Can you imagine a bigger year for Microsoft than 2012? The company started the year with a huge strategic partnership with Nokia, went into competition with its partners by making its own tablet, and closed things out with the most ambitious change to Windows since 1995. For sheer drama, 2012 is going to be tough to beat.
But 2013 may end up mattering more to the company in the long run. Whereas 2012 was all about Microsoft moving major pieces into place to execute on a grand strategy, 2013 will be the year we find out if that strategy was brilliant long-term planning or a disastrous blunder.
Initial signs aren't that favorable. Early numbers about PC sales show there hasn't been any uptick since the launch of Windows 8 — in fact, sales have dropped considerably since the same period last year. And this is during the normally lucrative holiday sales season.
Windows Phone, despite getting good reviews, still has a lot of catching up to do with both customers and developers if it's going to be a credible third alternative to iOS and Android. Plus it'll soon have RIM's BlackBerry 10 platform to compete with for the No. 3 spot.
Although Microsoft has some strong hardware (such as the Xbox 360), it's a software company at its core, and 2013 will be the year that determines whether or not Microsoft's multi-year effort to unite its products into a credible platform that serves both businesses and consumers across all kinds of devices is successful or not.
In the company's dream version of events, consumers will slowly come to realize the potential of Windows 8, buying new hardware and upgrade old PCs, which will in turn fuel developer interest. Major Windows 8 apps (from the likes of Facebook, Flipboard and 1Password) will start to arrive by the truckload and will trickle down to Windows Phone 8, turbocharging Microsoft's growth in mobile. Buoyed by Windows 8's surging app catalog, the Surface becomes a serious tablet contender.
Back here in our universe, things will probably turn out differently. If current trends continue, the next year for Microsoft will be a difficult one. However, Windows 8 may still deliver on its promise to take the company into the future — although it's going to need some help. Here's what 2013 may hold in store for Microsoft.

Read Morehttp://mashable.com/2013/01/06/microsoft-predictions-2013/



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