Introduction and Windows 10

On stage a few weeks ago, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, stated that the company has "no intention" of merging iOS and OS X, Cupertino's two main operating systems upon which almost all of its hardware is based. While it may seem odd to consider merging two almost completely contradictory elements – after all, what does the iPhone have in common with the Mac Pro? – another technology giant is currently doing just that, and going ahead merging a phone operating system with a desktop one.

Second time lucky?

With Windows 10, Microsoft is attempting what was previously considered a bad idea and, to a degree, the evidence does bear out this conclusion. The launch of Windows 8, the first attempt at combining the two, did not go down well with customers and forced Microsoft into back-tracking on certain key areas, such as the Start menu which got lost in the mobile-ification of Windows. However, the fortunes of Windows 10 seem a little better.

At an event on October 6, Microsoft announced that over 110 million people had installed Windows 10 onto a device, a staggering achievement considering the software has only been available for a little over two months. The success of Windows 10 is, in the most part, down to Microsoft's focus on what users want, not what is in vogue with the technology press. By starting the Windows Insider programme, Redmond accurately gauged the feeling towards the OS and only implemented things users really wanted, such as the Start menu.

Of course, Apple is continuously doing this. John Gruber, one of the foremost bloggers on the firm, wrote that Apple is one of the most – if not the most – customer-driven company around today, taking the feelings of users into account every step of the way. Even the most radical ideas, such as the original iPhone's lack of keyboard, are thought of with the user in mind and are ultimately shown to be good choices in time.

Listen up, Tim

The case for merging iOS and OS X is quite strong, and Cook would do well to listen. Developers, the cornerstone of Apple's products, are becoming disenchanted with the company's offerings, especially with regard to the App Store which doesn't offer demos or the ability to "upgrade" to the latest version for a reduced price. Some developers have even taken it as far as claiming that Apple's platforms cannot sustain anything other than a hit game or an uber-niche piece of enterprise software. Merging iOS could solve these perceived shortcomings.

Developing software is long and laborious work and if developers start to feel that the monetary rewards are insufficient then they may move elsewhere. (There are, of course, other rewards, but none put food on the table quite like cold, hard cash).

That "elsewhere" could end up being Windows 10, for one key reason: developing an app for Windows 10 is also developing an app for HoloLens, the virtual reality headset, for Xbox, and Windows 10 Mobile. For the same effort, the app can be used across tens of millions of devices, all because Microsoft made one operating system.

There are drawbacks, and they do number highly. For example, the experience on a mobile device is impaired by the fact that it is also designed for a laptop and a desktop. On a MacBook, everything is geared toward being controlled by a keyboard and a mouse. On a Windows 10 machine, however, the same cannot be said and this can lead to some odd compatibility issues.

A good example of this is the Office suite. When it was first released on the Surface back in 2012, the suite of apps was designed for a mouse and keyboard but was being used on a touch device (the Surface). This would never happen for Apple – iWork is distinct on both – but it did for Microsoft, and users didn't get the best experience as a result.

User experience and satisfaction

This is where the idea of user experience – and, as Tim Cook loves to tout, user satisfaction – comes into play: Apple has evidently assessed the market and the things consumers want and decided that merging iOS and OS X does not come under the label 'things customers want.'

The complications arise when considering products such as the iPad Pro, a device that is clearly geared toward having a more 'Pro' set of applications. The two other devices that share its namesake – the MacBook Pro and Mac Pro – both run OS X and so the inclusion of iOS is noticeable for how 'un-Pro' it feels, even if certain apps, such as the iWork suite, have been built out to work better. Many speculated that the second version of the iPad would come with a custom-build version of iOS which brought in some features of OS X, but it never materialised.

Room for manoeuvre

While Tim Cook's comments seem categorical, there is still some room for manoeuvre. The Apple of Steve Jobs, which was likely where the clearest distinction between OS X and iOS was made, is gone, and the ideas that came with it may also be vanishing.

The very introduction of the iPad Pro and its associated Pencil – effectively a stylus wrapped up in Apple's cute branding – show this clearly. Jobs famously said that "if you see a stylus, they [the company] blew it" and it may be the case that in the future people look back on Tim Cook saying that Apple has "no intention" of combining iOS and OS X in a similar light.

Another angle that has to be considered is that while these operating systems might not merge, OS X could be gradually phased out and replaced by iOS. We have already started to see this with the MacBook which is an amalgamation of the iPad and a MacBook Air. (The iPad Pro is the reverse but expresses the same ideals).

The PC industry, especially desktop machines where OS X is most suited, is dying out to be replaced by iOS which can inherit the features of OS X without ever officially merging the two, just as OS X inherited the features of iOS back in 2010.

• OS showdown: OS X 10.11 El Capitan vs Windows 10

Introduction and redefining the phone

Phones have had a renaissance over the past half-decade. Gone is the idea that they are used simply for calls and texting, replaced by an all-capable device that can run apps, surf the internet, video call and more.

