14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft’s upper management shuffle continues these days with a new announcement, this time including not only the departure of the often-called “Trojan horse” Stephen Elop but also the forming of a new team that would include both Windows and hardware.
Windows boss Terry Myerson will be in charge of the new division called the Windows and Devices Group (WDG), which CEO Satya Nadella says that “enables our vision of a more personal computing experience powered by the Windows ecosystem.”
But what’s more important is that, with this new team, Microsoft finally has a plan for hardware, after years of struggle and new visions that are yet to pay off.
Basically, with this change, Microsoft makes hardware an essential part of its strategy, not because it wants to become a key hardware player or a rival to its partners, but because it needs it to promote Windows. Microsoft hardware will be the pioneer of Windows, and Surface, HoloLens, and Lumia phones will also be there to show the world the true power of Windows.
It’s not the device that’s important
In other words, Microsoft isn’t directly interested in the revenues its hardware devices can generate, but in the opportunity the services that all of them run create for the company, which will remain, in essence, a software firm.
Here’s an excerpt from Satya Nadella’s email sent to employees this morning (emphasis is ours):
“This new team brings together all the engineering capability required to drive breakthrough innovations that will propel the Windows ecosystem forward. WDG will drive Windows as a service across devices of all types and build all of our Microsoft devices including Surface, HoloLens, Lumia, Surface Hub, Band and Xbox. This enables us to create new categories while generating enthusiasm and demand for Windows broadly.”
In the last few months, Microsoft has focused more on software than on anything else, and in addition to Windows 10, which is being worked on as we speak, the company has also released several new apps on non-Windows platforms, in an attempt to make users of rival products discover the benefits of its own services.
The ultimate goal is to bring customers on its own devices, running its own services and applications, for deeper integration and a more connected experience both at the desk and on the go.