Microsoft to Shrink Surface Accessories Lineup Due to Poor Profits

[TheLostSwede]

According to the Nikkei, Microsoft is cutting production for a wide range of its Surface accessories, i.e. keyboards, mice, docking solutions, headsets etc. This is despite the fact that the company has invested heavily into its Surface brand of computers and accessories over the past decade. This is said to be in response to the poor performance of the business unit in Microsoft's last financial report. The Nikkei mentioned that Microsoft is suspending all standalone keyboards in the Surface series and it seems like Microsoft is also looking at calling it quits when it comes to its own branded accessories, or there won't at least be any new models from the company in the foreseeable future.

Microsoft used to be a significant competitor in the keyboard, mouse and webcam market, but with increasing competition from more brands, it seems like the company has been having a hard time making a niche for itself in what can only be said to be a crowded market. Consumer expectations have also changed and most people don't want membrane keyboards any more and are instead buying more expensive mechanical keyboards. Microsoft has also been late to market with many of its Surface computers and have delivered overpriced and underwhelming products, which in turn has led to fewer sales of both the computers and the matching accessories. We'll have to wait and see if Microsoft makes an official announcement as to what will happen to its Surface brand of products, but right now it doesn't look like there's a very bright future for the Surface line of products as a whole.



View at TechPowerUp Main Site | Source

 

[Chaitanya]

Some of the accesories didnt make sense from begining esp the wireless peripherals which already are a crowded place.

 

[TheLostSwede]

Well I read it's the other way around....

Microsoft’s mice, keyboards, and webcams are being discontinued in favor of Surface accessories

Microsoft-branded keyboards are now a thing of the past.

www.theverge.com

Microsoft stopt met toetsenborden, muizen en webcams van eigen merk

De Microsoft-merknaam is straks niet meer te vinden op toetsenborden, muizen en webcams. Microsoft wil zich helemaal gaan focussen op zijn Surface-merk,...

nl.hardware.info

Read the Nikkei article and you'll see that the Verge got it the wrong way around. It's their source as well.

 

[N3utro]

The problem with ms since they wanted to enter the tablet world since the launch of windows 8 is that the microsoft store is desesperately empty compared to the apple or google stores, which is the consequence of not trying to compete on the phone front with them.

They should allow ms users to access the google playstore until their own becomes relevant, or their surface tablets will soon follow their keyboard and mouse fates

 

[RamiHaidafy]

“Going forward, we are focusing on our Windows PC accessories portfolio under the Surface brand,” says Dan Laycock, senior communications manager at Microsoft, in a statement to The Verge. “We will continue to offer a range of Surface branded PC Accessories — including mice, keyboards, pens, docks, adaptive accessories, and more."

This is a direct quote Microsoft gave The Verge.

They also added the following:

...Nikkei first reported earlier today that Microsoft would no longer make standalone keyboards under the Surface brand, but that’s not the case. Microsoft’s statement makes it clear the company is actually focusing on the Surface going forward instead of its Microsoft-branded accessories.

So yeah, I'll take an official statement over what "four suppliers" supposedly told Nikkei.

 

[Nostras]

Imo their prices were just way too high.
Quality was good, but the value was just so poor.

 

[john_]

I bought a Microsoft keyboard mouse combo a few years back for over 40 euros. Considering I am not the kind of person that pays a lot for keyboards and mouses, this was way over my budget. The mouse wheel lasted for about 3 months, while the keyboard keys that where used the most, like AWSD in gaming, started fading pretty quickly, meaning the white paint on the black key caps. Also the plastic for the palm rest started becoming sticky and the only way to keep using that keyboard, was to buy some cheap leather like material and dress the keyboard palm rest with it, to both keep it good looking and usable. After that experience, I never again even considered looking for a peripheral with Microsoft's logo on it.

 

[TheLostSwede]

This is a direct quote Microsoft gave The Verge.

They also added the following:

So yeah, I'll take an official statement over what "four suppliers" supposedly told Nikkei.

Nither article said that Microsoft would stop making Surface branded products, however, both points out that some accessories will be discontinued once Microsoft runs out of stock.
Is that so hard to understand? Microsoft will most likely stop making Surface branded hardware that isn't releveant to their Surface products, such as a desktop keyboard that can be used with any computer, as the Nikkei piece points out. Also, never trust a company statement in a case like this, as they're never going to admit to canning something and look bad, they'll just siltently stop offering certain products down the road and then the excuse will be something along the lines of the product not fiting in their lineup or that it's being discontinued for some kind of reason.
There's nothing strange with discontinuing products that don't sell well, all companies do that, it's just being honest about it or not.

