MS Windows 2016 to Look Very Different

"Don't get too used to the way Windows looks" was the message relayed by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at a recent Houston Technology Center luncheon.

Ballmer says he figures the Windows operating system (OS) found on most PCs right now will look a whole lot different in just five years time.

Windows "will look a lot different and it will run different applications," Ballmer told members of the local business community during a presentation at Union Square in Houston's Minute Maid Park. With many new technology innovations making their way into mainstream, MS Windows needs to keep up the pace. (Source: sfgate.com)

Tablet PCs, Smartphones Behind Evolution of Windows

This expected evolution may have a lot to do with the proliferation of tablet PCs and touch screen displays. It's been said that the next version of Windows, tentatively called Windows 8, will be built from the ground-up with these kinds of technologies in mind.

Both Microsoft and its CEO have received plenty of criticism in the last year for taking so very long to release tablet devices that can match Apple's popular iPad in both style and substance. Ballmer admitted his company has had its troubles in this market, noting that the tech industry sometimes moves very fast and Microsoft isn't always able to keep up with its rivals.

Technology Markets Can Change Quickly

Ballmer used the opportunity to point out that the market can shift very quickly. He made reference to Apple's own checkered past as proof that much can change in just a few years time.

"When I started at Microsoft, Apple was bigger than us," Ballmer said. "By 1997, Apple was almost bankrupt. Now, Apple has turned itself around quite nicely. You see, you can come, go, come and go, and come again." (Source: seattlepi.com)

Windows Phone 7 Platform Lagging Well Behind Apple

Microsoft hopes that's the case when it comes to not only the tablet computer market, but also mobile operating systems. The Windows Phone 7 platform is well behind Apple's popular iOS and iPhone system, which accounts for nearly one-third of the mobile market.

Clearly, Microsoft isn't happy maintaining its current status quo -- which is dominating the PC operating system market, but slipping behind in other realms. It plans to adapt its most popular product, Microsoft Windows, in order to improve its fortunes in other areas.