Could MS sell Windows

[+JR1966 Subscriber²]

I would like to put forward a scenario. As we know the world is moving to mobile, an area in which MS have little to no impact. I believe MS will get one more attempt to become relevant in mobile and this scenario assumes that MS fails with the endeavor. With that failure the Windows Store never takes off and continues to be disappointing for MS. While W10 is on hundreds of millions of mainly desktop devices in the wild MS simply aren't making huge profits off it. To keep revenues up MS continue their push into the cloud, office, apps on IOS/Android and business and have great success. Question: At that point in time would MS consider selling off the Windows side of the business? I know it's sounds crazy however it's not as ridiculous as it sounds if the cards fall as I describe.

[Jim K Global Moderator]

What's that saying ... when pigs fly?  I can not think of any scenario where Microsoft would sell off "Windows" ... especially when majority of their products revolve around it.

[+virtorio MVC]

I think that is crazy, and they'll continue to make bucket loads of money from Windows for many years to come, especially since Windows is an important to several areas they are growing in (like Azure). 

 

[PGHammer]

The big reason mobile is popular is due to the desire for content consumption on the move AND it being inexpensive compared to full-blown Windows PCs (yes; this refers to Android in particular).  Note that when it comes to content creation, for the MOST part, Windows is de rigeur AND more features are insisted upon - not just in the OS, but in the hardware RUNNING said OS - the skimpiness present in terms of Android hardware is scorned.

[Jazmac]

Windows can run on almost any desktop or mobile devices ever made. It runs on the Mac. It runs on the latest hardware as well as much of the oldest. I can't imagine MS ever selling off its portal to all things network.  If anything, I suspect Windows will evolve again from "Metro" to a more traditional interface but driven by voice and gestures, IOT IFTTT type stuff. It will be more touch enabled. I suspect It is going to continue to evolve and continue to lead in the desktop/mobile space. But giving up its starting QB because of a game loss is not in the cards.  As an aside, I never expected MS to really get behind its own phone like they did for Xbox, and they didn't. They thought a smart phone was a passing fad with no future, laughed at Apple and said some unkind things about google. And when they did bother to get in, they gave us Microsoft Kin. It wasn't serious.  But like anything, if a product becomes a drag on the company, like the Microsoft Band, Windows Phone, Zune and IMHO, Groove, they will drop it like a bad habit.

[Pam14160]

Never happen at least not in m lifetime, and I am in my seventies. . .

[+Biscuits Brown MVC]

I think the next big move with be Windows 10 on ARM. I think there's some interesting potential there.

[dragontology]

No. It's easy to see consumers move away from Windows PCs to connected devices and such, but their bread and butter will continue to be business. The "family PC" is kind of almost possibly maybe dead, which is why Windows 10 is/was free. They don't need to charge those left using it... it's businesses that keep Microsoft in their desktop monopoly. Everyone using Mac or Linux has a damn good reason to do so, and everyone else just accepts Windows as the default because it's easy. And gamers. They might be able to milk us gamers since we can't exactly go to Linux, unless we also go to a game console.

[+JR1966 Subscriber²]

I see my thought bubble...or brain fart depending on your view has been poo-pooed by better judges than me.  That's fine, it would be an earth shattering decision for the tech world if it were to happen. Allow me to ask another question. If MS's next mobile attempt does fail with the store and UWP adoption struggling where do MS go with Windows?

[Steven P. Administrators]

They already do

 

[Bamsebjørn]

I think Windows might become free soon, at least some consumer version of Windows. Maybe even (partially) open source. I don't think they'll sell the product to another company.

[+JR1966 Subscriber²]

6 minutes ago, Steven P. said:

They already do

 

Nearly 1300 downloads and only 2.5 stars. That's rather uncharitable.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

Absolutely the daftest thing I've read today!

[Steven P. Administrators]

Back on topic though, as @Bamsebjørn says, I can see it becoming fully WaaS with the Store bringing in the revenue from having the OS installed.

 

It will never be free to Enterprise though (Server and for Workstations) I just mean the consumer version.

[+JR1966 Subscriber²]

21 minutes ago, Nefarious Trigger said:

Absolutely the daftest thing I've read today!

Just throwing around a possible future man. Isn't that what the forums are for? Settle down.

