>>>They should stick to OSs and let other computer manufacturers develop the hardware.
It’s interesting to me that MS is getting into the laptop hardware business. This is not their business model. I’m wondering how this will progress as they compete with other hardware vendors that are also their VARs...
It was probably some exec's idea for making more money for the company and diversifying. It is usually a halfhearted attempt, too which guarantees it to failure.
Also, Microsoft would be competing with companies who have been in the business for decades, with established supply chains, and broad product families, and established customers.
The Windows OS is rapidly losing its monopoly powers. Apple is, of course, a huge vertically-integrated threat. Hardware manufactures, which were once solidly tied to Windows, are becoming increasingly promiscuous, with Android, Chrome, and variation of Unix or Linux operating systems.
Microsoft cannot just chose a strategy or business model in isolation — it has to consider the ever-more-rapidly-changing environment it operates within.