As I study the industry, the market trends, and the solutions trying to flow with the trends, I’m fascinated by what Microsoft is doing strategically. From a historical standpoint, we have to conclude that the Microsoft of old is drastically different from the Microsoft of new. The recipe that got Microsoft to where their once dominant stance in the market has been is not the recipe that will again make them relevant. ((Note I didn’t say dominant, as I have a hard time making the case that any company will truly dominate the market the way Microsoft once did.))
We are seeing this shift in action as Microsoft gets more active in the hardware space with products like Surface and their acquisition of Nokia. We are watching Microsoft abandon nearly all the strategies that made them successful and embracing new ones in the hope of a future. A quick survey of the hardware landscape brings this to light.
Hardware Walled Gardens
What we are seeing is the emergence of hardware walled gardens. Take Surface for example. The Surface–and even more so with Surface 2– was designed with an experience that is based on proprietary hardware accessories. Many of the new accessories and keyboards work only with the proprietary port designed into the Surface’s hardware.
What is interesting about this is that it is somewhat counter to how the industry rallied around Windows to begin with. Microsoft’s success up to this point was built up around the idea of compatible hardware and accessories around the Microsoft ecosystem. A customer knew that if they purchased a desktop or notebook from a Windows vendor that many, if not all of their ports, were compatible with third party accessories. We may be moving away from this model. The only exception was in docking stations. Third party vendors often made their connectors to the laptop proprietary but all other ports were based on industry standards.
A quick glance at nearly every other hardware partner of Microsoft’s and we see the same picture emerging. Nearly all of them are building hardware specifically tied to proprietary ports using proprietary accessories for a specific value proposition. So what has changed that is causing this shift? The answer is differentiation.
During the era of compatible hardware there was nowhere near the need to differentiate as there is today in the broad consumer landscape. When most PC users were being supplied with computers from their employer, it was their employer who made the buying decision and did so in bulk largely based on price. Once a pure consumer market emerged–somewhere in the mid 2000s–we saw a more clear demand from consumers to differentiate and hardware companies were forced to think of new differentiation strategies in order to compete.
This is in essence the challenge of a hardware company who ships the same software as their competitors. Hardware becomes the only real differentiation point and maintaining more loyal hardware customers becomes even more challenging. ??So enters the era of hardware walled gardens. Companies like Microsoft, Dell, Acer, Lenovo, Samsung, Sony, HP, etc., hope to generate more hardware loyal customers by locking them into a proprietary hardware ecosystem. This is out of necessity because they simply can’t do so with a proprietary software ecosystem like Apple can.
Glimmers of Hope
I don’t necessarily think this is a bad thing. I simply believe that it is different from what we have seen historically from Microsoft and its partners.
This trend certainly lines up with the BYOD stance of many corporations today. Consumers may choose the best hardware ecosystem to meet their needs at both home and work. But based on the understanding of differentiation I outlined above, it is fascinating to think that PC companies may be evolving into accessory companies. What I mean by that is that their “box” strategy is really more a means of an end to their accessory strategy where the real money may be.
Now, if we use this line of thinking then the Surface makes perfect sense. While Microsoft has never had a true PC hardware business they have had an accessories business for quite some time. So perhaps the Surface is more an accessories strategy than a box strategy. Whether it is or not, Microsoft’s partners will follow suit. ((Of course, it will be also interesting to see how Microsoft navigates the hardware waters at large. I’ve been of the idea they should license technology like Surface’s connectors, etc., to partners. However, Microsoft seems committed to some degree of hardware.))
We are at the very beginning of this shift. I’ve continued to think that hardware companies will be continually challenged if all they are is hardware companies using off the shelf operating systems. However, by adding a proprietary hardware walled garden angle into the mix things can get even more interesting and actually be a profitable part of their business. Perhaps hardware companies who think about their hardware walled garden may not only continue to differentiate but also may be able to layer web or tie software services onto that differentiation.
We are very early in this hardware walled garden trend and the next 12 months will be very interesting to watch how this new approach to differentiation of Microsoft and their partner ecosystems develop.
Well that sounds like it’s doomed to failure – people have become used to the idea that they can re-use their mice, keyboards, printers, scanners, etc from one computer to another, and the minute they realize they can’t, they’re going to stay away from that proprietary vendor forever afterwards.
