Microsoft to Focus More on Devices in the Next 10 Years

Microsoft is the famous creator of the Windows operating system and a new version will be released soon, but the company is willing to change its main focus a little bit in the next 10 years.

Often called “the software giant,” Microsoft will focus more on devices, hardware and services, and the first step will be made next month with the release of the Surface tablet and the Windows Phone.

Company CEO Steve Ballmer said in an interview with The Seattle Times that software would remain the core value of the Redmond-based firm, but it would continue to expand into new industry segments in the next few years. And becoming a devices-and-services company is a priority, he said.

“I think that in a back-looking view, people would say we were a software company. That's kind of how we were born,” Ballmer said in the interview.

“I think when you look forward, our core capability will be software, (but) you'll probably think of us more as a devices-and-services company. Which is a little different. Software powers devices and software powers these cloud services, but it's a different form of delivery...”

Microsoft, however, doesn't plan to turn into a hardware manufacturer and most of the so-called “Windows” devices will be actually built by other companies, but they will feature Microsoft's very own software. Windows 8 will, of course, play a key role, as the new OS is already capable of running on multiple platforms, including the traditional PC, mobile phones and tablets.

“We'll have partners who make devices with our software in it and our services built in. We're going to be a leader at that,” Ballmer said, suggesting that Microsoft would invest more in the non-software area.

Via: Microsoft to Focus More on Devices in the Next 10 Years