- Lawrence Ng
Windows Aspires To Be Most Open Platform in the World, Says Microsoft Chief Product Officer
With the launch of Windows 11 at various markets around the world, you might have noticed that Microsoft is touting the new operating system (OS) as a more open platform and that is by design. According to the technology company's Chief Product Officer Panos Panay, Microsoft hopes that Windows will be the most open platform ever.
"At the end of the day, we want Windows to be the most open platform on the planet. That's the goal. We want to create greater choice for our customers all throughout Asia and we have a team here that engages ISVs throughout Asia, for sure, and we changed our store commerce policies to enable creators, ISVs, developers, developer tools to show up, come in where the devs can keep the revenue," said Panay.
"They can bring their own commerce engine, which is just something I'm so proud of. What better platform than Windows to build your business on?"
Panay acknowledged that the PC is being used now more than ever, with this device becoming increasingly important to over a billion people today compared to yesterday. When the team behind Windows 11 conceptualised the OS, the product was made with the needs of users in mind.
This is crucial as PCs are facilitating our lives during the pandemic by letting us easily connect with family members, friends, work colleagues and schoolmates.
The design of Windows 11 is similarly user-centric, with the look and feel of the OS configured to provide a sense of calm and openness to those who interact with it. By innovating the OS, Microsoft aims to make it easier for its customers to be productive and creative while also keeping the familiarity of Windows in Windows 11.
Aside from the desire to promote creativity and productivity, the vision around the next generation of Windows has been influenced by the evolution of the PC.
"I think there's a couple of things we should recognise before you get into the vision and it's what informs it, right? What drives us as product makers or as a company to think about what needs to be next, you know? What is it that people need, if you will. We're living in a new era for the PC right now and it's led by the introduction of Windows 11, no doubt, but it really is driven by how the PC itself has changed in the world. It's fundamentally become more central to our lives right now," said Panay.
To emphasise his point, Panay mentioned that three years ago, his daughter Sophia told him that she doesn't need a PC as she can do everything on her phone. This encouraged Panay to talk to Windows Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella about how to make the PC more relevant, a conversation that possibly influenced the development of Windows 11.
Fast forward to today, Sophia now considers the most important device in her life to be the PC.
Windows 11 is launching in over 190 markets around the world.
Written by Sophia Lopez