Name: Lam Luu
MIS 441
3/1/2016
Source: http://www.techradar.com/us/news/software/operating-systems/what-s-the-real-story-behind-windows-10-racking-up-200-million-installs--1314283
Summary
According to the article, Microsoft has successfully sold more than 200 million copies of Windows 10, which makes it become the fastest selling operating system (OS) ever. The author claims that the success is due to the change of consumer habits rather than the fanatical business interest.
Roger Kay, a consumer analyst, claims that nowadays, consumers are willing to adopt new apps even if they are still not perfectly working. Thus, they are going to install Win 10 if they are promised better features. Another reason behind the success of Win 10 is the rise of Xbox 10, which accounts for 20 million copies. Since Win 10 is free and has some new features, more and more customers are switching to the new operating system. It’s obvious that Win 10 is a success of Microsoft based on the number of installs; however, the OS itself is not that successful. In term of its features and user interface (UI), Win 10 is just a minor upgrade from its previous versions. There is not many innovative features offered with the new OS.
There is an interesting fact about Win 10 that most of the installs are for the consumer segment rather than the enterprise. This fact shows that normal consumers will adapt to new technologies faster than companies because they do not have to bear the business risks as these companies do. However, after Microsoft clarifies all the concerns related to Win 10, the enterprise market is predicted to rise soon. With the its initial success, Win 10 is expected to reach 1 billion users by the end of 2018, which will be the new peak of the OS industry
Relevance
The analysis of the success of Win 10 illustrates the business model canvas we have discussed in class. This article demonstrates the importance of the customer segment in the business model. Since Microsoft market power is much larger than the buyers power, it can lead the trend and make its customers follow. In this case, the company’s value proposition is not as important as the customer segment – customers want to follow the trend and try new things without evaluating every features carefully.
Importance to MIS professionals
As an MIS professional, it is very important to understand how to apply business canvas to design your own business model. Understand which block is more important is the key to position your business. In this case, Microsoft focuses on answering the customers’ need of technology changing more than focusing on its value proposition.
Really liked reading this article. Interesting perspective, and not all that surprising, given that many more millions of people want access to Xbox 10, and that consumers play a likely more important role than the business enterprise. Good discussion of business model canvas, though it makes me wonder if Microsoft didn't have this plan all along...
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