Microsoft's Mango Update and Windows 8 - License to Kill in the Real World

Reform must come from within, not from without. You cannot legislate for virtue.

Cardinal Gibbons, Address, 1909

The Month of May 2011AD is now coming to a close this Sunday May 29^th 2011AD as I pen this article on my Fedora Linux-powered computer. Microsoft has released their Mango Update for Windows Phone 7 as stated in the article “Microsoft CEO promises 500 new features in Windows Phone Mango”, published Monday May 23 2011, DigitalTrends.

Finally, Cut and Paste will no longer be an issue for the Windows Phone 7 OS, which has had a lackluster showing since its stellar launch as acknowledged in my blog article entitled “Microsoft and Windows Phone 7 - Love Potion Number Nine”. Here is the video to prove it: “Windows Phone Mango preview”, published Tuesday May 24 2011, CNET News.

And just in time for London Olympics 2012 come July 27^th 2012AD!

But Microsoft saved the best announcement for last.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has announced that Windows 8 will make its debut in 2012AD. This as stated in the article “Microsoft CEO: Windows 8 due in 2012”, published Monday May 23 2011, DigitalTrends and backed up by the article “Ballmer: Windows 8 will debut in 2012”, published Friday May 27 2011, CNET News.

Hot Dog!!!

Apparently Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer is still on fire since their purchase of Skype on Tuesday May 10^th, 2011AD for US$8.5 billion pieces of silver as stated in my blog article entitled “Microsoft acquires Skype for US$8.5 billion - Miley Cyrus's Fly on the Wall Drops it Like its Hot”.

It might as well be platinum bars, as that is the most money Microsoft has ever shelled out on ANY acquisition. Certainly makes sense long term, as not only can they integrate Skype into all of their Microsoft products, but they can also use Skype to launch an IPTV Service. Stay tuned for more info on this!

But it was BusinessWeek that dropped the bigger bomb. Yes BusinessWeek! It appears that Redmond-based Microsoft is set to debut a Tablet OS sometime between Monday May 30^th 2011AD and Sunday June 5^th 2011AD. So says the article Microsoft to showcase new tablet OS next week?, published Friday May 27 2011, CNET News.

The obvious elephant in the room as to what OS Microsoft will debut is Windows 8.

Like Duh-uh!!

But my big money is betting that this Windows 8 will debut as an IE10 (Internet Explorer 10) and that IE10 will run Cloud-Based Web Apps. This as predicted in my blog article entitled “Windows and Cloud Computing - Audia Resident Evil After-Market Taste-and-Buy”.

Such as Office 365, already on the prowl and winning early converts such as the City of Winston-Salem, North Carolina as stated in the article “Why We Chose Exchange Online, Not Google Apps”, published Friday May 20 2011, PCWorld.

Put another way, IE10 is Windows 8!

A completely Cloud-Based OS, just like Google Chrome OS-powered Acer and Samsung Smartbooks codenamed CR-48 as stated in my blog article entitled “Google Chrome OS and Open Source - Star Wars A New Hope”.

The article “Five Reasons Microsoft Can Still Win the Tablet War”, published Saturday May 28 2011, PCWorld paints convincing arguments as to why a Windows Tablet will be a hit.

Already, the Enterprise strengths and familiarity of Windows OS, makes it a prime candidate for a Tablet OS, especially if it is Cloud-Based. This as even Taiwanese PC and Laptop Maker Asus already has a Windows 7 Tablet, the Asus Eee Slate EP121.

Asus also has plans to debut a Tablet running Google Chrome OS as stated in my blog article entitled “Asus Transformer vs Apple iPad 2 - X-Men First Class for Ludacris' Numba' One Spot”.

Windows 7, however, is not optimized for a touch interface in terms of gesture-based commands. Hopefully Windows 8, which from all accounts, is Cloud-Based, will be touch-centric and gesture-based.

It all Microsoft hoped and dreamed for in terms of security and updatability via the Cloud. Especially in light of the high level of Software piracy, specifically of Microsoft Products in the People’s Republic of China as note by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in the article “Ballmer: 95 percent of Chinese software revenue lost to piracy”, published Friday May 27 2011, DigitalTrends.

Not to mention being significantly cheaper to run, being as all software would reside in the Cloud Servers.

And it would, as an OS, find acceptance among Corporate Enterprise here in Jamaica. This as Telecom Provider Digicel has launched their Tier III Certified Data Center on Wednesday May 11^th 2011AD as chronicled in my blog article entitled “Digicel Cloud Backup Service and future Cloud-Based Services - V.S Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas”.

Ditto to the now confirmed build-outs of HSDPA+ Release 7 and WiMaX 4G Mobile (IEEE 802.16d, e) as my blog article entitled “Digicel's US$85 million HSDPA+ and WiMax 4G Upgrade - Wizards of Waverly Place Fast Five Showdown” to support high-speed connectivity anywhere from the Cloud.

This mentioned in Digicel CEO Mark Linehan editorial letter to The Jamaica Observer, entitled “LIME not the first to launch 4G in Caribbean”, says Digicel, published Friday, May 20, 2011, The Jamaica Observer and The Jamaica Gleaner entitled “Digicel Takes Issue With LIME's 4G Claim”, published Friday May 20, 2011, The Jamaica Gleaner respectively.

Official announcements of Telecom Provider Digicel intention came later in the Media on Wednesday May 25, 2011, which I chronicled in my blog article entitled “Of ATC Strikes and Digicel 3G+ Upgrades - Pushing Tin in Eerie, Indiana”.

This in response to Telecom Provider LIME Tuesday May 17^th 2011AD announcement that they were upgrading their 2G GSM (Global Systems Mobile) Network to 4G, or more correctly HSDPA+ Release 7 at a cost of US$80 million as stated in my blog article entitled “LIME's US$80 million Caribbean HSDPA+ Release 7 Upgrade - Sonic the Hedgehog”.

This as Microsoft’s main enemy is now Google Chrome OS, based on the Google I/O Conference on Tuesday May 10^th 2011AD as stated in the article “Google I/O Day One: Android on Top”, published MAY 10, 2011 12:08 PM PDT by Stephen Shankland, CNET News - Android Atlas.

One thing is certain: this is Google’s Plan to take over the world with their Google Android Platform and their new unified Google Android OS 4.0 codenamed Ice Cream as stated in the article “Google unveils Android@Home”, published May 10, 2011 2:29 PM PDT, CNET News should not be taken lightly.

Perhaps this week Monday May 30^th 2011AD and Sunday June 5^th 2011AD will be the week where Microsoft stops being polite and starts being as per the show The Real World (TV Series 1994– ) and exercise their Licence to Kill (1989) against the coming dominance of Google Chrome OS up in the Clouds!