Windows 8 Microsoft: The future

Zdnet.com are running an article by Simon Bisset which details recent events around the Windows Blue/8.1 release. The article also goes on to outline what the 8.1 release means for the future development of Windows:

Forget the new start button (which is really just a different icon on the Windows 8 start tip) and backgrounds shared between start screen and desktop (ugly as that might be when you scroll sideways): it's clear that the most important thing about Window 8.1 is just how quickly it's arriving — and what that means for the way Windows is being developed.

Click to expand...

Well worth a read if you want to know how Microsoft is changing and why.

The big bet: Microsoft doubles down on services in Windows 8.1 | ZDNet

An interesting read but it's still an uphill battle for MS. Many businesses are just beginning the switch from XP to Windows 7 and don't want to spend time and money retraining people. I've also read that many businesses will stick with XP even after support stops. For many simple data entery type uses XP is sufficient. I ran a CNC machine and it was connected to the mainframe by a Windows 95 box. It simply transfered the program from the mainframe to the CNC. If finally died in 2007 and was replaced by a lowend XP workstation. I retired in 2010 and out in the shop they still used many Windows NT and Windows 2000 boxes to connect CNC machines and for people to enter their labor and shop order info. A lot of business usage doesn't need all the bells and whistles of the latest systems. A lot of Windows 7 users intend to stay with Windows 7 until they replace the computer.
Joe