In the Windows and Microsoft enthusiast community, there is constant tension. Some believe Surface, Xbox, and Windows 10 reveal the best of what the company has for consumers, while the fates of Windows Phone, Band, and Groove portray a failing company that has its head stuck in the (intelligent) clouds. The truth lays somewhere in between. There is no hiding the fact that Microsoft has had some massive failures over the last few years, with mobile being the most damaging. But when you ask non-Microsoft fans about what they see, they tend to be impressed. (See tech journalist Owen Williams's excellent article "The Surface Book 2 is everything the MacBook Pro should be", for example.) Over the last few months, though, the company appears to have shifted again, and it seems to be moving towards the consumer space. Again. Of course, many at Microsoft would say that they never were pulling away from consumers. But recent shifts and updates make clear it that non-business personal computing is still a focus. Best VPN providers 2020: Learn about ExpressVPN, NordVPN & more

Surface, Surface, Surface

Ever since the Surface Pro premiered six years ago, many have been calling for or predicting that Microsoft would not continue to make PC hardware. As recently as October of 2017, The Register ran an article citing industry insiders and executives with the headline "2019: The year that Microsoft quits Surface hardware". Since then, the Surface Book 2 came to market and Surface Hub 2 was announced. There is also speculation that a smaller, 10-inch Surface is returning to the lineup along with Surface Studio 2, a new Surface Pro in 2019, and, of course, Project Andromeda, which we still hear will arrive in 2018. Everything we know about upcoming Microsoft Surface and Xbox hardware If all those pan out, Microsoft would have Surface, Surface Pro, Surface Laptop, Surface Book, Surface Studio, Surface Hub and whatever Andromeda is called for seven lines of PCs running Windows 10. That doesn't even include all the different configuration SKUs and technically two Surface Book 2 models. (We could put Surface Hub to the side as that is a purse business play at this point, but the concept for consumers endures). Toss in Xbox One X – designed along with the Surface team – and it is hard to even entertain that Microsoft is pulling out of making its own PC and gaming hardware. Microsoft Store is getting better