phones  are now finding new life.

The tech world has changed.  Home PCs are on the way out, and have been for some time.  Laptops too, as tablets become more popular.  Outside of home storage, server use, or a home office the personal computer is overkill in today’s market.  Think about what the average person uses a computer for, or even what you use a computer for.  Facebook, Netflix, maybe browsing So Fetch?  We’ve reached a point where we can do all of these things from our phones and if we want a bigger screen, we can use a tablet.

So why doesn’t Microsoft have a bigger phone market share?  The problem comes from infrastructure.  On iDevices, every environment is the same, be it on the iPhone, iPad, or Mac Book.  Its a simple solution that even a baby can use.  Conversely, Windows Phones have been based on operating systems that don’t match with the Windows you use at home.  Sure it could do all the same things an iPhone could do, but not as easy.  Laziness is an important factor in the tech industry.

Windows 7 and 8 have worked to close that gap, and as Windows 10 closes the door on splintered operating systems, we could see a larger chunk of market share.  The Windows 10 hub has the potential to build around the mistakes of iTunes and take converts that would otherwise join the Android camp.

According to VGChartz, there are 11 million Xbox One world wide users to date.  These gamers are also using a similar operating system to Windows 10.  Microsoft plans to close the splinter on this as well.  The Xbox One will be allowed to join the Windows 10 hub and a gamer will be able to stream their games to the “PC” of their choice.  A quick look at the gaming market currently shows Microsoft in a bad position.  Nintendo offers the 3DS hand held and the Wii U console, both able to free themselves from the TV and home at large.  Sony offers network play of the PS4 – allowing players to use the Sony Vita to play PS4 games over a wifi network.  iTunes posted record downloads last month.

Nintendo may dominate the mobile gaming market and Sony may dominate the home console market.  But both companies are dividing their attention.  Using the new Windows hub, any Xbox One game becomes a mobile game.  At first glance, Microsoft’s announcement of “stream Xbox One games on your PC” makes little sense.  Until you count the Surface Tablet and Windows Phone.  Playing networked games is nothing new, and I’ve done it myself on my home network.  But its a complicated endeavour that most people wouldn’t bother to try.

Microsoft’s path of a central hub where all devices are a piece of a bigger puzzle is what the company needs.  Simplicity is what consumers want.  Cohesiveness makes our devices useful.  And I pray Hololense turns out to be awesome.