Microsoft’s Mission Statement: More Services and PC, Less Mobile

In a recent email addressing employees, provided by Geekwire, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, set out the company’s mission statement. Business and Productivity, the cloud, and more personal computing were the core tenets which the company will focus on for the future. Despite mentioning that it will concentrate on bringing many of its services across devices, there was clearly a greater emphasis on developing their service platforms.

The shifted focus from mobile devices comes as a surprise due to its presence in its Windows 10 event earlier this year, which showed off competitive changes to its iOS and Android competitor. WIndows Continuum, a new feature of WIndows 10 on mobiles which allows docked devices to use desktop UI on connected screens, remains a genuinely useful feature. Also, granting developers to quickly convert apps on competing platforms to work on Windows 10, may finally give the ailing platform the software support it so desperately needs. It therefore seems like a curious decision to omit specific plans for mobile from its mission statement.

Although empowering both individuals and organisations with its services, is now the Redmond based company’s latest mission, mobiles weren’t completely banished from its future. Satya Nadella notes: “Our worldview for mobile-first is not just about the mobility of devices; it’s centered on the mobility of experiences that, in turn, are orchestrated by the cloud.” This suggests that the ability to move between devices with ease will be instrumental for Microsoft’s success as a service orientated organisation. Reliance on the cloud will be essential in orchestrating this.