Is Microsoft Creating Some Bad Blood?

For almost as long as the company has existed, Microsoft has relied on 3rd party hardware developers like Dell, Samsung, Sony, and Hewlett Packard to use the products they created. Because of this, Microsoft has always dominated the operating system market with many companies like the ones listed making use of the many variations of Windows along with other products like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. However, for the first time in thirty-seven years, Microsoft is releasing a computer.

Microsoft released its Surface, a tablet based computer, on October 26, 2012. Many would wonder why Microsoft would venture into such territory. Microsoft has had such success selling its operating systems to other companies, why would it take such a large risk in creating its own computers? The answer comes down to design.

Companies like Dell and Samsung will run Microsoft’s new operating system, Windows 8. But Microsoft felt that in order to fully display the capabilities of Windows 8, they would need to take design duties in their own hands. “We decided to do Surface because it’s the ultimate expression of Windows,” Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft’s Windows division said. “It’s a stage.”

The Surface is designed to come with a magnetically attached keyboard which nearly doubles the tablet as a laptop. By doing this, they are hoping to directly compete with Apple’s iPad. The iPad, due to its ease of use and compatibility, has been adopted by many businesses and schools to be used in their day to day operations. For example, in the article it is mentioned that at a medical technology company 5,500 iPads have been issued to employees for use. Because of this, some have predicted that soon the iPad and other tablets will overtake laptops. Laptops have already lost sales to the iPad and other tablets.

In order to establish itself in the tablet market, Microsoft wants to ensure that the operating system is utilized effectively. By creating its own design for a tablet Microsoft is hoping to take some of those sales away from Apple and make a name for itself in the tablet market. Since most businesses already use PCs, Microsoft should have no issues with compatibility with the computers that companies already use. However, the Surface has not had the time that the iPad has had to develop. Many applications and 3rd party accessories already developed for it. Microsoft will have to hope that the Surface catches on quickly.

As for companies like Dell and Samsung, do you think they should be upset that Microsoft has developed its own tablet that will directly compete with their own? Do you think they feel upset that Microsoft felt that their own hardware would not be good enough to display the capabilities of Windows 8? Or do you think it will help them in the end as more people might by desktops from Dell and other hardware developers due to success of Windows 8? The article seems to suggest that it could be a win-win for these hardware developers but I would like to hear your input on what the future might hold for Microsoft and hardware companies.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/26/technology/with-new-tablet-microsoft-faces-a-balancing-act.html?_r=0

 

5 thoughts on “Is Microsoft Creating Some Bad Blood?

  1. I think Microsoft did a great job at entering the market at an appropriate time. They did not just come out with a tablet but with new software that is compatible with a tablet. As a consumer I love this idea because I don’t have apple product but I’ve always wanted a tablet. With this product I feel like I can buy it and understand it- not only that but it comes with updated software.

    I don’t think that Dell and Samsung should be upset because 1. its not in their contract that they are the only ones that can run their software in their products 2. If they thought that Microsoft was a competitor they should have offered to build a table on behalf of Microsoft catering to the software and Microsoft’s vision of a tablet.

  2. It seems that Microsoft has the right idea here to try and compete directly with Apple. With the release of a computer and tablet it is giving people an option outside of Apple and Android in the tablet market. It also makes it so Microsoft has their system on their own computer such as Apple does which will make a better computer overall then Dell and Hp and it will also help improve Microsoft in the market again.

  3. I think it’s about time that Microsoft jumped on the band wagon. It is smart for Microsoft to focus on creating their own software along with their own hardware. This ensures that the quality of the software meets the quality of the hardware and vice versa. As consumers we should have the option of choosing what we want to purchase and that option only exists with different competitors. It’s interesting that the Microsoft Surface has a keyboard attached to it. This definitely suggests that laptops will soon be replaced. In addition, I think they have an advantage because they control the Microsoft Suite Office. If Microsoft succeeds with their tablets, I can picture pretty soon college students will be carrying around tablets to class instead of laptops.

  4. I have also post a similar topic talking about Microsoft’s new operation system and its new strategy.That fact was, in order to maximize Windows 8’s capability, those hardware producers had to design new products to perform Windows 8. But unfortunatly, they had difficulty doing that because Windows 8’s innovation was screen-touch surface which differed from traditional PC design. They had difficulty to make products serve as laptops as well as tablets. Therefore, in order to fully display Windows 8’s capability, Surface was created and released to the market. I don’t have a chance to test whether Surface is performing well as a tablet, however, I think the rushed release of Windows 8 was a mistake for Microsoft.Microsoft was so eager to fight back the market place taken by Apple and couldn’t wait to release Windows 8. In fact, because no hardware in the market could display Windows at its time of release, the effect of Windows 8’s release was slight. It is understandable that Microsoft need to have its own hardware to display its operating system, but the timing of release and lack of communication with hardware producers may cause Windows 8’s failure.

  5. I am in the minority of those who do not like the way that apple products work. This new Microsoft table seems to have everything. It is practical for those who have real work to do and still fun and portable. I would be surprised if this product did not have a large effect on the table market.

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