Microsoft hardware explained

Microsoft Corporation has been selling branded hardware since 1980,^{[1] [2] [3]} and developing devices in-house since 1982, when the Microsoft Hardware division was formed to design a computer mouse for use with Microsoft Word for DOS. Since then, Microsoft has developed computer hardware, gaming hardware and mobile hardware. It also produced drivers and other software for integrating the hardware with Microsoft Windows.

In April 2023, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue the production of most branded PC accessories, electing to focus solely on Microsoft Surface-branded products (which are aimed at a high-end market).^[4] In January 2024, Microsoft announced an agreement with Incase, under which it would license designs for a number of its existing hardware products (including its mice, keyboard, and webcam designs), and provide it with access to its existing supply chains. These products will be marketed under the Incase branding moving forward, but will carry a "designed by Microsoft" tagline.^[5]

Products

• ActiMates toys
• Arc Mouse
• Azure Kinect
• Digital Sound System 80 speakers
• Integrated Visual Augmentation System
• Jazz
• Microsoft Band smartbands
• Microsoft Band 2 smartbands
• Microsoft Broadband Networking networking products
• Microsoft Cordless Phone System phones
• Microsoft Fingerprint Reader biometric readers
• Microsoft HoloLens smartglasses
• Microsoft Keyboard keyboards
• Microsoft Kin mobile phones
• Microsoft LifeCam webcams
• Microsoft LifeChat headsets
• Microsoft Lumia smartphones
• Microsoft MacEnhancer
• Microsoft Mach 20 accelerator board
• Microsoft Mouse computer mice
• Microsoft PixelSense
• Microsoft Response Point business telephone systems
• Microsoft RoundTable videoconferencing devices
• Microsoft SideWinder game controllers
• Microsoft Surface tablet PCs
• Microsoft wireless display adapters
• MSN Companion
• Nokia 3-digit series feature phones
• Nokia Asha series
• Project Sidekick
• TouchLight
• Windows Dev Kit 2023
• Xbox accessories
• Xbox game controllers
• Xbox video game consoles
• Z-80 SoftCard coprocessor card
• Zune portable media players

See also

• Computer hardware
• List of Microsoft software
• Outline of Microsoft

External links

• Windows hardware dev center
• The good, bad and ugly history of Microsoft hardware

Notes and References

1. News: An Apple Breakthru . Compute! . May–June 1980 . 25 October 2013 . Lock, Robert . 6.
2. Z-80 Board Puts CP/M on Apple . InfoWorld . 2 . 6 . 3 . Popular Computing . April 28, 1980 . 0199-6649 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170314155224/https://books.google.com/books?id=Wj4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT2 . March 14, 2017 . mdy-all .
3. Seminar Spills Negotiating Secrets . InfoWorld . 2 . 21 . 24 . Popular Computing . November 24, 1980 . 0199-6649 . Unsure of the demand for the product, Microsoft took a prototype to the last West Coast Computer Faire . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20170314141224/https://books.google.com/books?id=mT4EAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT23 . March 14, 2017 . mdy-all .
4. Web site: Warren . Tom . 2023-04-27 . Microsoft’s mice, keyboards, and webcams are being discontinued in favor of Surface accessories . 2024-01-05 . The Verge . en.
5. Web site: Warren . Tom . 2024-01-05 . Microsoft’s keyboards and mice will live on under a unique new partnership . 2024-01-05 . The Verge . en.