Steve Ballmer Confirms New Microsoft Devices

Microsoft has already turned into a devices and services company, so Steve Ballmer’s announcement that his company plans to design even more hardware isn’t at all surprising.

Ballmer however confirmed in an interview with BBC that Microsoft intends to focus more than ever on new devices, but without neglecting software development at all.

“We have committed ourselves on a path where we will do whatever is required from both a hardware and a software innovation perspective and the cloud innovation perspective in order to propel the vision that we have,” he was quoted as saying by BBC.

Microsoft’s Surface tablet is the company’s first bet in a market until now dominated by Apple and its highly popular iPad.

Experts claim that Surface has slight chances to challenge iPad’s leading position, but Microsoft is very keen to continue its efforts in this area.

The Surface RT will be followed by a Pro version of the tablet scheduled to hit the shelves in January 2013.

Ballmer, on the other hand, claims that stepping towards a devices and services company was a move Microsoft had to do because “customers want great choices.”

“This is a significant shift, both in what we do and how we see ourselves — as a devices and services company. It impacts how we run the company, how we develop new experiences, and how we take products to market for both consumers and businesses. The work we have accomplished in the past year and the roadmap in front of us brings this to life,” he said in a letter sent to company shareholders earlier this month.

The Surface RT will be released today together with Windows 8 and will be based on a special version of the new OS called Windows RT.

It won’t be able to run x86 and x64 apps, but instead it’ll comprise the brand new Windows Store that provides access to thousands of programs.