Late last month, Microsoft OEM executive Peter Han (Vice President, US OEM) provided a sneak preview of the April 1 “Touch Win” campaign. Ironically, it’s not an April Fool’s joke. Rather, the “Touch Win” campaign is being adopted by distributors such as D&H Distributing, and DMRs such as CDW.
Essentially it’s all about the experience. Gotta give it to Microsoft for having an end-to-end user interface experience that is Windows 8 from the mobile device through the tablet to the laptop PC. It’s the only provider offering this. Think about it. Apple has a similar experience on its iPhone and iPad but not its iMac. So therein lies the gap that Microsoft is filling. SMBs will appreciate this strategy because of increased productivity. If you train a new worker on the Windows 8 UI, they are now functional on three platforms. Don’t laugh – it’s true. My wife is using a Windows Phone, and I’m on the verge of upgrading her to Windows 8. She will be able to migrate with little interruption.
The “sneak peek” was all about the device bar featuring 34 Windows 8 devices from major manufacturers such as Lenovo. It’s all part of the Touch Win campaign to have channel partners experience Windows 8 with new devices such as the UltraBook convertibles. I haven’t personally had the opportunity to use Windows 8 with this technology-level or the touch screens so it was actually pretty exciting for me. You can see the device bar in this video here.
Bottom line is that the Distys have some work to do about getting you--the SMB channel partner—excited about refreshing your customer’s IT fleet with a round of Windows 8 devices. The Touch Win campaign is a starting point, and I predict you’ll see more outreach in Microsoft’s FY14 starting July 1, 2013.
