Microsoft MetaOS - a new architecture for 365

Microsoft watcher Mary Jo Foley unearthed new details about Microsoft's MetaOS. Unlike what the name suggests, this is not a new operating system. There's not a whole lot of information but it seems this is a codename for a new, underlying architecture that will be used by future Microsoft 365 products. It's what Microsoft has in store for the next Microsoft Teams, Office, Edge, and other products.

One key take-away is that MetaOS switches the focus to people, and not devices. It seems to be modeled after TenCent's WeChat mobile social/payment app/service here. The software giant's goal is to create a single platform for work and play, with services like messaging, voice and video, gaming, digital payments, and customized document and news feeds.

Microsoft is working to create a set of common inbox apps and controls that will carry across products and services. These include products like Planner, Stream, Tasks, Lists, Files, Whiteboard, Notes (OneNote, Sticky Notes), analytics, learning, history, downloads, and similar products/services. It also is building a set of hubs that build on top of the MetaOS technologies. Teams is just one of these hubs. Others include Windows, Microsoft's single, simplified Office mobile app, also known as Office.com (and codenamed "Union"), Outlook, and Edge/Bing.

As the article points out, Microsoft's 365 business pulled in $20 billion of revenue of the software giant's $143 billion total in fiscal 2020. The 365 segment posted year-over-year growth of over 50 percent.