Microsoft has been doing OK on its own with Windows 10. In its first month it was already installed on 75 million devices around the world. Getting larger enterprise customers to embrace a new operating system is a much bigger challenge, though. It’s a challenge Microsoft is hoping can be addressed with the Surface Pro tablet and a new partnership with Dell.
Microsoft is building on the momentum Windows 10 already has with a new partnership with Dell . With 75 million devices already running the latest flagship operating system, Microsoft announced that beginning in October Dell will offer the Surface Pro tablet line through its commercial sales channels.
Throughout the development of Windows 10 Microsoft sought feedback and listened to customers in an effort to create an operating system that delivers the features and capabilities enterprise customers demand. Windows 10 includes a variety of productivity and security features designed to help users work more efficiently and effectively.
The challenge is getting larger corporations to migrate to Windows 10. Large companies are typically slower to adopt new technologies due to the cost and the potential risks involved. They’re much more likely to upgrade by attrition as old hardware dies or existing licensing agreements expire.
“Windows 10 is off to a great start, and we’re ready to help make the transition to Windows 10 as easy as possible for all of our customers,” said Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive officer, Dell in a press release. “Together with Microsoft, we are giving our customers great products, including Surface, with the best sales, service and support in the world.”
On the hardware side, Microsoft has developed an awesome device in the Surface Pro 3. I sold my MacBook Air and switched back to Windows when the Surface Pro 3 came out. It may not be an ideal device for every role, but in my opinion it is the best all-around device available. There are more powerful machines available for specific tasks like photo or video editing, but the Surface Pro 3 packs a complete PC with all of the features and capabilities of a standard desktop or laptop PC into a tablet.
It remains to be seen what the Surface Pro 4 might do to improve on that experience and possibly speed up adoption by enterprise customers. The Surface Pro 4 isn’t even officially confirmed, but rumor and speculation on the street suggests that Microsoft will launch the next version of the Surface Pro line in October and that it will use the new Intel Skylake processors, an improved stylus and may come in some additional, larger sizes. The new Surface Pro may also include features like a fingerprint scanner or an Intel Real Sense 3D camera so enterprise customers can use facial recognition to log in to Windows 10.
See this post on Forbes for the complete story: Microsoft Teams With Dell To Bring Surface Pro To Enterprise.
