當微軟于2014年在蘋果的iPad上推出Office辦公套件時，許多觀察者認為他們是在努力提高在移動領域的存在感，盡管這意味著與強大的競爭對手合作。此舉也象征著當時新上任的首席執行官薩提亞·納德拉決心讓微軟跳出已經（現在仍舊）主宰的筆記本電腦和臺式機領域。

很明顯，三年來納德拉始終堅持著這個計劃。在本周微軟為軟件開發商舉行的Build年度大會上，這家位于華盛頓州雷德蒙德的公司展示了新版的Windows，提供虛擬現實體驗的新款控制器，以及人工智能軟件Cortana的改進。沒錯，微軟錯過了移動端的潮流。不過結合來看，這些宣言證明他們不僅想收復失地，還要加足馬力為下一個重大趨勢做好準備，無論那會是什么。

微軟對于Cortana的研發，或許最為明顯地體現了該公司跨平臺的方針。蘋果等競爭對手在數碼領域都著眼于兼容自己的硬件產品，但Cortana卻可以兼容Windows設備、聯網揚聲器、汽車等在內的所有產品，沒錯，也包括iPhone。微軟一直以來都有力主宰著辦公場所，因此他們在這些地方普及Cortana時擁有獨特的優勢。在Build大會中，微軟的演示展現了一個辦公室職員利用會客廳揚聲器上的Cortana，通過簡單的聲音命令就能完成日常工作，包括在公司的聊天室里發布更新，駕車開會時掌握交通情況，或是申請休假。

與此同時，即將到來的更新將會讓Windows 10成為微軟史上兼容最多平臺的系統。Cortana可以幫助用戶無縫切換設備，無論它們是否安裝了Windows。改善的剪貼板可以讓用戶在Windows、安卓（Android）和iOS設備之間復制和粘貼內容。而名為Story Remix的視頻編輯應用還能讓用戶在各個設備之間切換工作——如果你在蘋果設備上干了一些活，又切換到Windows的電腦上，它可以繼續你的進度。

不過微軟最大膽的賭注是虛擬和增強現實上。當使用宏碁（Acer）和惠普（HP）即將推出的頭戴設備時，微軟Windows 10 Mixed Reality提供的一系列體驗會讓你模糊現實和數字世界的界限。不過它的關鍵還在于虛擬現實能否在短期內成為主流。如果可以，微軟就在爭取業內主導權上占據了有利位置。在之前的采訪中，微軟的Windows和設備執行副總裁特里·邁爾森表示：“我認為，如果我們能搞清這項技術的應用，它就能給我們的生活帶來革命性的影響，讓我們可以在分離時進行溝通。”

微軟開發跨平臺產品的理由很充足。研究公司高德納（Gartner）稱，2017年第一季度，全球PC機的銷量同比下降2.4%。另一家公司IDC則表示，PC出貨量實際上有所增長，不過只有0.6%。如果你的公司像微軟過去一樣與PC緊密相關，那這樣的數據可不是好消息。所以這樣前瞻性的風險對沖，可能讓微軟有機會在未來保持競爭力。

納德拉在2015年接受ZDNet采訪時表示：“如果要說錯誤的話，過去我們犯下的一個大錯，就是認為PC無論何時都會是一切事物的樞紐。因此，我們需要時刻尋找下一個時代的拐點。”當然，沒有人可以預測未來。不過無論未來的趨勢是什么，微軟似乎都做好了前所未有的充分準備。（財富中文網）

本文最初登載于Time.com。

譯者：嚴匡正

When Microsoft brought its Office suite to Apple's iPad in 2014, many observers viewed it as a move to strengthen the company's presence in the mobile space — even if it meant working with a fierce rival. It was also a sign that then-new CEO SatyaNadella was committed to extending his company's reach beyond laptops and desktops, where its Windows software already dominated the market (and still does.)

Three years later, it's clear that Nadella remains committed to that plan. During this week's Build conference, an annual Microsoft event for software developers, the Redmond, Wash.-based firm showed off a new version of Windows, a new controller for virtual reality experiences, and improvements for its Cortana artificial intelligence software. Yes, Microsoft missed the boat on mobile. But, taken together, these announcements show that it's committed not only to making up lost ground, but also to powering the next big thing in tech, no matter what that might be.

Microsoft's work on Cortana perhaps best highlights the company's platform-agnostic approach. Whereas rivals like Apple have limited their digital aides to work with only their own hardware, Cortana is available for everything from Windows devices to Internet-connected speakers and cars to, yes, the iPhone. Microsoft sees a particular advantage in making Cortana useful in the workplace, given the company's historical dominance there. One demonstration during Build showed how an office worker might use Cortana on a living room speaker to get everyday tasks done with simple voice commands, like posting updates to the company's workplace chatroom, getting traffic notifications while driving to a meeting, or requesting time off.

Meanwhile, the forthcoming update will make Windows 10 the most multi-platform version of the software Microsoft has ever made. Cortana will help users seamlessly transition between devices, whether they run Windows or not. An improved clipboard makes it possible to copy and paste content between Windows, Android, and iOS devices. And a new video editing app called Story Remix lets users work on projects across devices — if you get some work done on an Apple device then switch back to a Windows computer, it'll pick up where you left off.

But Microsoft's boldest bet is on virtual and augmented reality. Its Windows 10 Mixed Reality software powers a range of experiences that, when used with hardware like the upcoming headsets from Acer and HP, blend the physical and digital worlds. The jury is still out on whether VR will go mainstream any time soon. But if it does, Microsoft is well-positioned to be a dominant force in the field. "If we can get that presence right, I think it's just going to revolutionize our lives, allow us to connect when we're apart," Terry Myerson, Microsoft's executive vice president of Windows and devices, told TIME in a previous interview.

There is good reason for Microsoft's cross-platform approach. Worldwide PC shipments dipped by 2.4% year-over-year in the first quarter of 2017, according to research firm Gartner. Another firm, IDC, says shipments actually grew in this year's first quarter, but only by 0.6%. Those numbers are bad news if your company is tied to PCs in the way Microsoft has historically been. So this kind of forward-looking hedging may give Microsoft a way to stay relevant in the future.

"If anything, one big mistake we made in our past was to think of the PC as the hub for everything for all time to come," Nadella told ZDNet in 2015. "Therefore, we have to be on the hunt for what's the next bend in the curve." Nobody can predict the future, of course. But Microsoft looks more prepared than ever for whatever's around the corner.

This article was originally published on Time.com