 

[RamiHaidafy]

Nither article said that Microsoft would stop making Surface branded products, however, both points out that some accessories will be discontinued once Microsoft runs out of stock.

Huh?

The Nikkei:

"Microsoft will suspend making standalone keyboards under the Surface brand."

"We were told the Surface series will still be one of Microsoft's development focuses, but just not the peripherals anymore."

So what do you mean "neither article said that Microsoft will stop making Surface branded accessories?"

The Verge's article disputes Nikkei's claims with a direct statement, which The Nikkei then updated their article to mention it at the end, contradicting themselves.

We'll have to wait and see if Microsoft makes an official announcement as to what will happen to its Surface brand of products,

And what happened to this? There is an official statement. Are you going to update your article?

 

[JasBC]

Huh?

The Nikkei:


So what do you mean "neither article said that Microsoft will stop making Surface branded accessories?"

The Verge's article disputes Nikkei's claims with a direct statement, which The Nikkei then updated their article to mention it at the end, contradicting themselves.


And what happened to this? There is an official statement. Are you going to update your article?

What was written in Nikkei doesn't contradict anything - "standalone keyboards under the Surface-brand" are literally that, regular USB-keyboards MS slapped a Surface-badge on as to entice customers, a wholly separate category to actual accessories for the Surface-line of products.

 

[Darmok N Jalad]

The problem with ms since they wanted to enter the tablet world since the launch of windows 8 is that the microsoft store is desesperately empty compared to the apple or google stores, which is the consequence of not trying to compete on the phone front with them.

They should allow ms users to access the google playstore until their own becomes relevant, or their surface tablets will soon follow their keyboard and mouse fates

MS completely screwed themselves over with their software store. It started with Windows Mobile and then Windows Phone. They changed things so much that devs had to redo their work each time. Then add in that MS Store app installs were a crapshoot at best, and why would devs even give it a chance anymore? At one time, I was all-in on MS, with multiple Windows Phone upgrades and Surface RT/2/3. Using their App Store was brutal, especially on WindowsRT. It used to just refuse to install apps, and the fix was to delete an existing app, any app, and then installing would work again. I mentioned in another thread that Halo MCC would crash at the splash screen when trying to play through Game Pass on the PC, but it runs perfectly fine under Steam/Linux. I don't know if it works any better today, but years and years of it not working has put me off of it. It's pretty sad when a user lacks all confidence in MS to install and run software from their own App Store on their own OS. For as much as I really wanted to believe and use MS hardware, the quality of workmanship just wasn't there.

 

[ymdhis]

Just put RGB lights on them. Morons will buy them in droves.

 

[TheLostSwede]

And what happened to this? There is an official statement. Are you going to update your article?

Sorry, but at this point, I have to presume that English is not your first language, as you've misunderstood no less than three stories about this topic based on your replies here.

If you read through a few more times, you might understand my comment in the end, as well as the context of the two other stories.
It's about the survival of the Surface brand as a whole and this is what my last statement was about, not these fairly unimportant accessories.
Considering the sales of the actual Surface branded computers have been a failure as well, this is the statement that matter and that's the one I'm waiting for.
I have no reason to update the news post with the statement given to the Verge, as it doesn't have anything to do with the future of the Surface brand.

 

[Frick]

I ordered a Pro Intellimouse just to be safe, in case they dissapear.

 

[RamiHaidafy]

Sorry, but at this point, I have to presume that English is not your first language, as you've misunderstood no less than three stories about this topic based on your replies here.

If you read through a few more times, you might understand my comment in the end, as well as the context of the two other stories.
It's about the survival of the Surface brand as a whole and this is what my last statement was about, not these fairly unimportant accessories.
Considering the sales of the actual Surface branded computers have been a failure as well, this is the statement that matter and that's the one I'm waiting for.
I have no reason to update the news post with the statement given to the Verge, as it doesn't have anything to do with the future of the Surface brand.

Why are you now talking about the Surface brand as a whole or its future?

Your article, Nikkei's article, The Verge's article are all focused on Surface Accessories (keyboards, mice, other peripherals). Microsoft's statement was also about Surface accessories.

