Microsoft's identity crisis

[DelJo63]

Mashable says

changing its strategy to focus on apps and the Windows platform rather than hardware.

The move is a familiar one for Microsoft.

• Build or buy your way into a promising market.
  
• Then retreat or re-tool as it becomes painfully apparent that it's just not working out.

Microsoft killed the Zune that failed to rival the iPod. It took a $900 million charge related to the Surface RT tablet that was designed to compete with the iPad. And it bet big on smartphones only to walk back its investment as it remained far behind Apple and Google.

Under the leadership of Microsoft's ebullient former CEO Steve Ballmer, the company often acted like the friend arriving at a party late only to find the other guests had already moved to a new location

see the original article for details.