Microsoft plans to offer a glimpse of its vision for Windows this week, as its new CEO seeks to redefine the company and recover from missteps with its flagship operating system.
Although the new software won't be formally released until next year, analysts already consider its success crucial for Microsoft and Satya Nadella, who has made mobile devices and internet-based services priorities since becoming CEO in February.
With its tablet-like touch controls, Windows 8 had been Microsoft's answer to slumping sales in personal computers amid a rising demand for mobile devices. But the company alienated many users by forcing radical behavioural changes. Research firm IDC even blamed Windows 8 for accelerating a decline in PC sales in the first full quarter following the system's release in October 2012.