14 DAY TRIAL // Word has it that some of Microsoft’s partners are very upset with the company’s new increased focus on hardware and the recently released Surface Book was the tip of the iceberg. OEMs such as Asus, Acer, and Lenovo are believed to be among those who do not agree with Microsoft’s new direction, but it turns out that there’s at least one name that’s “very exciting with Microsoft building hardware.”
These are the exact words that Dell CEO Michael Dell used to describe the way he sees Microsoft’s investments in the hardware business while also praising Redmond’s CEO Satya Nadella for pushing the company beyond the software world.
“We’re absolutely friends,” Dell said in a Bloomberg TV interview according to GeekWire.
“When I look at what Microsoft is doing with Windows 10 and the Surface family of products, what they’re doing is they’re pushing Windows 10 into new spaces and driving the platform forward. I’m actually excited about that. The reason I’m excited is it’s helping drive the Windows 10 ecosystem faster.”
Small volumes, high prices
Dell also commented on the way Microsoft tackles the hardware market and he admitted that Nadella helped build “some nice products,” despite the fact that they’re usually manufactured in small numbers and come with a fairly big price.
The Surface Book, which Microsoft calls the ultimate laptop, comes with a price of $3,199 (2,800 EUR) for the 1TB, Intel i7, 16GB configuration.
“I wanted to understand what they were doing and why they were doing it. When we understood that the intent is basically to drive the platform — as I call it, the ‘icebreaker’ strategy, push into new territory — and then we come in with a product that is more affordable, but we can sell 100 times more, great, that works,” Dell continued.
Unfortunately for Microsoft, not everyone believes the same thing and some say that the company could easily kill competition because of the financial resources it has. Obviously, Redmond doesn’t want that and it still relies on the Windows ecosystem to make its operating system and services portfolio successful, so working together with partners is on the priority list.
The company has a goal of bringing Windows 10 on 1 billion devices by 2017 and without partners’ help, such a mission would clearly be impossible.