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Microsoft Hardware

Ballmer Tells the BBC There's More MS Hardware On the Way 133

Microsoft has made hardware for quite a while, but not much of it as visible as the Surface; now, it looks like there's more where that came from. Dupple writes: "Steve Ballmer told the BBC: 'Is it fair to say we're going to do more hardware? Obviously we are... Where we see important opportunities to set a new standard, yeah we'll dive in.' The chief executive's comments came ahead of a Windows 8 launch event in New York, following which Microsoft's Surface tablet will go on sale. News other devices are likely to follow may worry some of the firm's partners. Mr Ballmer caused a stir when he revealed in June that his company was making its own family of tablet computers — one offering extended battery-life powered by an Arm-based chip, the other using Intel's technology to offer a deeper Windows experience."
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Ballmer Tells the BBC There's More MS Hardware On the Way

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  • Microsoft was just a vendor of some software utilities. "Everyone knew" all the real money was for IBM, manufacturing the hardware.

    • Hardware is an easy well studied and researched business model. You make it, people buy it, if it works that is money.
      For software you make it, some people will buy it, there is a big black market of pirated software. Then once you get it you are expected to keep it up and running with fixes.

      Now the Apple and seeming the new Microsoft model. You make the hardware and software. This fixes the piracy problem because it means for every hardware unit you sell you sell the software too. As well it makes writ

  • Copying Apple (Score:5, Insightful)

    by geoffrobinson ( 109879 ) on Thursday October 25, 2012 @07:59AM (#41763275) Homepage

    Company that was focused on copying Sony and then turned to copying Google is now trying to copy Apple. If Chipotle captivates the stock market again, they'll start making burritos. Or maybe they'll start making coffee if Dunkin Donuts goes into a growth phase.

    • by csumpi ( 2258986 )
      Enough of this "copying" BS.

      All companies "copy". Steve jobs built Apple on taking other companies' designs and tweaking them. [newyorker.com] So how's this less acceptable?
      • Enough of this "copying" BS. All companies "copy". Steve jobs built Apple on taking other companies' designs and tweaking them. [newyorker.com] So how's this less acceptable?

        It's less acceptable because they're spreading themselves thin and loosing focus on the OS and Office suite that make them real bank.

        This is the ultimate outcome of a Corporate life cycle: The stock holders demand growth. They expand and diversify hoping to stave off death, but the reality is newer more nimble entities will evolve to take their place as new niches form. It's a fight till the end for relevance, and it's only really just beginning for MS, but I've seen it in Big Iron, Arcades -> Conso

      • I was talking about their business model instead of focusing on their competencies instead of particular product per se, but that's tied up into what business model you pursue.

      • He didn't "take" anything. Apple "bought" the rights from Xerox with Apple stock. Stock which, by the way, continued to increase before Xerox sold it.

        Besides, if the company that has something doesn't recognize its value and has absolutely no plans to market it successfully, and the company buying that thing also improves it immensely, the only question left to ask is this: Does that make the company that buys it an innovator (as they have had to innovate to improve) or a savior of the technology? Especiall

      • I sense a butt hurt windows fanboy is in here.
  • Surface phones won't matter at all to anybody other then Nokia. HTC and the like have no real investment in the platform and don't care. They're just making phones mostly to shut up patent issues and to hedge their bets.

    Nokia is all in, however. If Microsoft releases a Surface phone, it's a vote of no-confidence in their main Windows Phone partner's ability to get it done. Or in it's ability to survive, given how well WP7 went for Nokia.

    • Nokia is all in, however. If Microsoft releases a Surface phone, it's a vote of no-confidence in their main Windows Phone partner's ability to get it done. Or in it's ability to survive, given how well WP7 went for Nokia.

      You do not, suddenly in six months, find the ability to develop phone hardware. Building up basic radio competences took Apple about ten years. This is one of the reasons they spent a long time doing iPod type, WiFi only devices.

      This is a deliberate and reasonably long term plan to kill Nokia. It may have been a conditional plan; they thought that if Nokia went well enough they would let them continue as a partner. More likely, the whole thing was a set up as with Sendo. They've planned from the beg

  • Translation: (Score:5, Insightful)

    by TheRaven64 ( 641858 ) on Thursday October 25, 2012 @08:07AM (#41763403) Journal
    In a BBC interview today, Steve Ballmer said to his partners and customers further down the supply chain 'we've started competing with you in some small niches, but don't think we're going to stop there. We're going to keep expanding down the supply chain until we've completely destroyed your business model. Oh, and please keep buying Windows 8 licenses from us!'
    • by Anonymous Coward

      In a BBC interview today, Steve Ballmer said to his partners and customers further down the supply chain 'we've started competing with you in some small niches, but don't think we're going to stop there. We're going to keep expanding down the supply chain until we've completely destroyed your business model. Oh, and please keep buying Windows 8 licenses from us!'

      Yeah, and your point being?

      What I see is Ballmer moving MS to copy Apples's business model or as much of it as possible.

      You will start seeing MS hardware fine tuned to their OS. A Windows 8 app store [wikipedia.org] and probably more lock down.

      Dell, HP, etc ... well, eat shit and die! It's their wake up call. Move your shit to Linux or die.

      • I was going to say something similar. If the ghardware companies got together with RedHat, Canonical, etc, and put out a polished version of Linux that their hardware supported perfectly, it would be good for them in the short and long term. It would be very bad for Microsoft in the long term, which is really just an added bonus. This would also finally get the video card vendors on board with providing proper drivers, and provide the extra push needed for games to be ported. Having Office, etc would likely

      • This appears to be Microsoft's gamble. The problem is that a huge amount of their profit margin comes from the enterprise, where the PC still reigns supreme, and I wonder how thrilled many corporate and government customers will be to suddenly find that to keep using Windows, they're now facing a future with a single vendor.

