14 DAY TRIAL // You might be familiar with Bill Gates’ famous quote saying that Microsoft was founded to bring a computer on every desk and in every home, and a short look around us pretty much shows that this objective has been achieved.
Now that Microsoft is in the middle of a transition process to devices and services and the company keeps searching for a new CEO, you might be wondering what the next big thing for the company is.
The outgoing CEO Steve Ballmer talked about the ongoing change at Microsoft during the Gartner Symposium 2013, emphasizing that while bringing a PC on every desktop was accomplished, the company is now trying to push the same idea to a whole new level: bring a Windows device in every pocket, all over the world.
“What we’re really talking about is a new world and people focus on the words we use, devices and services, but really it’s about enabling people to do and achieve the things that are most valuable in life and we just see so much more potential whether that is a device that is in your pocket, on your desk, in your home, on your wall, around your eyes,” Ballmer said.
While it’s pretty clear that Microsoft is planning to focus a lot more on devices and services, it could also be an indication that Redmond is not only trying to invest in traditional products, but also on innovative technologies such as large touchscreens and wearable gadgets.
For example, people familiar with the matter hinted that a smartwatch developed by Microsoft is in the works right now, with the device to be featuring a touch-capable display and the Windows operating system.
“Those are important activities which have yet to be automated, improved, made better, whether they’re in our personal lives or our professional lives. So we talk about enabling the things that our customers value most and to do that through a next-generation devices and services,” Ballmer concluded.