In a chat by the fireplace with Microsoft’s product director, Panos Panay and corporate vice president and product manager, Roanne Sones, Panay briefly talks about Windows and the future of the platform, saying he is excited about what’s to come, but that Microsoft is not ready to talk about it yet.
In the 15 minutes one-on-one, Panay and Sones answer the questions presented to them in the style of a WIRED auto-complete interview with Bing technology. The last question asked to Panay is “What is the question that Panos receives the most?” Sones says it must be “Why?” in relation to Windows, and Panay responds with the following:
Windows is an important platform for connecting people, helping them to be as productive as possible. It is the heartbeat of modern work now. It really is, just take a step back. But it is also the heartbeat of what we do every day in our lives. It is familiar, it is intuitive, it adapts to you. These are really important elements.
This is a product that more than a billion people around the world count on every day to work, learn … and, finally, create. And that is what it is all about, as we continue to see where technology can take us versus what it does for us today and where we will be and how technology can be there for you, Windows is at the heart of it.
It’s there to light up Microsoft 365 experiences, it’s there to light up devices for OEMs, but more importantly, as we speak, it’s there for people to connect, create and ultimately be productive as needed. We have new features coming – here I have to say this – see and I haven’t talked about the next generation of Windows and what’s to come, but I can say that I’m very excited. We are not talking about it today. “
… because we have a lot now, we talk about the depth of features and the breadth of what Windows can bring for each of you to IT professionals … I know that the future of Windows is incredible, which we are bringing to the table for sure. But at the end of the day, we’re here today to talk about Windows 10 and what Windows 10 brings to the table, and how we can support our customers and partners here at Ignite.
It is interesting to see Panay refer to the future of the product as “the next generation”, which may mean that major changes are on the horizon for the platform.
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We already know that Microsoft is working on a major Windows update with the code name Sun Valley, due out later this year. Panay took charge of the Windows client experiences in February 2020 and is starting to look like he has big plans for the platform this year.
Microsoft is also due to launch Windows 10X this year, a new version of Windows built on a modern core and designed for PCs in the education and business sector. It will be interesting to see how 10X fits into the rest of the Windows ecosystem and how it evolves into perhaps one day becoming the new standard version of Windows for most people.
Panay’s comments confirm that Microsoft is planning to talk more about Windows later this year. The question now is where and when these ads will take place. Rumors suggest that an event dedicated to the Windows press is planned, but there is no indication of when it will happen yet.
In the meantime, what do you think of Panay’s comments about Windows? Let us know in the comments.
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