Two successes from Microsoft

One success is the Surface tablet. Recent articles state that Microsoft is losing, because other manufacturers are producing devices that surpass Microsoft's Surface tablet.

I have a different view. I consider the Surface tablet a success. It's a success because it keeps Microsoft (and Windows) in the market. Microsoft introduced the Surface as response to Apple's iPad tablet. Without the Surface, Microsoft would have offerings for desktop PCs, laptop PCs, and phones. The Surface keeps Microsoft in the market, and keeps customers loyal to Microsoft.

The second success is the CloudBook. Last week saw a leaked document that outlined specifications for a device called a "CloudBook". This appears to be a response to Google's ChromeBook devices, which are lightweight laptops that run ChomeOS and the Chrome browser.

Calling the CloudBook a success is a bit premature. The official CloudBook devices have yet to be released, so we don't know how they will perform and how customers will receive them. (Acer has a laptop that they call a "CloudBook", which is probably a close approximation of the future CloudBooks.)

Yet I believe that CloudBooks will be a success for Microsoft. They keep Microsoft in the market. I think that many businesses will use CloudBooks. They are less expensive than typical laptops, they are easier to administer, and being browser-focused their apps store data in the cloud, not locally. Storing data in the cloud is more secure and eliminates the loss of data due to the loss of a laptop.