In a Post-PC World, Are Vendors Looking to Close Windows?

There’s no doubt about it: We’re living in a post-PC world. And it may not be 100 percent post-PC yet, there’s a good chance that most of us can get our daily work done on devices other than a laptop or desktop computer. With that in mind, a trend is emerging among PC vendors trying to stay relevant by moving away from the Windows OS, and if that does indeed happen, there are some implications to consider. Read on …

Earlier in March 2011, we detailed HP’s decision to install webOS on every PC it shipped in 2012. That’s a bold step, since webOS on a desktop computer represents the proliferation of an operating system that has been wrought out of the post-PC era. Plus, it’s likely that 90 percent of a user’s tasks can be done inside webOS without the need for Windows (which also means no more blue screens, driver issues or other Windows-related issues).

Living in a world free of Windows is something Apple has done forever (which goes without saying), and Apple’s future is moving closer to post-PC consumer devices over PCs. Its effort to integrate iOS into OS X is evident with the latest beta of Mac OS X Lion.

But there’s more to it than that. Big box vendors including Dell and Lenovo both now provide Linux support. What’s more, Dell has aligned itself with Google — even if it’s unofficial — by launching Android OS devices such as the Dell Streak even amid Dell Windows Phone 7 devices. Some vendors — HP for instance — have also implemented pre-boot environments, which are tiny operating systems that do basic tasks. HP calls its environment QuickWeb, and it doesn’t need Windows to boot up for users to get to the web. Open up the laptop, hit the on button, and the browser is ready.

In some small way, Lenovo’s Windows 7 Enhanced Experience — while clearly showing a working relationship with Microsoft — is itself an effort to get Windows out of the way of the user. It’s about booting up and shutting down Windows as fast as it can.

In blog posts past we’ve looked at why Microsoft’s tablet strategy is all wrong, because users don’t want Windows 7 with a touch layer. Such a strategy brings to the tablet the problems of a desktop OS. As mobile OSes proliferate, it’s clear users want to get as far away from that traditional paradigm of an OS as they can, and just get something that works.

That demand is as clear for consumers as it is in the business world; consumerization of IT is proof of that. But here’s a question worth considering: Can any of the major PC vendors truly break free of Windows?

I don’t know if there’s an answer yet. Clearly the demand for Windows will not disappear, but its need has slowly diminished. It’s possible that somewhere in the near future — say, 15 years out — major PC vendors will no longer assume that consumers want Windows installed on their desktops. Dell/HP/Lenovo all may have their own operating system based on Android, Chrome or webOS, or even a great new version of Linux, and the result would be cheaper computers without the licensing issues that come with Microsoft.

But something else is worth asking: Can Microsoft break free of Windows?

It’s trying with Windows Phone 7, but the strategy is not exactly working. I think the reason why Windows Phone 7 hasn’t been installed on tablets is because Microsoft doesn’t have full faith in the fledgling mobile OS yet. But the company certainly has the resources to pull out something original for consumers and business users alike: an operating system that doesn’t get in the way but still has a backbone of Windows for application computability.

It’s all speculation, but don’t be surprised if this happens faster than the industry is ready for.

The bottom line is that Microsoft can only stay relevant for so long with the current Windows model. Businesses always may be Windows users, but consumers will not. If Microsoft was trying to move one step ahead of the game, it would create Windows 8 to be something radically different — an OS that really changes the way people think about computing. Otherwise, I think Microsoft’s days in the consumer market are numbered. It’s bad enough the Zune is officially dead.

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