Here's the summary:
1) Nikkei incorrectly stated that Surface-branded accessories are coming to an end. They have their sources, so that's ok.
2) You reported Nikkei's article stating "According to the Nikkei, Microsoft is cutting production for a wide range of its Surface accessories, i.e. keyboards, mice, docking solutions, headsets etc."
3) The Verge got a statement from Microsoft saying that is not true, and only Microsoft-branded accessories will be discontinued, while the focus remains on Surface-branded accessories.
4) You are now refusing the update the article with the official statement that Microsoft provided despite saying that you will do so in your article.

But thank you for presuming my first language. Is English yours?

 

[TheLostSwede]

Why are you now talking about the Surface brand as a whole or its future?

Your article, Nikkei's article, The Verge's article are all focused on Surface Accessories (keyboards, mice, other peripherals). Microsoft's statement was also about Surface accessories.

Here's the summary:
1) Nikkei incorrectly stated that Surface-branded accessories are coming to an end. They have their sources, so that's ok.
2) You reported Nikkei's article stating "According to the Nikkei, Microsoft is cutting production for a wide range of its Surface accessories, i.e. keyboards, mice, docking solutions, headsets etc."
3) The Verge got a statement from Microsoft saying that is not true, and only Microsoft-branded accessories will be discontinued, while the focus remains on Surface-branded accessories.
4) You are now refusing the update the article with the official statement that Microsoft provided despite saying that you will do so in your article.

But thank you for presuming my first language. Is English yours?

 

[RamiHaidafy]

View attachment 293868
View attachment 293869

You can post screenshots all you want. That info is related to their decision to cut Microsoft-branded accessories.

Your article is still focused on Surface accessories. It's in your headline, which was proven wrong with an official statement. Microsoft isn't touching Surface accessories. They will continue to exist.

Why you won't update the article to include that statement despite saying that you will is beyond me.

 

[TheLostSwede]

You can post screenshots all you want. That info is related to their decision to cut Microsoft-branded accessories.

Your article is still focused on Surface accessories. It's in your headline, which was proven wrong with an official statement. Microsoft isn't touching Surface accessories. They will continue to exist.

Why you won't update the article to include that statement despite saying that you will is beyond me.

Sorry, what was proven wrong? The statement doesn't say that they are not discontinuing product lines, it simply says that they'll still make some Surface branded accessories and that they'll focus on that line of products, rather than their Microsoft branded products. The products they are discontinuing, which they clearly aren't spelling out, will be available "while supplies last" as per the Verge.
That your reading comprehension doesn't understand this part, isn't my fault.

If you have further issues with this news post, please take it up with the management.

 

[RamiHaidafy]

Sorry, what was proven wrong? The statement doesn't say that they are not discontinuing product lines, it simply says that they'll still make some Surface branded accessories and that they'll focus on that line of products, rather than their Microsoft branded products. The products they are discontinuing, which they clearly aren't spelling out, will be available "while supplies last" as per the Verge.
That your reading comprehension doesn't understand this part, isn't my fault.

If you have further issues with this news post, please take it up with the management.

I don't need to take it up with management lol.

All I see is a flawed article based on incorrect and outdated information. Just pointing that out. Really all you have to do is change the headline to "Microsoft-branded accessories", include the official statement, and your article will finally be based on facts.

But, that's your decision to make.

 

[eidairaman1]

Tablets made no sense over a true laptop

 

[sam_86314]

Guess those endless advertisements in Windows 10 that I constantly see on my work computer aren't working.

 

[Frick]

Tablets made no sense over a true laptop

Oh they absolutely do. They might generally "just" be oversized phones but that is honestly an upside at this point.

 

[DrCR]

Tablets made no sense over a true laptop

Depends on the objective. Productivity vs Consumption.

 

[RamiHaidafy]

Tablets made no sense over a true laptop

Microsoft-branded keyboards and mice are what's being discontinued, not Surface computers or accessories. I understand the confusion this article causes though, the headline is plain misinformation.

Also I would take the Surface Pro over a true laptop, the versatility to switch between tablet mode and laptop mode is incredible. Tablet mode for media consumption, laptop mode for work.

 

[Minus Infinity]

Microsoft thought they could be the Apple of PC's and stupidly high prices seemed to be their main way of achieving this. Surface devices are always a gen behind but always at the high end of pricing. I'd expect to pay often $1K premium for a Surface vs competitor in Australia. Then to have to pay for high priced accessories made them a no go zone.

Such a shame as I like their screen ratio the laptops overall.