This week, the head of the computer division, Panos Panay, left Microsoft
His departure was allegedly due to the cancellation of some experimental products
Which Surface devices will not see successors?
The past week belonged for the most part to Microsoft, although probably in a different way than the company from Redmond wanted. At its very beginning, there was a big leak of upcoming Xboxes, followed by the unexpected resignation of the head of the computer division, Panos Panay. The company was able to repair its reputation with Thursday’s press conference, but even that didn’t bring anything earth-shattering – we already knew the Copilot function from before, and the new computers are quite boring upgrades of already existing machines. What does all this mean for Microsoft?
End of experimental projects
Microsoft started this year with a major restructuring that put thousands of employees out of work. In addition, there was not only a reduction in the workforce, but also the elimination of some products. First we learned that Microsoft will no longer produce branded accessories (mice, keyboards or webcams) with its own logo and will instead bet all its cards on the Surface brand. Thanks to this, the Surface family of devices will expand its reach, however, as the latest server findings show Business Insider a Windows Centralit too was dealt a heavy restructuring blow.
Microsoft has decided to trim the Surface family of experimental and less successful projects for cost-saving reasons, while continuing to focus only on commercially popular devices. This is probably also the reason why the last press conference for new products was so poor – Microsoft management decided to cancel some series of devices without replacement.
It started already in the spring, when the second generation of the Surface Laptop SE 2 student notebook was supposed to be introduced. This computer was already finished and ready to be revealed to the world, but Microsoft decided to stop its launch at the last minute. The same fate is said to have met the considered Surface Pro with an 11″ display, instead of which the “corporate” Surface Go 4 with an Intel N200 processor was introduced.
The Surface Studio all-in-one desktop computer, the Surface Duo communicator, or the Surface Headphones are said to not have any successors. According to Windows Central, in Microsoft’s laboratories they also worked on a smartphone and a tablet with a flexible display, a mini computer à la Mac mini or a separate Surface monitor, but even for these devices we have no idea if they will ever see the light of day.
It is speculated that the cancellation of experimental products was behind the sudden departure of Panos Panay. He was considered an innovator who was not afraid to try new things, but the management of the company probably clipped his wings. It is true that some of the last products of its division were not commercially successful or did not go on sale at all (for example, the dual-display Surface Neo computer), but at least Microsoft could demonstrate with them both the capabilities of its hardware division and the universality of Windows, thereby stimulating third-party manufacturers to design of new interesting form-factors.
Which device series will survive?
Experimentation with an uncertain outcome apparently burdened Microsoft so much during the financial crisis that it decided to play it safe. It is not surprising, the end of the last fiscal year showed a decrease in revenue from the sale of equipment, and the outlook for the current period does not look rosy either.
Microsoft’s revenue from hardware sales (source: zdnet.com)
At the moment, they seem to have their futures secured:
Surface Go and Surface Pro tablets Surface Laptop, Surface Laptop Go and Surface Laptop Studio Surface Hub interactive whiteboards
These lines should see new generations in the future, and we hope that next fall will bring more than just a change of processors. If Microsoft were to continue on the set trajectory, it could also happen that the Surface brand will completely lose its luster, and eventually even the surviving model series will cease to be interesting.
Author of the article
Jakub Karásek
A fan of mobile technology, convertibles and wireless charging, a fan of hard music and a lover of fast driving in go-karts, bikes and skis. Opponent of FUP, slow internet and overgrown smartphones.
2023-09-24 17:30:00
#Microsoft #cut #Surfaces #lines #successors
