Box joins the Windows 8 party with launch of new app

25.10.2012
The dust is settling on Microsoft's big Windows 8 launch event, but Microsoft isn't the only company with news today. Box also had some details to share about .

While Windows 8 is a bold shift for the venerable desktop operating system, the big unveiling was less than impressive. The Microsoft presenters often seemed more nervous and flustered than excited and confident, and the whole thing came off like Microsoft was hosting a QVC infomercial for a plethora of third-party OEM hardware options.

Overall, there wasn't really anything new unveiled by Microsoft today, especially not in the area that most people seem to be . The significance and success of the Windows 8 Start screen--the Modern UI--seems to hinge largely on the apps that are available to provide value.

That's where Box comes in. Obscured by the Microsoft Windows 8 launch event, Box today officially launched its new Windows 8 app. The Box app is precisely the sort of thing that Windows 8 needs, and arguably should have been spotlighted by Microsoft at the event, along with Skype, Evernote, Netflix, Kindle, and other key apps from major players that have invested the time and effort to embrace the new Windows 8.

Why is the Box app important? Well, it's important for Microsoft and Windows 8 because many businesses rely on Box for storing and sharing data. The SkyDrive integration in Windows 8 is nice, but companies aren't going to just abandon Box and migrate their data over to SkyDrive, so it's important from a productivity standpoint that users are able to access data from Box from within Windows 8 as well.

It's important to Box, because embracing Windows 8--which is both a desktop OS and a mobile platform depending on your perspective--is a final piece in the puzzle that delivers on the vision of Box. According to the Box.com website, "Box was founded on a simple, powerful idea: people should be able to access and share their content from anywhere."