It disappoints me to hear that #Microsoft has shut down its #robotics division. It was one of the reasons why I wanted to work there. I recall co-founder Bill Gates publishing an article titled “A Robot in Every Home” that inspired me. But robotics arent just restricted to homes. Robots in manufacturing, healthcare, security, etc. could all be the next big thing. With technologies like Kinect for depth and people sensing, Bing for object and voice recognition, Skype for communication, and Microsoft’s cloud to connect it all, Microsoft could have been a huge player in robotics. Now, that dream is no more. Consider other tech titans who value robotics. Google acquired some of the best robotics companies and is reportedly working on robotics for manufacturing with Foxconn. Amazon is building drones for delivery (Prime Air) and Facebook acquired a drone company. Microsoft instead acquires Minecraft for $2.5 billion. Personally, I rather build something with wires, solder, boards, motors, sensors than with virtual blocks. Before Apple Watch and Google’s Android Wear, Microsoft developed the SPOT smartwatch, nearly a decade ago. It no longer exists but interest in the smartwatch form factor seems to be rising. Microsoft also had tablet PCs, about a decade before the iPad. You can probably tell which is more popular. Microsoft had smartphones before Apple and supposedly developed an e-reader before Amazon. It’s not hard to see Microsoft is playing the catch-up game in many markets. With the robotics division gone, perhaps history will repeat itself again. Microsoft is not doomed (as the media like to say). It will continue to make record profits and stay relevant. However, it seems to have lost its vision for the future.
Posted on: Mon, 22 Sep 2014 23:00:08 +0000
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