In an annual shareholder letter from Microsoft, the company promotes itself as a “devices and services company” according to CEO Steve Ballmer. According to Ballmer, devices and services impact the way the company is run and how new experiences are developed.
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“I said that over time, the full value of our software will be seen and felt in how people use devices and services at work and in their personal lives. 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,” Ballmer stated in the letter. Microsoft wants a customer to get a stunning device right out of the box, already connected to unique communications, productivity and entertainment services from Microsoft along with services and apps from partners. In the letter, Ballmer touts Windows 8 and Office 2013 as a step forward in this direction. Microsoft’s future? This is what they are hoping for:
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- Developing new form factors that have increasingly natural ways to use them including touch, gestures and speech.
- Making technology more intuitive and able to act on our behalf instead of at our command with machine learning.
- Building and running cloud services in ways that unleash incredible new experiences and opportunities for businesses and individuals.
- Firmly establishing one platform, Windows, across the PC, tablet, phone, server and cloud to drive a thriving ecosystem of developers, unify the cross-device user experience, and increase agility when bringing new advancements to market.
- Delivering new scenarios with life-changing improvements in how people learn, work, play and interact with one another.
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