Led by the iPhone in 2007, touchscreen technology and software improvements have meant that phones no longer need a keyboard and can have a large screen and a high pixel density. Other manufacturers, from HTC to Samsung, have added their own take on what makes a "smartphone," redefining the market in the process.

Now, it seems that it's Microsoft's turn. After years of relative obscurity in the world of smartphones – Windows Phone, despite having some good ideas and positive reviews has never been a commercial success – Redmond has decided to take a different tack, incorporating its weakest asset into the biggest: Windows Phone has now become Windows.

Redefining the smartphone

Previously, Windows Phone was similar in design ideas to Windows 8 but was never actually one and the same thing. There was always the promise on the horizon that the two would merge and apps created for one would work on the other (an idea that I argued would not shift the fortunes of Windows Phone), but with Windows 10 for Phones Microsoft has gone further and could, if the implementation is right, redefine how we see phones.

The implementation is, with hindsight, blindingly obvious: all you need is an HDMI connection, a keyboard and a mouse and your phone transforms into a computer. Windows 10 powers the experience and it's cohesive across all platforms, with apps being useable across them all. Working in Office on your phone plugged into a monitor is exactly the same as it would be if you were using a desktop, meaning that serious work can be done on a phone.

There are, of course, caveats that may prevent this from being an immediate success. Microsoft has stated that "new hardware" is needed to enable this feature and no current phone that is eligible for a Windows 10 update complies. Shifting hardware is a mixed bag where Microsoft is concerned with certain ventures, such as the Surface models, gaining relative success. The acquisition of Nokia makes far more sense in this light, despite the fact that it's losing money annually, as the company now has a foothold in the PC market. They would, as Steve Jobs liked to say, own the "whole widget".

Whether the need to upgrade to get Continuum will alienate current Windows Phone users remains to be seen, as does the problem of whether the feature is enough to warrant the purchase of a phone. Microsoft's suggested use case of new phone buyers mainly applies within developing nations, many of whom do not have £600 (or $600) to spend on a handset, even if it does rule out the need to buy a PC.

These niggles aside, if Microsoft can make this work the firm will be in a position that few others are in: they will have cracked the smartphone/PC divide, streamlining the experience and reaping the rewards.

Pushing the envelope

Continuum has the potential to not only redefine how people see smartphones but also computers. Compared to flying cars having a phone/PC hybrid is unexciting, but it is transformative nonetheless. If people stop seeing desktops and laptops as necessary, then Microsoft is in the perfect position within a market that is incredibly fertile.

Desktop sales, according to IDC estimates, are falling substantially year-over-year while smartphone sales continue to set records, even at the expensive $500-plus price point, showing that finally Microsoft has its eyes firmly set on the future and what that may bring.

Previous flops

There will be use cases that don't work on a smartphone, and of course companies have tried this before. Motorola had a project that allowed a similar thing to happen, except via hardware that included an HDMI port and various USB ports. Due to advancements in Bluetooth technology, coupled with the expansion of online services such as Google Drive or Dropbox, there is less impetus to include USB ports.

It's arguable that all a laptop needs is a single charging port, an idea that Apple is currently exploring, and a phone complies with this potentially new norm. Motorola made the mistake of requiring actual new hardware whereas Microsoft is tapping into things people already have – a monitor with HDMI, a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse.

Only Microsoft knows how many people will actually 'switch' their phone into a PC but the potential impact upon how we define a "smartphone" and how we define a "PC" could be extraordinary if it catches on.

There have been various reasons why people have shunned Windows Phone, from apps to the interface – but being able to use the device as a PC, thus meaning that you don't need a PC, is a compelling reason to go Windows with your handset that no other manufacturer can boast. Even Apple, which has made a big show of its Continuity feature, cannot say that if you plug an iPhone into an HDMI port, attach a keyboard and mouse via Bluetooth and boot it up, that the handset will become a fully-fledged PC.

A new era?

It hasn't been often over the past decade or so that Microsoft has really pushed the envelope within the consumer space. Windows, of course, is still used by millions of people but embarrassing implementations, such as Vista, have marred its reputation and alienated a lot of users. Backtracking on various Windows 8 features – or, you could argue, including them in the first place – has also done nothing to improve Redmond's relationship with its actual users.

It's now an oft-beaten drum, but Satya Nadella's Microsoft appears to be far more open to ideas and this is largely reflected within Windows 10. Opening up the software to users ahead of time is an unprecedented move and the feedback is actually being worked upon and incorporated.

This will mean less blind mistakes as a company and, on top of innovations such as Continuum, could lead Microsoft into first place and redefine how we, as users, define a "smartphone" and a "computer".

• How Continuum will work on your next Windows 10 for Phones handset