Microsoft hasn’t been setting the world on fire. Sure they’re making money, but Windows 8 hasn’t exactly wowed people. Windows 8 Phone is an afterthought, and the Surface tablets aren’t at the top of mind for tablet users. Plus, PC shipments have been down for the last little while. Take the most recent quarter where they dropped 11%. You knew that things had to change and change they did today. AllThingsDigital posted a memo sent by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Now you can (and should) read the entire memo, but the key point is this one:
As devices proliferate, it has become clearer that consumers crave one experience across all of their technology. Yet today, they often face different experiences on their PC as compared to their phone or their tablet. As technology moves from people’s desks to everywhere in their lives, it should become simpler, not more complex. And our products and services should operate as one experience across every device.
Together, the leadership team looked at how we could renew and reorient Microsoft for this new time. We focused on how we could continue our mission of improving and empowering people’s lives through technology but with a new North Star far beyond putting a PC on every desk and in every home.
In the end, we realized our strengths are in high-value activities, powering devices and enterprise services. And we realized we could bring those strengths together in a unique, differentiated experience that will delight consumers and customers.
Going forward, our strategy will focus on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most.
Hmmmm….. It almost sounds like they are trying to become Apple. After all, Apple strives for one coherent experience for all their devices and they offer services such as iCloud that are tightly integrated with their devices. But that’s likely my jaundiced view of the universe at work here. The real question is, can this strategy shift help to “reboot” Microsoft? Or are they simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Let’s come back at this date in 2014 and see how well this strategy shift did or did not work.
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This entry was posted on July 11, 2013 at 10:12 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Microsoft Reorgs Itself To Become A “Device And Services” Company
Microsoft hasn’t been setting the world on fire. Sure they’re making money, but Windows 8 hasn’t exactly wowed people. Windows 8 Phone is an afterthought, and the Surface tablets aren’t at the top of mind for tablet users. Plus, PC shipments have been down for the last little while. Take the most recent quarter where they dropped 11%. You knew that things had to change and change they did today. AllThingsDigital posted a memo sent by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Now you can (and should) read the entire memo, but the key point is this one:
As devices proliferate, it has become clearer that consumers crave one experience across all of their technology. Yet today, they often face different experiences on their PC as compared to their phone or their tablet. As technology moves from people’s desks to everywhere in their lives, it should become simpler, not more complex. And our products and services should operate as one experience across every device.
Together, the leadership team looked at how we could renew and reorient Microsoft for this new time. We focused on how we could continue our mission of improving and empowering people’s lives through technology but with a new North Star far beyond putting a PC on every desk and in every home.
In the end, we realized our strengths are in high-value activities, powering devices and enterprise services. And we realized we could bring those strengths together in a unique, differentiated experience that will delight consumers and customers.
Going forward, our strategy will focus on creating a family of devices and services for individuals and businesses that empower people around the globe at home, at work and on the go, for the activities they value most.
Hmmmm….. It almost sounds like they are trying to become Apple. After all, Apple strives for one coherent experience for all their devices and they offer services such as iCloud that are tightly integrated with their devices. But that’s likely my jaundiced view of the universe at work here. The real question is, can this strategy shift help to “reboot” Microsoft? Or are they simply rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? Let’s come back at this date in 2014 and see how well this strategy shift did or did not work.
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This entry was posted on July 11, 2013 at 10:12 am and is filed under Commentary with tags Microsoft. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.