Maybe your claim would make more sense to me if you could give some examples of what proprietary accessories other vendors are experimenting with, other than the surface (which doesn’t make a very good example considering that absolutely no one is buying them).
Hey! I actually saw a Surface (ONE) in the wild the other day, being used at an outdoor cafe. Mind you, I’m in Silicon Valley, so it may have been a Microsoft employee, but having seen ONE is a big improvement over only seeing them at the Microsoft store.
For a laugh, go to one of the Bay Area malls (e.g. Valley Fair) that has a Microsoft and an Apple store within 50 yards of each other…Microsoft store…employees playing games and possibly a customer or two…Apple Store…packed to the rafters with a steady stream of people moving in/out.
Ah, yes. Dell is the best secondary example of this with their new venue pro lineup of 2-1 PCs. I am confident, however, that you will see more vendors come out with this proprietary port / accessory strategy in particular with the 2-1 device segment Intel and MSFT are pushing so intensely.
All your statements here, and in the article ring true. Conspicuous by it’s absence, however, is that the trailblazer for this ultra-proprietary behavior is none other than Apple.
Microsoft has essentially no future in the consumer space.
This is going to be a race to the bottom. With the walled gardens, it would become harder and harder to pull customers away from one eco-system into another unless the one currently in use is terrible. Microsoft might be digging its own grave in the bargain because some companies can decide to shift into a new eco-system that offers a better user experience for a more competitive price. With every big company coming up with its own walled eco-system, price will be a major factor. That is what happened to the laptop market where margins ended up hair thin. The company that churns out revolutionary products periodically, while maintaining user experience intact and customer loyalty, will begin to dominate again. I can think of only one or two companies who can do that in the long run. I do not see Microsoft having that kind of a business enterprise and ingenuity to be one of them. It would be more prudent for them to split into smaller companies, each more focused on different product lines in order to survive. And Microsoft does not have a good reputation of being a reliable company for customer satisfaction. They are going to erode away their own base slowly because the old Microsoft is still buried underneath the new mask they are trying to wear. This looks like a strategy to buy time so that they can go back to sitting on their rear ends making just money.
Somebody necessarily lend a hand to make severely articles I might state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I surprised with the analysis you made to create this actual post extraordinary. Excellent task!
Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular article! It is the little changes which will make the most important changes. Thanks a lot for sharing!
Thank you for great article. I look forward to the continuation.
Thank you for great content. I look forward to the continuation.
Hello there, simply became aware of your weblog via Google, and found that it is really informative. I am gonna be careful for brussels. I’ll appreciate if you happen to proceed this in future. A lot of people will be benefited out of your writing. Cheers!
I am glad to be one of several visitants on this outstanding website (:, appreciate it for posting.
You made some decent points there. I did a search on the subject matter and found most people will go along with with your website.
Someone essentially help to make seriously posts I would state. This is the first time I frequented your web page and thus far? I surprised with the research you made to make this particular publish amazing. Great job!
I besides conceive thus, perfectly indited post! .
Hi, Neat post. There’s a problem with your website in internet explorer, would check this… IE still is the market leader and a large portion of people will miss your magnificent writing due to this problem.
I just could not depart your website before suggesting that I extremely enjoyed the standard information a person provide for your visitors? Is gonna be back often in order to check up on new posts
I in addition to my friends were actually reading the great hints from the blog while quickly got a horrible suspicion I never thanked the website owner for those strategies. Most of the young boys were definitely as a consequence very interested to read all of them and have now simply been making the most of them. Appreciation for indeed being quite accommodating and for settling on this sort of marvelous issues most people are really eager to know about. My personal sincere regret for not saying thanks to sooner.
Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I am impressed! Extremely helpful information specifically the last part 🙂 I care for such information much. I was looking for this particular info for a very long time. Thank you and best of luck.
I gotta bookmark this web site it seems very beneficial very useful
It is best to participate in a contest for the most effective blogs on the web. I will suggest this web site!
My partner and I stumbled over here by a different web address and thought I should check things out. I like what I see so now i am following you. Look forward to exploring your web page for a second time.
I’m impressed, I must say. Actually hardly ever do I encounter a weblog that’s each educative and entertaining, and let me let you know, you have got hit the nail on the head. Your concept is excellent; the difficulty is one thing that not sufficient persons are talking intelligently about. I’m very blissful that I stumbled across this in my seek for one thing relating to this.
You should take part in a contest for the most effective blogs on the web. I’ll advocate this web site!