Windows 7 sold lots of copies since its launch, about 240 Million. The only reason people upgraded was to get away with buggy Vista. Microsoft CEO, Steve Ballmer was questioned, “Riskiest Product Bet?” and most of us would have expected Windows Phone 7 or almost anything else except what he said. The next version of Windows.

The Next Windows, Windows 8 as we know, is supposedly the riskiest thing for Microsoft now. Why? The whole problem is that question. Why?

Here’s why I think Ballmer called next Windows perilous.

  • We can observe the change. From Desktops and Laptops to Portable and Handheld devices. Its the smartphone era, full of apps. App for almost anything. Windows is all about software and for a common user, sometimes “softwares” are a flop compared to “apps”. The word “app” itself seems lighter. So definitely, the future is Apps because they are fast, light and smart. Softwares are bulky. Spending hours to install softwares, figuring out tools and then finally getting work done. People are fed up of this and they want something faster. Way more faster. Proof : Mac is slowly moving towards the app friendly OS, visible in the new Mac Lion announcement.
  • The current computer concept is boring. Almost every decade we have a new concept emerging, older gets thrown out and people adapt newer ways of computing. From tank sized computers to Desktops to Laptops and now to Slates, Tablets and Smartphone. We expect a refresh and its a fact that every third version of Windows is a risk for Microsoft as it begins with throwing away old concepts. But this time, the whole structure needs to be changed radically as people are yearning for better performance.
  • More businesses are going for alternatives. Will the next Windows be able to maintain its current market share in future? Google, Apple and many other startups are jumping onboard with killer ideas. In about 18 months from now, when the next Windows would possibly come out, will the redmond based conglomerate be able to maintain its dominance?
  • They’ve got something already. They are working on an idea which might be revolutionary. The only problem is that they are not sure, if the users will accept it on the fly or if it would be kicked out. The revolutionary idea could be possibly related to cloud as thats where MS is leading to.
  • They’re just doing it to make some buzz. Almost all companies do it. But I don’t favor the possibility of this one as Steve Ballmer is not the right guy to do it for Microsoft.

We’re surely going to keep an eye for this. Watch out MS.