Microsofts trends and thoughts for the market in 2012

Listening to many Microsoft Executives and Kevin Turner doing his anually speach from stage, I wanted to share some of my obeservations with you. 

First of all, lets look into the amount Microsoft is investing in R&D. Nothing less than 9 billion dollars will be spend on R&D in this fiscal year. The priortizations will be fueled by these thoughts on trends:

1. We have reached an inflection point in moores law. Today a motherboard is smaller than a phone. This will enable a new generation of devices, smaller, faster and everywhere that we have not seen. Also much more intelligence on the devices.  All together enabling us to deliver data where you want it, how you want it and when you want it.
2. Cloud will define the scenarios.  The cloud is a next step for our industry.  The cloud is enabling new scenarios on how to change the world, that our industry never have been able to deliver before.
3. Consumeration of IT is the fastest force of adoption in technology ever. The digital generation is expecting and inventing using IT in ways we have never seen happen in our industry earlier.
4. We will have unified eco-system with PC-Phones-TV. In 2012 it will be sold 1 billion smart computers in one of these 3 groups, versus 400 million in 2010. Microsoft will support this with a coherant and consistant strategy with iE 9 as the same browser for all 3 devices.

Based on this how do you move with a global R&D agenda and with some of the best people in our industry?  Well you make bets, the bets are as follows:

1.      Develop and deliver the best Cloud services

2.      Keep a sharp eye on the end user/consumer, and let their opinion shape the R&D investment

3.      Keep on moving with Search and have the best solutions for display advertising on any devices across any platforms including game-consols.

4.      Grow your market share on the Phone

5.      Redesign Windows with version 8 som will run on arm and the system on a chip.

Exciting and challenging.  The presence Microsoft has in different segments give them an opportunity to deliver the best solutions powered by ICT-technology when we want it, how we want it and where we want it.