Microsoft ‘evolving’ to meet ever-changing consumer behavior

Software giant unveils Windows 8.1 in Pakistan.

KARACHI:

Keeping pace with the ever-changing demands of the consumers and their behavioural pattern, Microsoft (MS) unveiled its latest operating system, the Windows 8.1, at the Karachi office yesterday.

With consumers using all kinds of devices, multiple in several cases, MS Pakistan’s Lead Technology Strategist Zafarul Islam said the new operating system was launched to give them a platform to have a similar experience on each device.

The tech giant launched the latest operating system globally in October. A month later, its Pakistani subsidiary announced the availability of Windows 8.1 in Pakistan during a media roundtable, which included a product demo for a selected group of journalists who also experienced the operating system firsthand.



“Windows 8.1 is an extension of the vision with which Windows 8 was built,” said Islam, while giving an overview of the product in an hour-long presentation. “It is a feature-rich update to its popular Windows 8 operating system, enabling customers to create experiences that keep pace with their lives — at work, home or on the go.”

Talking about the rapidly changing trends in the information communication technology (ICT) industry, Islam said it is important for software developers like Microsoft to evolve its technology.

The upgraded operating system comes with the new Internet Explorer 11, which is fast, fluid and gives and improved experience for touch screen users. It provides native support for 3-D printing and is suitable for multitasking and productivity, enabling the use of up to four applications simultaneously.

Consumers with a Windows 8 device in Pakistan, Islam said, can download the free update via the online Windows Store. Windows 8.1 is also available on new devices and as a boxed software at retail locations across Pakistan.

However, what distinguishes MS from its competitors is the MS office app, which comes built-in with all Windows-powered devices, Islam said, while responding to a question. The office app is fully touch-enabled, cloud-based service available even on non-Windows devices, he said.

Windows 8.1 also offers a host of increased customisation refinements and functional improvements, including a personal, improved and more customisable Start screen in variable tile [app] sizes, background designs and colors.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 21^st, 2013.

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