    • by SpzToid ( 869795 )

      Maybe Microsoft is more or less following the Steve Jobs business model, where Steve immediately got rid of all of the 3rd party hardware manfacturers holding licenses for Mac OS? This is why you don't run OSX on your PCs from Power Computing, Motorola, Radius, APS Technologies, DayStar Digital, UMAX, MaxxBoxx, or Tatung.

      Following along those thoughts, why can't the %$#@! Nokia board replace Stephen Elop and his 'strategy' with some bright Nokian with a perspective and actual vision? Stephen Elop should go

  • After all, they're still flush with cash from Zune sales. :-)

  • The phrase "deeper Windows experience" should probably never be used ever. Masturbating with a fist full of glass shards is all that comes to mind when I read that.
    • by Anonymous Coward
      So similar to using the new Windows 8 interface then?
  • by crazyjj ( 2598719 ) * on Thursday October 25, 2012 @08:19AM (#41763547)

    Dude, it's been *7 years*. The standard life cycle since the Atari days was 5 years, and you haven't even ANNOUNCED a new console generation yet. And frankly, the 360 is looking a little long in the tooth.

    • I think they are in it for a 10 cycle. AAA+ Games cost 100+million to make so you need a few more years to flog it to death.
    • And frankly, the 360 is looking a little long in the tooth.

      Compared to what? A new PC that's going to run a copy of... Microsoft Windows?

      You don't have to to run fast if no one else is running fast in the market either.

      • Valve, what do you think the future might be for Intel/AMD Gaming? Oh... hedging your bet and trying to cater for Windows/Mac/Linux so whatever happens, you continue to rake it in with your Steam platform and own games?

        I see.

        Once everybody gamed on a commodore... or atari (freaks) and laughed at the dos crowd.

        Things change.

    • Dude, it's been *7 years*. The standard life cycle since the Atari days was 5 years, and you haven't even ANNOUNCED a new console generation yet. And frankly, the 360 is looking a little long in the tooth.

      I think they considered releasing Kinect as extending the life cycle of the console.

    • by Hatta ( 162192 )

      The Atari 2600 was released in 1977. The next console generation didn't occur until the release of the NES in 1985. That's 8 years. Atari actually didn't stop selling the 2600 until 1992.

      • he Atari 2600 was released in 1977. The next console generation didn't occur until the release of the NES in 1985.

        Oh, to be too young to remember the Atari 5200 [wikipedia.org].

        • by Hatta ( 162192 )

          That doesn't count as another console generation. It was just their previous generation home computer packaged in a gigantic case and given shitty non-centering joysticks.

          The 7800 counts as another generation, but it was released after the NES.

  • Sitting alongside all those Microsoft shills who have been forced to endure years of, having Apple and Android dominate the news with compelling interesting devices. Iproclame like mr First Poster this is the greatest news ever!!! Finally Microsoft have finally stepped up to take on the opposition, by promptly stabbing its OEM [and other] partners in the front...AGAIN :)

    I'm astonishing after the launch of surface plans of "Super Ninja" devices using new input methods, or reinventing old ones, or hell puttin

  • by Dystopian Rebel ( 714995 ) * on Thursday October 25, 2012 @08:33AM (#41763711) Journal

    Input: "Where we see important opportunities to set a new standard, yeah we'll dive in."

    Output: "We'll copy any product if it's a chance to make money. And if we can figure out how to squirt Windows into it, we'll do that, too."

    The IBM Blue Ballmer Project is an artificial intelligence computer system capable of translating statements made in the unnatural language of Microsoft Chief Executive Orificer Steve Ballmer.

  • If you think the Apple vs Samsung patent battles are bad. You ain't seen nothing yet. The more Microsoft tries to become Apple the bigger a target it will draw on itself.

    Me, until lawfirms go public and issue shares, I'm investing in popcorn.

  • My first impulse after reading the title.
  • In the '80, Microsoft created the MSX computer platform. I never actualy seen one of those for real so I can't tell if they were any good.

  • Microsoft's finest products are all hardware. I use one of their peripheral devices (an optical multi-button wheel mouse) at home, and it's great. It works right out of the box, no hassles, no need to hunt down any drivers or anything, with every OS I've tried since I bought it. (Currently I'm running lenny.) It tracks on pretty much any surface, and the buttons don't stick or anything. For the level of quality, it was priced very competitively. Microsoft makes great hardware.

    It's their software I Do
  • Windows 9! Soon to incorporate User Interface with wooden mallet and trombone.
  • Microsoft is designing a brand new mobile device. It is a wrist watch. But no ordinary wrist watch, but it comes with an optical reader.

    You get some special software that lets you build your calender in any windows machine. The calender could be exported from Outlook too. Then issue the comand "download data to watch".

    Presto!

    The screen displays a series of bar codes. The watch's reader can decode it and store it in the watch. They are partnering with Timex for this project. They are planning to call the

    • by glop ( 181086 )

      Well you are kidding, but I expect that with Bluetooth 4.0 this is actually a killer app.
      And there is a even a super successful kickstarter on the topic:
      http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/597507018/pebble-e-paper-watch-for-iphone-and-android

      But yeah, I don't think you need Microsoft for that. You need standards (e.g. Bluetooth 4 is needed), component manufacturers and some good designers.

    • Careful. When I was looking for a tablet with a dig8itizer, I got really excited about the TPT 1, but I waited. Turns out that if you drooled on that it broke.

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