Reinventing the PC
Microsoft’s
attempt to rule over both the computer as well as the phone market may just
become a reality
HOW WE have understood and
used personal computers has followed a very simple trajectory. At one point all
anyone had was a big fat CRT monitor that sat on top of a super-thick PC cabinet,
which in turn was connected to a very clunky keyboard and a mouse. There were
no alternatives. Eventually, some iterations evolved: the All-in-One (a desktop
computer that did away with the separate cabinet CPU), wireless keyboards, a PC
on a stick, smaller sizes and even HP’s radical new Sprout. But the way we use
the PC has remained the same for decades. It’s always been a separate device
that is more or less non-portable and situated in one part of the house. You go
to it when you need a larger screen and keyboard to work on something, or need
the horsepower to do something that your phone, tablet or laptop can’t manage
very well. It’s also a bit of a pain. Your files, data and content remain on
the PC and need to be accessed and retrieved from there. But, all of that may
just change forever.
BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
Motorola already tried the PC-tophone route with the Atrix phone
OUT OF IT?
Microsoft may have bought
out Nokia, but it seems to have done very little after. Many thought that MS
had given up the ghost and decided to get out of the phone business,
considering it just wasn’t getting anywhere. No new phones for a while, very
small market share and terrible sales more or less cemented that theory. But,
now it seems that this was the calm before the storm. MS has hit back hard with
three radical new phones and a super killer feature: The Continuum!
MAY THE PC BE WITH YOU
Well, it’s actually called
just Continuum. I’ve added the ‘The’ and the ‘!’ to make it sound more
dramatic. Also, now it sounds like the name of the next big mind altering scifi
movie from Christopher Nolan, which is always a good thing. But theatrics
aside, Continuum is a big game-changer in the world of mobiles and PCs. At its
heart is a very simple feature. The new device is a phone that can also be used
as a PC. Dock it to a new hardware dock (or use Bluetooth and Miracast), and
your phone doubles up as a PC. Use it as a normal phone like you do every day,
carry it around, and then, when you need it for something that requires a full
screen or a proper big-sized keyboard – it’ll morph into a PC within one
second.
TRIED BEFORE
This whole
phone-that-becomes-a-PC trick has been tried before. But very unsuccess
fully. Motorola did it
with the Atrix phone, Asus has done it with its phone-cum-dumb-tablet, and half
a dozen other startups have given it a serious shot and crashed and burned just
as seriously. The problems have been manifold: a poorly thought-out user
experience when the phone does turn into a PC, high prices for docks and
hardware that wasn’t ready for a dual life.
Microsoft seems to have
nailed it, though. As soon as you dock the phone, it runs a version of Windows
10 that feels completely like its desktop counterpart. This isn’t just your
phone screen being replicated on a bigger display, this is a separate real
desktop OS. Everything runs full screen, you can multitask and open different
windows and use them as you do on a PC. Your phone continues to behave like one
and calls or messages don’t open or show on the desktop unless you want them
to. And from the desktop, you can still manage all PC and phone tasks,
including making calls or sending messages. Plus, the hardware seems just
right. It has a smooth interface and running of both OSes and displays. Think
of the potential when your phone and your PC become one and convert from one to
another at the drop of a hat (or dock!).
WHERE IT COULD GO WRONG
The problem with radical
new thinking and trying to reinvent a new way of working is getting enough
people to try it out. Microsoft doesn’t have the chops in the phone market to
do it, but it still rules the PC and laptop market. Millions may want to try
this out and may just switch if satisfied. But Microsoft needs to be careful.
It needs to have these docks and screens everywhere – at airports, coffee
shops, malls, restaurants, railway stations and in the corridors of every
building. Docking in shouldn’t require me to carry a dock. It should feel
seamless and the obvious thing to do whenever and wherever I want. Also, the
dock itself should be priced at a startup money-burn price. Everyone should be
able to have one at home and one at work. Also, Microsoft should have options
to make this dock into a dumb laptop and an All-in-One device too.
REIGNITING THE GREATEST WAR EVE
The phones (The Lumia 950
and 950XL) are actually very good too. They have some serious hardware and
features, including an eye-scan biometric security system. But a larger game is
being played here by Microsoft. If it can get people to switch to this way of
computing, it will mark the return of Microsoft to the phone market – but with
a difference. They may just get actual market share, which isn’t a joke. And
they will own the desktop AND the phone business too. Any company that can
straddle these can lockdown customers and own the world. That’s exactly Apple’s
strategy right now. Could ‘The Continuum’ reboot and restart the greatest
battle in the world of technology? Could it be a Microsoft v/s Apple war all
over again? Let’s keep our fingers and our PC wires crossed.
Rajiv
Makhni Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the anchor of
Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3
HTBR25OCT15
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