Windows 8 slated for launch on October 26

At the application developers' conference on Friday in Bangalore, Microsoft demonstrated the Windows 8 operating system (OS) slated for launch on October 26. Its team showed a tablet powered by the released-to-manufacturing version of Windows 8 to Business Standard on the sidelines of the event. Microsoft India Chairman Bhaskar Pramanik explains what makes Windows 8 special.

What, according to you, is so special about Windows 8?

If you look at the interface of Windows 8, we believe it is a lot more exciting and informative, which people would actually love to spend time on. Other than making Windows open to the vast storehouse of exciting applications, Windows 8 enables multi-tasking.

This means that you have continuous access to multiple applications, while at the same time you are in serious business-related work using your device. We have made it the most secure platform because the devices powered by this are going to be continuously connected to one cloud service or the other.

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From users' point of view, why do cloud services matter?

This is the era of connected devices and continuous cloud services. The name of the game now is to take an application and convert it into a service. Windows 8 is perhaps the true cloud-based OS, that allows you to access all kinds of services from the cloud.

What makes Windows 8 relevant in India?

One of the key strengths of Windows 8 is that the users will have access to all kinds of applications from the application store. India, as you know, is home to 1.6 million developers, second only to the US. These are the developers who have helped us tide through the Y2K issue to move to the era of client server and now to internet. Globally, the future generations of applications are going to be based on the connected devices and continuous cloud services. We are encouraging the local developers to take India to the forefront of applications development.

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How much would your India development centre contribute to the development of Windows 8?

We are a global engineering company with development centres across the world. In India, we have a large concentration of people, working on different products of Microsoft. From the Windows perspective, certain parts and components were done out of India.

Microsoft had set a goal to become part of the inclusive growth of India. How much will Windows 8 help you achieve this goal?

We have identified five areas to which, as a company, we can contribute. Education is at the forefront. Windows 8-powered devices can transform the education sector phenomenally. Windows 8 can provide students access to richer education related applications and content. Windows 8 will also provide opportunities to improve e-governance and help provide faster and efficient services to citizens.

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Do you think that the kind of devices the government is proposing for students will be able to support Windows 8? Besides, are Indian consumers very cost sensitive?

Our focus will be on providing a completely different user experience. While there are many cheap tablets in the market, the experience is far less than sufficient.

And we don't want to compromise on our hardware requirements, because we want to make sure that when people pick up a Windows 8 device, they should feel delighted. Of course, there is a segment which prefers lower prices. We don't look at that as the target segment.

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As technology spending is quite low in India, the domestic economy is now going through a rough patch. Is it not of concern for tech companies like Microsoft?

The per capita consumption of IT in India is very low. But that is also true in case of steel, cement and many other things. I think when the economy was growing at 8 and 9 per cent, all sectors of the economy were growing much more rapidly.

We do have a challenge now, because the growth rate is coming down. My personal belief is that IT can actually be a means by which the economy can kick-start (the next phase).