If the name wasn’t clear enough, ‘bloatware’ is unnecessary manufacturer software that comes preloaded on new hardware. Just about no one likes it, and now Microsoft is giving us a tool to trim the fat. It may seem like small potatoes to anyone who hasn’t spent an afternoon removing apps one by one, but for the rest of us it’s a welcome blessing. Let’s take a minute to examine Windows’ new tool a little more closely.

If this software isn’t trying to drive you back to the manufacturer's sales stream, it’s paid a hefty chunk of change to be included on off-the-shelf hardware. Regardless of which it is, it’s not there to help you -- it’s there solely to increase the manufacturer’s bottom line. So if you think bloatware just isn’t enough of a concern to waste time refreshing your Windows install, consider that PCs without it start up 104% faster, shutdown 35% faster and have approximately 30 more minutes of battery life.

Because this isn’t a new problem, we’ve seen similar removal tools in the past, but they didn’t offer the same level of usability. When using Windows 8’s ‘Refresh and Rest’ the bloatware either wasn’t removed, or if it was, Windows required the reentry of a license key and a lengthy install completely from scratch. ‘Refresh’ Windows swiftly replaces everything on your hard drive with a fresh version of the OS as if it came straight from Microsoft.

Although this tool is best suited for clearing unwanted programs off of your machine right after you’ve purchased it, there’s no reason that you can’t use it further down the road. You might be thinking, “No way, I’ve got way too much important information to sacrifice it all just for a clean install.” Well depending on the extent of your data, that isn’t a problem.

When you open the ‘Refresh Windows’ client there’s only one option you need to select before moving forward, ‘Keep personal files only’ or ‘(Keep) Nothing’. Selecting the former will keep everything stored in your ‘Music’, ‘Pictures’, ‘Videos’ and ‘Documents’ folders. Remember that documents (in these folders) created or edited using Microsoft Office will be kept but the Office suite itself will be removed. Make sure you still have the licenses and installation disks for every piece of software you plan to use after the refresh.

This new feature will accompany next month’s Windows update, but users who just can’t wait to squash annoying ‘crapware’ can find the tool here. Simply download, open, and choose if you want to keep any personal files -- one, two, done.

You may be able to adequately navigate your way around a Windows machine, but there are often shortcuts that insiders use to speed up otherwise mundane management tasks. For any Windows projects or problems you have, drop us a line, we’ll have them fixed faster than you can uninstall that CD-burner utility that you never asked for.

For the past couple of years, Microsoft’s smartphones have been struggling to keep up with Android and Apple devices. Although Microsoft sells their handsets at lower price points and are constantly trying to improve user experience, the Windows Phone just isn’t cutting it in the consumer market. So what’s happening to Microsoft’s smartphone business? Let’s find out.

A brief history

The Windows Phone was introduced in 2010 and quite late in entering the smartphone game. After acquiring Nokia - a company facing severe losses - for $7.6 billion, Microsoft introduced Lumia handsets in the market. Since then however, Lumia handset sales fell by 49%. Additionally, over 10,000 employees were laid off and the failed smartphone venture would then be sold to Foxconn, a multinational company in Taiwan, for $350 million.

Reasons for the failure

There were many reasons why the Microsoft smartphone was not successful in the consumer market. Perhaps the biggest reason was because Microsoft entered the smartphone market too late, especially when Apple and Android devices were already starting to dominate the market. While the Windows Phone was a perfectly fine device, it lacked the “wow” factor that brands like Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android captured.

Apple and Android already had a wide variety of apps and features available for users by the time Microsoft joined in. So it didn’t help that Microsoft, at the time, had limited access to popular social media apps and advanced hardware features, which is why consumers kept lining up for the latest iPhone. Furthermore, Microsoft’s phone success had only been limited by its low price point and commitment to security, which might be good for business but not for consumer use.

Additionally, the success of Apple and Google was a result of being laser focused on the mobile market, while Microsoft simply had priorities other than their smartphone venture. Overall, phones are just a very small part in Microsoft’s strategy. They are more focused in areas like developing their cloud productivity suite, the Surface Pro tablet, and getting more consumers and organizations to use Windows 10 as their operating system of choice. On the other hand, Android’s operating system was far more advanced and Apple’s constant development of their hardware made it almost impossible for Microsoft to infiltrate the smartphone market. Therefore from the beginning, Microsoft was already fighting an uphill battle.

What now?

Though Microsoft has experienced a heavy blow in their smartphone development, this doesn’t mean they are down for the count. They decided to remove their products from the consumer market and focus on enterprise only markets as their product appeals to value-oriented buyers. As for the significant losses, Microsoft is not likely to go broke any time soon.

There are also rumors going around that the success of the Surface Pro tablet might bring about a Surface Phone. And even if there won’t be one, Microsoft’s tablets performance are on par, if not better, than the iPad Pro, so the company still has chances to enter the mobility devices market. At the end of the day, the failure of Microsoft’s smartphone gives the tech company more time to focus on areas like HoloLens, Internet of Things (IoT), gaming, the cloud, and the further development of their operating system.

Do you think Microsoft will survive their smartphone blunders? If you want to learn more about the latest Microsoft trends, features, and applications, get in touch with us today.