It"s the end of a nearly 40-year era at Microsoft. The company has confirmed it will no longer make or sell Windows PC accessories under the Microsoft branding. That includes its long-running mice and keyboards, along with its webcams. Instead, it will sell those kinds of PC accessories under the Surface brand.
The Verge got the official word from a Microsoft spokesperson today:
Going forward, we are focusing on our Windows PC accessories portfolio under the Surface brand,” says Dan Laycock, senior communications manager at Microsoft, in a statement to The Verge. “We will continue to offer a range of Surface branded PC Accessories — including mice, keyboards, pens, docks, adaptive accessories, and more.
Microsoft will continue to sell its branded mice, keyboards, and webcams while supplies last, but once they are gone, there won"t be any more.
We may have gotten a preview of this new hardware accessory branding a few weeks ago with the release of the new Surface Dock. The $299 multi-dock device is the first under the Surface branding that did not have the proprietary Surface Connect port, but instead can be used for any PC.
The first Microsoft Mouse was released on May 2, 1983. While it wasn"t a huge seller, it was the first in a lineup of mice, keyboards, joysticks, and other PC accessories from the company. There are many fans of those devices, including Microsoft"s ergonomic keyboards. It will be interesting to see if the Surface division keeps those kinds of designs going.
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