A look at the 10 most important areas of focus at Microsoft

MUMBAI, INDIA: There is a shift in Microsoft strategy.

As Microsoft debuts new strategies to announce new releases, the software major is focused more on the smaller form factors, namely smart phones and tablets among the 10 most important areas of focus for the company.

Looking at the list compiled below, some of the products come from companies acquired by Microsoft in the recent past.

Here’s the list:

The Lumia 950:

The new Windows 10 5.2-inch Lumia 950 is a flagship phone with a Snapdragon 808 processor and has a liquid cooling system for its components.

It features a 20-megapixel PureView rear camera and an infrared sensor for Windows Hello, which unlocks a user's phone by checking their face.

Launching this November, the phone is priced at $549.

The Lumia 950 XL:

The 5.7-inch 950 XL has a different processor but a similar feature set to the Lumia 950, including the 20-megapixel rear camera with image stabilization and support for Windows Hello.

Like the 950, the XL will be released in November; it will cost $649.

The Lumia 550:

The 5-inch device features a quad-core processor and a 5-megapixel camera, and effectively replaces the Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL.

To be launched in December, it will be available for $139.

The Surface Pro 4:

With a 12.3-inch display and reduced bezels, it is available with up to 1 TB of storage and 16 GB of RAM.

Targeted at professionals, the Surface Pro 4 will be available this month starting at $899.

The Surface Book:

Surface Book is a detachable convertible laptop version of the Surface. It has a 13.5-inch display that supports stylus and touch input along with 12-hour battery life, a Microsoft-designed keyboard, and a glass trackpad.

The Surface Book will be available this month and starts at $1,499.

More surface accessories:

Along with the new Surface Pro 4, Microsoft announced its updated Surface docking station, which adds four USB ports, two 4K DisplayPorts and Ethernet to the Surface Pro 4 (it also works with the last-gen Surface 3).

On the cover front, Microsoft announced a new Type Cover with a bigger, glass trackpad, fingerprint reader, and integrated backlit keyboard.

The new Microsoft Band:

Microsoft positioned the new Band as the ultimate fitness device, with an array of sensors and a barometer to track elevation, feeding information to the Microsoft Health app.

It also has an OLED screen in a curved Gorilla Glass display with an aluminum color scheme.

Listed partners include Subway, Starbucks, Twitter, and Uber. To be available on October 30, pricing starts at $249.

Hololens:

Microsoft recently demoed Project X-Ray, and the results are encouraging.

For $3,000, developers will be able to get their own HoloLens kit in the first quarter of next year. Microsoft promises these kits will be fully untethered—meaning no cables or connection to a PC required once apps are loaded onto it.

So if you are a prospective augmented reality developer, you can put in an application starting today.

The Display Dock:

This is Microsoft’s way to transform a smart phone into a desktop PC.

It plugs into the new Lumia phones with a USB Type-C cable, providing ports for HDMI, DisplayPort and three USB ports for connectivity.

On a monitor, the experience scales up to Windows 10 desktop and apps. It however, remains to be seen whether the device can provide a true desktop experience.

Facebook:

Microsoft is building new versions of Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram for Windows 10, as a part of its universal app portfolio.

Getting these apps onto smart phones is a big step up from Windows Phone, which drove users towards third-party tools for basic apps like Instagram.