Microsoft Has Hit The Ecosystem Wall

On the consumer front, the company's current efforts look less like a vibrant ecosystem and more like a hodgepodge.

Last week's announcement that Microsoft would scale back its smartphone efforts was a clarifying moment. The resulting smartphone segments that the company will play in—which it calls business, value, and flagship—mirror those of its Surface tablets. In an email to employees explaining the change, Satya Nadella noted: "We are moving from a strategy to grow a stand-alone phone business to a strategy to grow and create a vibrant Windows ecosystem that includes our first-party device family."

Read Full Story