To save Windows 10 Mobile Microsoft claims Surface ‘category creation’ is the key

Shortly after Microsoft announced the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL, I wrote an article asking 'Does Microsoft want to reboot the concept of a phone?'. I affirmed that while Microsoft 'owns' the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL those phone did not represent what Microsoft was actually doing in hardware – referencing Surface Pro, Surface Book, and HoloLens as counter-examples to those lackluster devices.Specifically, I called out category creation as their modus operandi when it comes to their first-party hardware:

Microsoft is not about creating hardware for the sake of creating another thing. They only create hardware after consideration of where the market is going to be, not where it is now…Microsoft tried to kickoff modern PC development with the Surface.

That was the whole point. What would such a program look like for phone if they wanted to re-invent that category? That was from October 2015. I bring this up only to drive the point home that Microsoft's intent here is as clear as day.

Just this week, Microsoft's Chief Marketing Officer Chris Capossela reiterated the same point when he guested on TWiT's Windows Weekly with Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley (head to the 21minute mark):

One question I get…what about our own first-party hardware, our own phones?…For us when we want to do first-party hardware when we want to Studio or Book or Pro the number one goal we have is to essentially try to create a new category of device that hasn't been done before that frankly can expand the total adjustable market for the Windows ecosystem…In all those cases we are looking to create a brand new category that our OEM partners can then follow behind us and do in massive volume, and that hopefully expands the number of devices that people want because we create something new…

Capossela goes on bringing up 2017 for great things from Panos and his team as well something reported before: When we think about any new hardware whether it's phone, whether it's tablet, desktop, you name it, HoloLens, we want to do something that hasn't been done before, we want to create a brand-new category…2017 is coming, and we'll have great new things in 2017…Panos and team are working super hard.

Source: To save Windows 10 Mobile Microsoft claims Surface 'category creation' is the key