Some thoughts about the Microsoft event
The last time I thought about Microsoft was when I saw someone using a Lumia phone running Windows mobile. That was way back in 2015. Day before yesterday the MS team surprised me. We knew something was cooking when the whole team went quiet for the last 2–3 years. They were slowly but steadily concentrating on hardware and probably realised quality trumps quantity.
Let’s just be honest here. When you look at Apple, there is this whole fan following and brand building that’s happening and Apple is at their top of the game when it comes to hardware. Innovation? Not so much. This is probably the reason why the MS keynote got such an attention. I was super excited for the first time when Panos Panay said “Thank you. Wait. It’s not over”. I did not feel that excitement when Tim said this last time. That’s because you know there is no competition for Apple. As of now.
Surface is a great product. It’s well made. It’s the Google Pixel equivalent of Windows laptops. When the same company makes the hardware and the software, it’ll surely be better in every way. We have seen this multiple times. The way Microsoft is changing, is what everyone should notice here. They are no longer in the windows game. They want to compete with the leaders. They want a piece of the top game. They want to enjoy being the meilleur des meilleurs.
I was thrilled to see the Surface Neo with the half keyboard that folds up and how seamless the dual screen worked. I like how they didn’t bother to invest in half cooked tech like the foldable screen. It’s just not practical and MS seems to be ahead on this one. (I’m looking at you Samsung). It’s okay to innovate. That’s the only reason why these companies exist. But there is a fine line between innovation and just building stuff that doesn’t work. Innovation should be practical. Microsoft just got back into the hardware game.
With Surface Duo running Android, it was pretty evident that Microsoft is serious about their user experience rather than forcing windows down everyone’s throat. That’s what I like to see. Satya Nadella is a true visionary. Also I would like to see him spend more time on the stage (that awesome accent though).
I didn’t write this article to go in depth on what hardware was announced but did not expect MS to be a serious contender for Apple. This is good for us. Let the race begin.
