Why Microsoft Should Stop Making Hardware - Ballmer Spoke for First Time

In a speech at the University of Oxford students Said Business School in February , former CEO Steve Ballmer spoke for the first time since leaving the Microsoft. In connection with the acquisition of Nokia's devices and services unit , said, "It's important because the name of the company Micro-soft .... As a fundamental part of the fundamental principles , we were a software company ... and yet we a profile that will wind up being much more complicated in the future . "

Started in 2006 . Sitting in the shadow of rivals of Apple, the company began to go head to head with the most cool kid on the block . First came the Zune. The start playback music was meant to compete with the iPod, but it did so badly do past single digit market share. In the years that followed , the company released a few improved versions of the Zune, but even with good reviews that do not sell . By 2011 , Microsoft announced that it will stop production.

Until June 2012 , the second phase of the program began with the launch of Surface RT and Surface Pro? tablets for the first time in a combination of hardware and software company in an effort to go after the iPad. At the annual general meeting of shareholders in November 2012 , in response to the fighting efficiency of the tablets Surface, the he constant insist the company's ability to prosper in the future will be "getting innovation across the seam of hardware and software [ and it would be ] difficult unless [ they did ] both. " Under his leadership , the company relentlessly pursues a 'mixed » tech - ethnicity .

The transaction Nokia - a plan to acquire more material and gain some traction in the mobile business - in line with the long term vision of Ballmer. It was a hard job to convince Ballmer, Microsoft 's board of directors to vote in favor of it, and eventually led to them putting pressure on him to move faster production proposed changes in the company. Steve Ballmer announced unexpectedly that he would resign as CEO during the next 12 months. A month later , Microsoft announced plans to redeem them from Nokia.

With plans in place, the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 rolled out in markets in October 2013 . The product as it is admirable . It's smarter , sexier , faster , more affordable, and some features , even trump iPad.

It's almost there .

But the surface continues to occupy the second position with the iPad, which is currently significantly more and better applications than to first get the best applications . Unfortunately , admiration and only in the world of technology has no value .

Therein lies the problem with the Microsoft hardware. Except the Xbox, which has been superior in all fronts of hardware products in recent years have fallen into one of two traps : Fast market , poor development of the material and slow market , excellent development of the material.

Balmer is not retained in the exchange of these same outputs and regret during his tenure with the kids biz Oxford : "If we look back with 20-20 hindsight, the thing I regret is that we did not put the hardware and software along soon enough ... if you really want to bring a vision to market , it is useful to be able to capture and deliver hardware and software. "

After uncovering a version of Office for the iPad in March 2014 , the company now has shot latest and greatest hardware in the leg too. With the ability to use Windows software for rival devices , there is no reason to invest in a tablet Surface at all. However , this change in direction - leaving the longtime «Windows First policy" - suggesting that perhaps Microsoft's identity crisis has finally subsided under the leadership of Satya Nadella . .

Quick progress Nadella back to what the company does best showing early signs of promise for the future prospects of the company . He has his work cut out for him if and Nokia - the transaction is $ 7.2 billion ( including patents ) , which was officially completed on 25 April - is just icing on top.

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