Windows 10 - Redstone 5 Branch - Turning Windows into ChromeOS ?
With the upcoming Redstone 5 branch - so builds 17600+ the big thing will be Windows "Sets" which in my opinion is MS's movement towards a PWA based Desktop/App experience based on Edge to compete with Google's ChromeOS and provide the ability to boost Edge's use and in theory market share.
Sets introduces the capability of having "tabs" in traditional apps like Explorer or Mail, etc - that allow you to open a new tab within that app and launch something else. Right now that "something" else is effectively Edge. While MS stated that I should see a list of Sets compatible apps to launch along with some MS defined web sites - the reality right now is you don't.
This focus on Edge is also changing with Apps. Recently there was an update to the Twitter app that changed it from UWP to PWA and provided tighter integration with Edge. In fact when I launched the app and logged in - I got a notification from Twitter that I had just logged in from Edge - not the Twitter app.
In addition MS is experimenting with a "feature" that launches links from the Mail app with Edge regardless of what your default browser is. So kind of defeating the purpose of having a default browser.
The question here is what is this all for ?
MS promotes Sets as a productivity enhancement by allowing you to have in 1 UI things like files, web research, apps, etc. You can "save" a set and then return to it. And yes if you're developing a document that requires research it is nice to have a single pane with your document, research sites, files, etc.
Here is my opinion.
With the personal compute world being mobile - MS has no real story. Yes they have all kinds of apps for iOS and Android - but all of these are really optional to end-users.
Google promotes the concept of "wouldn't it be great if your PC worked like your phone" with Pixelbook and Chromebook devices. And due to the light structure of ChromeOS and Chrome/Android apps support provides a pretty good experience.
Because the app industry is being driven by mobile OS and not Windows - the movement has been towards Progressive Web Apps (PWA) which Google started promoting in 2015 and MS tested support in 2017 and will become more mainstream in future Windows builds.
So the hope of MS is by supporting PWA that more app shops will build apps that can run on Windows and that the Windows Store will support a larger portfolio of apps. But that also means that your experience will be more Edge oriented than for example Chrome oriented.
Personally I'm very skeptical that this is going to really build and promote the Windows base.
First users have to accept the new UI. Second, app developers have to look at the Windows population as something they really want to support with their PWA apps. And even if they do - will it really keep Windows alive.
Desktops/Laptops/Tablets are certainly still a part of the compute paradigm - but their sales have been shrinking for 6 straight years now. Many of the worlds newest users do not use a "computer" but rather a phone. And even old timers like myself who have been using "PCs" since their inception tend to reach for their phone first.
We'll see how Sets progresses in RS5 and then determine is this is really the future of Windows and if it will matter.
Sets introduces the capability of having "tabs" in traditional apps like Explorer or Mail, etc - that allow you to open a new tab within that app and launch something else. Right now that "something" else is effectively Edge. While MS stated that I should see a list of Sets compatible apps to launch along with some MS defined web sites - the reality right now is you don't.
This focus on Edge is also changing with Apps. Recently there was an update to the Twitter app that changed it from UWP to PWA and provided tighter integration with Edge. In fact when I launched the app and logged in - I got a notification from Twitter that I had just logged in from Edge - not the Twitter app.
In addition MS is experimenting with a "feature" that launches links from the Mail app with Edge regardless of what your default browser is. So kind of defeating the purpose of having a default browser.
The question here is what is this all for ?
MS promotes Sets as a productivity enhancement by allowing you to have in 1 UI things like files, web research, apps, etc. You can "save" a set and then return to it. And yes if you're developing a document that requires research it is nice to have a single pane with your document, research sites, files, etc.
Here is my opinion.
With the personal compute world being mobile - MS has no real story. Yes they have all kinds of apps for iOS and Android - but all of these are really optional to end-users.
Google promotes the concept of "wouldn't it be great if your PC worked like your phone" with Pixelbook and Chromebook devices. And due to the light structure of ChromeOS and Chrome/Android apps support provides a pretty good experience.
Because the app industry is being driven by mobile OS and not Windows - the movement has been towards Progressive Web Apps (PWA) which Google started promoting in 2015 and MS tested support in 2017 and will become more mainstream in future Windows builds.
So the hope of MS is by supporting PWA that more app shops will build apps that can run on Windows and that the Windows Store will support a larger portfolio of apps. But that also means that your experience will be more Edge oriented than for example Chrome oriented.
Personally I'm very skeptical that this is going to really build and promote the Windows base.
First users have to accept the new UI. Second, app developers have to look at the Windows population as something they really want to support with their PWA apps. And even if they do - will it really keep Windows alive.
Desktops/Laptops/Tablets are certainly still a part of the compute paradigm - but their sales have been shrinking for 6 straight years now. Many of the worlds newest users do not use a "computer" but rather a phone. And even old timers like myself who have been using "PCs" since their inception tend to reach for their phone first.
We'll see how Sets progresses in RS5 and then determine is this is really the future of Windows and if it will matter.
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