19 minutes ago, Steven P. said:

Back on topic though, as @Bamsebjørn says, I can see it becoming fully WaaS with the Store bringing in the revenue from having the OS installed.

 

It will never be free to Enterprise though (Server and for Workstations) I just mean the consumer version.

Stephen, did you happen to read Paul Thurrott's article on his site about WaaS? It is a Premium article but well worth the read.

[Steven P. Administrators]

9 minutes ago, JR1966 said:

Just throwing around a possible future man. Isn't that what the forums are for? Settle down.

Stephen, did you happen to read Paul Thurrott's article on his site about WaaS? It is a Premium article but well worth the read.

Nope

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

15 minutes ago, JR1966 said:

Just throwing around a possible future man. Isn't that what the forums are for? Settle down.

Totally settled, it's just daft and not a "possible future" it's an idle thought that you'd ponder when stoned

[xendrome]

That would be like Ford selling off it's car manufacturing business.

[neufuse Veteran]

18 minutes ago, xendrome said:

That would be like Ford selling off it's car manufacturing business.

I heard Ford was going to do that and go into the OEM Phone business...... so much more money in the phone industry.......

[Mando]

Im afraid it would never ever happen, MS make multiple millions from windows sales in the corporate space. end points and server and all the other backend gear revolving around Windows on x86. Its their golden cash cow, always has been, always will be. Domestic use isnt their primary market, its heavily subsidised by their enterprise market.

 

Their mobile desires is/was a nice to have, more a case of "me too me too!" and failed yet again.

[Mando]

1 hour ago, Nefarious Trigger said:

Absolutely the daftest thing I've read today!

read this then  

https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/07/21/fda_viagra_coffee/

 

with the amount of the black stuff i drink id be like a 19y.o. walking round with a boner 24/7  (at 45 lol)

[xendrome]

16 minutes ago, Mando said:

Im afraid it would never ever happen, MS make multiple millions from windows sales in the corporate space. end points and server and all the other backend gear revolving around Windows on x86. I

Try 14 billion a year - https://www.onmsft.com/news/microsoft-makes-money-revenues-broken-product-line

[Dot Matrix]

11 hours ago, Jim K said:

What's that saying ... when pigs fly?  I can not think of any scenario where Microsoft would sell off "Windows" ... especially when majority of their products revolve around it.

It would seem the majority of their products revolve around iOS and Android now. Windows 10 means nothing to them, or at least that's the image they put forward.

[+Nik Louch Subscriber²]

1 minute ago, Dot Matrix said:

It would seem the majority of their products revolve around iOS and Android now. 

Thats a lovely blinkered view that you have right there...

[Tuskd]

Anything is possible in science and technology. In a universe where MS can do nothing with Windows, I believe that the Windows division would be wound up rather than sell it to some other company. Even dead Windows is just too valuable to be sold. Selling Windows will happen only if MS as a whole fails, even then I believe Windows will be the last to be sold off. Even if it were sold, I expect it to carry a humongous price tag, even though it is no longer relevant. Something like a consortium of companies buying it or Windows could be broken off into small components relating to enterprise, consumer facing technologies, patents, among other things and companies can buy what suits them.

How will it fail? If some other company creates something proprietary of everything MS does now and everyone is transitioning to it. Open source wont do, If the entire world moves open source, then MS and Windows will still survive in some form. One needs something that undoes everything than MS does till now to make Windows fall. This is next to impossible for the next century, maybe more, because MS will keep evolving Windows.

Who will buy? (From current scenario) I expect Google (If they are doing well) to purchase as much as they can. Google wants to be the next Microsoft and will buy it. Apple, but then I won't be surprised if Apple pumps money into MS as a return gift to prevent Windows being sold. IBM, maybe if they exist. There is also a possibility of OEMs like HP, Dell and Lenovo buying parts of Windows, especially for their enterprise business. Maybe even (future) smartphone vendors and networking companies or even patent trolls. It is also possible that some random Chinese holding firm buys it. The landscape changes too dramatically so we can say who the tech behemoth will be who is interested in it. Maybe nobody will interested to buy it too.

In short, It will either be a pie where everyone wants a piece, but not many want the whole pie. Or it will be a rotten pie.

What next? I would imagine MS putting that money to restructure what's left. Anything that's left, because that's all you can do. MS would want to stay in the enterprise space than the consumer space because it knows where the money is.