Will Microsoft’s tablet scratch the iPad’s surface?
With Microsoft again attempting to crack the hardware market, should they be neglecting their traditional partners?
With Microsoft again attempting to crack the hardware market, should they be neglecting their traditional partners?
Last week Microsoft announced its latest foray into the hardware market by showing off its new Surface tablet computer.
A direct attempt at challenging Apple’s iPad, the Surface will run on the Windows 8 operating system, and is the latest in a long line of tentative attempts by Microsoft, more known for its software, to establish itself as a computer manufacturer.
Previous attempts include the Zune mp3 player, and the aborted tablet Courier, which came in the form of a two-screen notebook.
According to the NYT, however, Microsoft’s tablet announcement is a desperate move by the software giant to stem the tide of customers moving to Apple products, particularly in light of the failure of Hewlett-Packard’s tablet efforts.
It is also surprising that Microsoft has moved away from its hardware partners, such as HP and Dell, in order to make the device. Usually focusing on their operating system, it is believed that Microsoft has seen how Apple has benefited from controlling both the software and hardware design and wants to exert similar design controls on the finished product.
Lou Mazzuchelli, a technology entrepreneur and former analyst, told NYT: “You’ve got this sclerotic partnership where the partners don’t have any oxygen to be innovative. I believe Microsoft was painted into a corner. If they didn’t move soon, Apple would have so much of a lead, it would be almost impossible to catch them.”
The trouble for Microsoft, however, is that their track record with hardware design is patchy at best. The Zune player tried in vain to match Apple’s iPod, but was discontinued in 2010 after poor sales. Attempts to launch mobile phones, such as the Microsoft Kin, and tablet’s like the Courier were aborted before launch, despite over-the-top presentations that saw CEO Steve Ballmer try to capture the imagination in the way former Apple chief Steve Jobs did on so many occasions.
If Microsoft is to succeed, it should maybe focus more on getting their hardware partners to integrate the Windows 8 operating system into their devices, instead of Google’s Android system. Apple are likely out of reach in the all-in-one stakes.
