Back in May @MrShellenberger wrote a blog about the Surface Pro 8 and how satisfied he was with the experience. (If you are interested in the Surface Pro 8 I highly recommend checking it out here.) After that post many of the Authors here at Microsoft Uncensored had a chat about our experiences with other devices in the Microsoft lineup. As conversations about our experiences continued we determined that the Microsoft hardware eco-system is no longer “niche” in the market.
Microsoft has always been considered a software company, but they aren’t exactly new to the Hardware portion of the industry. Microsoft has actually been creating hardware as far back as the 1980’s. The traditional focus of Microsoft concentrating on corporate business first hasn’t been the same approach that they’ve taken with their modern hardware though, quite the opposite actually.
Some of Microsoft’s first hardware releases in the 80’s involved mice and a track balls for on-screen navigation. (These came shortly after Add-On cards for Apple products). Ergonomic Keyboards eventually followed, putting a spin on the traditional keyboard, which was a well-timed response to the start of health concerns that came with working on a computer for long periods of time such as carpel tunnel syndrome. Microsoft continued to perfect their designs of mice and keyboards through the 90’s and continue to improve on those designs and their sustainability to this day.
The real place where Microsoft has found success with hardware sales is though their gaming division. In the 90’s they developed the SideWinder controller which shares similarities to the Xbox controllers of today. Xbox was then released in the early 2000’s and the start of the “Console Wars” quickly followed. The Kinect, coming with Xbox, was a product of those wars and actually had various business applications with use of its Software Development Kit (SDK) which can still make in valuable for businesses even today. (It’s used in many interactive experiences, and even made an appearance on the Big Bang Theory in Howard’s lab, showing capabilities to scan an object for 3D printing.)
Microsoft of course hasn’t had success with all of its products, being late to market with the Zune and their release of phones resulted in a failure to gain market share and the eventual discontinuation of those devices. There is an advantage in being first to the market in the consumer industry, and many people I talk to still miss the Windows OS on their phones, personally I still miss my Microsoft Band 2 and will admit that I probably held on to the hope that they’d come out with the Band 3 a little too long. Some of the other devices such as the original Surface, needed refinement before their release, but later iterations have improved greatly, which leads us to the Surface devices of today that many consider premium devices.
With all of the above products that Microsoft has released over the years, we’ve yet to really cover their modern-day lineup which consists of peripherals like webcams, mice, keyboards, docks, headphones, speakers, and pens. The rest of the Surface lineup such as the Surface Laptop Studio and Go devices. (The Surface Laptop Go 2 was just released for pre-order just last week). Microsoft has even returned to producing mobile handheld devices with the Duo and Duo 2. (I don’t really classify the Duo devices as phones, which we’ll cover in a future review.)
The Neo while officially no longer being released also gave us some insight into Microsoft inner workings and commitment to innovation. Microsoft at one point even had a “home of the future” before smart devices really took off. It appears the Microsoft vision for devices that automate daily functions has since evolved to have more of a corporate focus with IOT and Power Automate.
Of course, I can’t leave out the latest iteration of the Xbox line with the Series X also continuing to have terrific sales numbers. Microsoft has even leaned into memes of the Series X making a refrigerator looking exactly like it.
Through-out future posts from the Microsoft Hardware blog series, we’ll work to provide readers with the good, the bad, and the ugly of these devices as we use them. The reviews we provide will include real world experiences and how well they work with each other and other 3rd parties. We’ll take a look at corporate vs. personal use and will hopefully provide you with the information you need to make your next hardware purchase if you are considering one of these devices.
Have a device you want us to review next? Leave it in the comments below!