Microsoft has changed quite a bit, and recently, too. The company is putting an even bigger focus on getting its software out there in the real world, Windows 10 is a significant upgrade in itself, and it’s available across a variety of different devices, including the Xbox One. The company is also taking a break from its mobile efforts, something we haven’t seen Microsoft do up to this point.
That break will either work out for Microsoft like they want, or it’ll have little impact in general, I think. I don’t think Microsoft is going to give up on Windows 10 Mobile altogether, but I also don’t think it’s going to have a huge consumer-focused push in 2017 and onwards. If a Surface Phone is in the pipeline, those rumors that it’s going to be positioned more towards the business-side of things wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest if they turned out to be true.
Microsoft even put in some effort in the wearables market, too. But those appear to be coming to an end.
It was rumored earlier this year that Microsoft wouldn’t be releasing a new Microsoft Band-type product anytime soon, which, along with a lack of new Windows 10 Mobile devices, indicated Microsoft was putting its efforts into other areas. More lucrative areas, maybe.
Recently, another report says Microsoft has sold through its inventory of the Microsoft Band 2, which launched late last year, and that the company has no plans to launch a new product by the end of 2016. So, if Microsoft does have a new wearable in the works, it won’t be making its debut until sometime in 2017.
Basically, it sounds like Microsoft is either ending its wearable lineup altogether, or that the company is taking a break from that niche, too. (Maybe those things are one in the same, either way.)
There are a lot of wearables to choose from, especially those that put fitness tracking at the forefront of the features list. The Microsoft Band 2 had a unique design, and it was certainly a noteworthy upgrade when compared to the original Band. I know a couple of people who picked one up when it launched, and one of them kept it up until recently, when the Apple Watch Series 2 launched with built-in GPS on board.
The report that Microsoft is planning to not refresh the Band lineup isn’t all that shocking, but I do hope that Microsoft isn’t giving up on the market completely. The Band 2 was a great device in its own right, and I think that if Microsoft were to launch a third-generation unit, it would be a device to consider for a lot of people.
But even if Microsoft is working on a follow up, does taking a year off really matter? Do you think it will impact the company in any major way? Perhaps even more importantly: Did you buy a Band 2, and are you still using it every day? If you did buy a Band 2, did you end up replacing it with another wearable? If so, which one and why? Let me now!
