We all know Microsoft For him windows operating system or for its Office suite, among other software. The company has tried to break out of its comfort zone with major setbacks on more than one occasion. products like kinect loss Windows Phone smart watches ahead of their time or Zune that was going to destroy the Apple iPod, some of its Big flop.
Microsoft / Timex Datalink
Timex and Microsoft launched a waterproof digital watch in 1994 for use in space, and it was one of the first smartwatches. Data was optically transferred from a CRT monitor to the clock via a sensor, but the process was slow and required line of sight to the monitor. Although the clock was not very effective, it still had some supporters. The switch to the LCD screen and the need for a special transmitter probably contributed to its downfall. A product well ahead of its time that was a prelude to the next.
Microsoft Spot Watches
In 2003, the idea of a smartwatch receiving live information seemed impractical. Microsoft’s SPOT (Smart Personal Objects Technology) service offered this technology, but required a subscription for which many consumers were unwilling to pay. It used its own wireless transfer standard instead of using WiFi technology. We can say that they were the first smartwatch or smart watch, but they failed.
Microsoft Lumia / Windows Phone
The company bought Nokia’s handset business in September 2013, prompting Microsoft to support a second smartphone business (which ultimately failed). Stephen Elop, the then CEO of Nokia, refused to use Android and adopted the Windows Mobile operating system instead. Although Nokia Lumia phones such as the Lumia Icon were praised for their excellent image sensors, the hype lacked momentum.
They had to compete with Android, which had already been on the market for some time and was highly valued by users. Despite everything, to the point of bringing the design of the operating system to Windows 8, nothing worked. In 2019, the Windows Phone platform was officially discontinued.
Microsoft Zune
The digital music player had a short life, starting in 2006 and ending in 2009 when Microsoft ceased production of new devices. The Zune has never been successful in competing with Apple’s iPod. However, the Zune services continued for seven more years before Microsoft discontinued Groove Music.
There is another twist in this player. Despite the commercial failure, the Zune became an iconic cult icon and was featured in Microsoft’s third Guardians of the Galaxy film, where Star-Lord’s archived music is digitized from tape.
Microsoft Kinect
was released in 2010 for the Xbox 360 as a peripheral that recognized user actions using image recognition. Although it was initially successful, its mandatory status on the Xbox One caused users to rebel and Microsoft had to bow out. Despite this, the damage was done and support for Kinect was removed in 2017. This gave rise to Windows Hello and biometric webcams, making facial recognition possible in our daily lives.
Wireless router
Microsoft released a small line of wireless hardware between 2002 and 2004, including the Wireless Base Station (MN-500), as part of its Microsoft Broadband Networking line. Wikipedia reports that Microsoft was actually second in the US consumer router market at the time. They had the problem of not being able to jump quickly enough to the 802.11b or 802.11g standards. It was a quick demise for a flagship product, but Microsoft has never made much commitment to hardware until it was a long-lasting, profitable success.
