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Microsoft introduced the world to Windows 11, and it looks like they’ve been focused on advancing the platform without making it entirely new. Striking that balance is very difficult. You need to impress consumers where the ease and visual simplicity of the Mac platform makes for a tough competitor. And Microsoft wants to maintain its position as the dominant platform in the enterprise. If they move too far in one direction or the other, they upset the delicate balance. We’ve seen so far on the face of things that it seems like they walked that line well with Windows 11.
Microsoft noted that Windows 11 would include running Android apps (thanks to integrations with the Amazon app store and Intel Bridge technology) along the way of striking that feature offering balance. This should be popular with consumers for no bigger reason than it’s a massive addition to what they can do with their PC. The same app they run on their phone will be on the PC. There’s a competitive blunting measure against Apple here, but we won’t get into that now.
From an enterprise perspective, there is seemingly more value in “app parity,” where the phone and PC run the same app, rather than the value is in the breadth of the ecosystem made available. Many organizations we deal with have either field or plant operations that utilize phone/tablet devices for purpose-built functions. Windows 11 will enable those organizations to leverage existing internally developed phone/tablet apps without any modifications (assuming the promise from Microsoft is accurate).
Along with the Amazon store integration announcement, Microsoft focused on the “app ecosystem” future based around PWAs. As many have expected, it appears the shift from a heavy client, installed executables to lighter weight, portable web applications are picking up. This is really just a logical evolution of the change we’ve seen over the past decade, from client apps to web-based apps. Where there were once 12 client apps to each web app, it’s safe to say those numbers have inverted.
Web-based apps have gained features and increased performance as the underlying browsers have steadily advanced. Now it’s logical to see the purpose-built web apps jump outside their traditional browser shell and use the same technologies to run “standalone.” Technology marches on, and Windows 11 embraces that idea.
At Browsium, we couldn’t be happier about these moves. It’s a ringing endorsement of the browser/web-based application model and positions it to be what drives business operations into the next decade. We’ve spent the past decade building tools specifically for the challenges presented by the shift to web-based applications and managing a browser-based end-user portfolio. Our tools are ready for the next step in this process and will provide the insights needed to understand the what, when, how, where, and why of PWAs and the components they rely on.
We will have more to show and talk about concerning PWA support in the Browsium tools in the near future. Windows 11 isn’t scheduled for release for many months, but we have been working to prepare for what it brings to the enterprise management challenges. Customers deploying our solutions to solve prior today’s issues are exceptionally well-positioned to move more seamlessly to Windows 11. Those customers have seen how our tools continually help address problems with managing the web and browser-based ecosystem, especially as it continues to evolve. The changes with Windows 11 may not be the same kinds of technical or process model changes we’ve seen in the past, but we’re ready for what Microsoft is delivering in Windows 11. Let us help you be ready too.
There’s no better time than to start now to ensure the transition is smooth and you control the timing.
