The Chinese government in 2014 put out an edict forbidding the installation of Windows 8 on government machines. Interpreted as both a reaction to Microsoft’s announcement that it will no longer be supporting Windows XP, and increasingly, as a sign of the Chinese government’s intentions to reduce its reliance on imported technology, this is an issue that still hasn’t been resolved.
How will this move affect institutional support for Windows 10? Can Microsoft afford to be abandoned by one of the biggest markets for enterprise software on the planet?
My view is that Windows 10 will likely see gradual uptake in the consumer/commercial desktop market as large swathes of Windows 7 and 8 users (who make up close to 70 percent of the market) will be able to upgrade for free. Seeing as [PC games continue to be popular in China][pc] and Windows installations are largely ubiquitous in businesses across different industries, I think that Windows will continue to be relevant in China in the years to come.
But does this mean there’s a solid future for Windows across different levels of industry and society?
It is likely the government will, in time, migrate its systems over to home-grown alternative operating systems. As for the rest of society, without being necessarily forced to make the shift, I think the case for Windows is largely the same as everywhere else. Desktops are on the decline on a global scale, and this crucial play for Microsoft will indicate the future success of the company and its struggle to continue to be relevant in the shifting landscape of modern computing.
Do you see an extended future for Microsoft’s products in China?
Can you imagine China running independently from the global hardware/software standards that the rest of the world depends on?
As always, leave your comments below.
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