Microsoft's consumer/professional strategy needs serious work

Microsoft has come under increased fire recently as consumers grapple with its seeming abandonment of them in the wake of a litany of canceled consumer products. What happened to Microsoft's dual user, or personal/professional mission?

"In the next few years we will see many more new categories evolve and experiences emerge that span a variety of devices of all screen sizes. Microsoft will be on the forefront of this innovation with a particular focus on dual users and their needs across work and life", said Satya Nadella in a 2014 company-wide email shortly after becoming Microsoft's CEO.

Years of failed consumer-facing products suggest to some that Microsoft is not committed to consumers. However, Nadella's admission of wrong for abandoning consumers to "pursue the next shiny thing" was a rare show of transparency for a CEO. It also validated the feelings of consumers who felt betrayed by the company's seemingly enterprise-focused strategy.

Still, Nadella said, "We are a company that's centered around users who both have a professional role as well as happen to be consumers. That's where our strength lies."

If the consumer/professional approach is Microsoft's strength, its communication and implementation of that mission needs improvement. In fact, Microsoft's cloud, hardware, AI, bots, platform and Windows strategies arguably position it to serve the consumer/professional more comprehensively than its rivals can. Let's look closer at why that is and what's preventing Microsoft from capitalizing on its strengths in some areas.

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