News - Surprise surprise, Microsoft to make more of its own hardware

[HEXUS]

OEMs display mixed-feelings.

Read more.

[jnutt]

Personally I think this will be good for us as consumers, and it should focus the minds of the hardware suppliers out there already and remind them they need to be producing to quality kit if they want to compete because I suspect any kit coming from MS will be as good as it can be.

[crossy]

Hmm, I'm not convinced by this - like the article says there's obviously going to be a temptation for Microsoft to pull in some direct profit.

Then again I'm biased by previous bad experiences with Microsoft hardware - I had/have one of their Force Feedback joysticks (excellent device - but MS dropped support for it), and I had a keyboard/mouse combo for a while (nasty - generated RSI problems so I swapped it for a Logitech).

Really wish though that MS would do a media player - at the moment Apple seems to have that market more or less to themselves (yes I know Sony, Samsung, Cowon, Archos are in there - but you can't exactly go into Currys/Comet/PC World/Argos and expect to have a big choice of non-Apple gear).

[Biscuit]

i dont give a damn about the OEMs if im honest, i just want good quality hardware with good quality support at a reasonable price. If the OEMs cant provide it then 'down the pan' they go.

Personally im not convinced Microsoft are offering something that is unbeatable at the moment, im pretty sure Asus or one of the other manufacturers could produce something just as appealing, if not more appealing than the surface for around the same price.

Microsoft set the bar for them to follow and if they keep doing it then its all good as far as im concerned.

[Kushan]

I don't see this as being vastly different to what Google does with Android. Sure, Microsoft does more of the work themselves rather than partnering with an OEM, but the idea is largely the same.

[sykobee]

Microsoft are catching on that the only way to compete in the future is by keeping a tight grip on the hardware designs themselves so that their vision is actually created, instead of being bodged up by a cost-cutting OEM.

[Obscurity]

It still seems rediculous for microsoft to charge 110 quid for a keyboard, when you can get bluetooth ones for sub 10 quid.

[Biscuit]

It still seems rediculous for microsoft to charge 110 quid for a keyboard, when you can get bluetooth ones for sub 10 quid.

Difference in quality will be... pretty big though

[valhar2000]

It still seems rediculous for microsoft to charge 110 quid for a keyboard, when you can get bluetooth ones for sub 10 quid.

What model is this? All the keyboards I've seen from MS were very reasonably priced.

[crossy]

Personally im not convinced Microsoft are offering something that is unbeatable at the moment, im pretty sure Asus or one of the other manufacturers could produce something just as appealing, if not more appealing than the surface for around the same price.

Totally agree - e.g. if Asus could do the Win8RT equivalent of the TF300 for 400 quid (or preferably less - say 320-350) then I'd be VERY interested. What I'm looking for is something more than a tablet plus keyboard, and the TF300's extra battery and ports is what I want. The Surface's current "dumb" keyboard doesn't appeal.

(It still seems rediculous for microsoft to charge 110 quid for a keyboard, when you can get bluetooth ones for sub 10 quid.) What model is this? All the keyboards I've seen from MS were very reasonably priced.

The keyboard referred to is the add on for the Surface which, to be honest, seems to be priced around the same as other non-dumb keyboards - esp the keyboard dock for the Transformers.

[krazy_olie]

Not really much different to what Google does.

OEMs will have to choose between aggressively priced devices and premium devices with specific high end features.

[bobharvey]

I would feel bad for the OEMs if they hadn't brought this on themselves. If they had offered me a choice of OS, or sold as whiteboxes, or come up with something of their own (like Riscos on the Archimedes, or AmigaOs on the amiga, or CP/M on the Amstrad) then they would be a proper business.

But they have let M$ run their business and design their products for them, and now that M$ has other plans - well hard luck. They have been offering nothing unique, no unique selling point, for a couple of decades. Bad planning is bad business.

It has happened to hundreds of businesses in the last century: car coachbuilders became main agents for the Rootes group, only to loose their dealeship deal altogether after a few decades. We now don't have a dealership for any make of cars within 30 miles.

[NickPol]

Having read the reviews praising the quality of the Surface (haven't handled one myself yet), it'll be a good thing. As long as MS can keep the bar that high.

[Tusk]

Surprise surprise, Microsoft to make more of its own hardware

Wow.!!!! Just google the Microsoft Office keyboard RT9450 and reflect on the ABYSMAL support from their drivers for it in Win 7 and vista.Alot of people have contacted them to get all the functions of this wonderful keyboard working and to save on the worlds resources to no avail.
Upgrade and spend more money is the message from them.
I wont buy any more MS hardware for the support is rubbish as in the example above.

[Maboof]

I never got the chance to get my hands on a Zune let alone, a Zune HD but I do truely believe that Microsoft should branch out into these markets to put pressure on Apple to construct better devices. The idea that technology advances so much per year will slow down, knowing that one company rules a large portion of a certain market causes this...

[CAT-THE-FIFTH]

At least one OEM is happy - Pegatron.