Excited.
Microsoft is on a roll. In this 12-month cycle, Microsoft is updating every single one of its major products. This has never been done before. This conference had a record number of attendees and every single one of them seemed to enjoy themselves. From arenas full of Microsoft Partners cheering for open licensing in Microsoft Office 365, to elaborate parties on the top floor of the CN tower, it was an amazing conference that, above all, accomplished its goal – it got me very excited about the future of Microsoft.
Let’s start with Windows 8. AtNetPlus will begin using Windows 8 around the first week in August and we’ll become well versed in it before our clients have access to it in October. It’s an exciting new operating system that will change the way people interact with Windows. Microsoft has integrated the touch experience deeply into Windows 8, making the OS ideal for tablets, while still being laptop and desktop friendly. We saw 82-inch multitouch displays running Windows 8. It was a spectacle that could only be compared to Cirque du Soleil, which had performed for us the day before.
Windows 8 is the most tested release in the history of Windows. It is raising the bar for the competition. It is simple and elegant, yet powerful enough to run your primary computer. It has been built on a well-known foundation, Windows 7, but it is forward-thinking enough to be relevant for years to come.
We also were privileged to experience a demonstration of the Windows 8 phone. It is a mobile operating system that will be fully integrated with the rest of the Windows family. It will access the Windows Phone Marketplace, which has recently reached over 100,000 apps. And for app developers, it is much easier to design and bring custom apps to market for this platform, compared to Android or Apple. The Windows 8 Phone will be another great step forward for Microsoft when it is released.
When a giant corporation like Microsoft takes the time to show the people who use and sell their products they are valued, everyone wins. As partners, we get excited about upcoming things like the new Microsoft Surface Tablet and we pass that excitement along to our clients. We’re also energized by the business benefits of the software and services Microsoft is planning to introduce with this update of their product line. We’ll be explaining the stuff that thrills the geek in us like the cloud offerings of Office 365, Kinect for Windows and Pixel Sense in future blogs and Talk it Over Tuesday events. In the meantime, get ready for an exciting time in the evolution of Microsoft.
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