The Microsoft sweet spot: Where Joe Belfiore feels Windows 8 missed the mark

The Windows 10 chief Joe Belfiore talks to Computing about Windows, app platforms - and Zune

Windows 8 "wasn't all aligned", and suffered from a dearth of hardware support, Microsoft's corporate vice president of the operating system group has told Computing.

Speaking to us last week at Microsoft's TechEd conference in Barcelona, Belfiore was candid about what he considered to be Windows 8's shortcomings, while enthusing about the operating system's followup - Windows 10 - and its ability to make a clean break in the enterprise.

"If you look at Windows 8 - where I think we got a lot of technology pieces built that are strong and compelling - it wasn't all aligned. There wasn't that wave of hardware that supported the software at the right time, at the right price point, so that software developers can [support the OS]."

Belfiore believes, in comparison, Microsoft's "recipe for Windows 10 is much better so far".

He continued: "We're going to have to see how this one plays out, but that's the thing I'd say we're really trying to get right."

Computing asked Belfiore what he'd learned from his 25 years at Microsoft that have seen him work on every major client operating system since 1990, as well other projects, such as the company's ill-fated iPod rival, the Zune.

In Belfiore's opinion, there is a certain formula to making an operating system work at Microsoft - and it relies on robust software, good OEM hardware partnerships, and the investment from developers that follows.

"There's a super-important aspect to lining up all parts of the story. You have to know that you have the thing that end-users are going to like on its merits, and you have to align with the hardware vendors, which means everything from the type of devices to their price point.

"If you don't, if you're not aligned with the hardware vendors so you get great prices for the things that will give a great software experience, then you're going to miss the mark," he said.

Belfiore stated that "when you get the combination right, when you have a thing end users are going to like, that comes at the right price, with innovative hardware, allowing software developers to build innovative experiences - then you can really get a significant valuable cycle going".

Apart from citing Windows 8 as one of these operating systems that never "aligned", Belfiore referred to the Zune - Microsoft's portable music player which initially launched in 2006 without an app store or functioning touch interface - for which he ran the software and services group.

But even Zune - a comparatively minor setback - contributed to an ongoing educational process for the ever-reflective Belfiore.

"I think that it definitely was an experience that showed us how much timing matters, and the whole cycle of go-to-market with great branding and presence in retail - [but] that was a very tough situation."

"The third generation Zune - that had the touch screen - came out after the iPhone and the iPod Touch, and by then it was just too late without an app platform," he told Computing.

Windows 10 is slated for a late 2015 release, and is currently available for download in preview form, which Microsoft is keen to receive user feedback on.