Pconline: A record of Microsoft hardware's 20-year journey (I)

Microsoft is an enterprise that produces software. Windows operating systems, office Office software, SQL database, and other software are all familiar. However, when it comes to Microsoft's history, few people know about it, microsoft's development history is inseparable from hardware. In 1983, 20 years ago, Microsoft produced the first mouse to harden the waist. Till now, Microsoft has been a world leader in terms of mouse, keyboard, wireless devices, and games. At present, Microsoft's Hardware team has more than 200 people, including many of the industry's best human engineering experts, industrial designers and engineers. Although this group is not a big department within Microsoft, however, its entrepreneurial spirit and invention can be well known inside and outside the company. In China, even a few well-known hardware manufacturers may not be able to achieve this scale. Microsoft's Hardware strength can be seen from this. When talking about Microsoft, we have always called it a "software company ".

In the U.S. market, Microsoft's mouse is already the most popular product in the market. In other places outside China, Microsoft has been selling related products. In China, the mouse, keyboard, and the dark-box keyboard are the best. As early as 1989, Microsoft's Mouse sales volume had already exceeded 2 million pieces, which far exceeded the sales records of such products.

This year, Microsoft's hardware has been around for 20 years, and Microsoft's hardware has been closely linked with Microsoft's mouse and keyboard development over the past 20 years. Before the advent of Xbox and Bluetooth devices, microsoft's hardware is only focused on the mouse and keyboard. Therefore, this article on Microsoft hardware over the past 20 years mainly introduces the ups and downs of Microsoft over the past 20 years from these two products. How did Microsoft come over the past 20 years? Next, let's take a look at Microsoft's Hardware journey for 20 years. (This article was prepared with the assistance of Microsoft's hardware department in China, and provided some content and valuable news images. I would like to express my gratitude for 100,000 points .)

In 1982, Microsoft officially set up a hardware team to study and make Microsoft's first mouse compatible with Microsoft Word, the icon used when the company was founded.

In May 2, 1983, the first Microsoft mouse came into being. This was the first PC-compatible mouse developed by the company focusing on production software. This mouse looks more like a mouse than the current mouse, especially the two black buttons in front, and more like a mouse's eyes. At that time, the mouse that was sold for $195 was indeed quite scary. (Click here to view the press release when Microsoft released the first mouse. English)

Microsoft's first mouse came out. Compared to the present, the mouse should be antique.

The outer packing and mouse

The appearance and base of the mouse are officially available in Microsoft mouse 1985, a brand new design on September 18, 5.0. The mouse features higher resolution and less noise. This mouse greatly changes the middle of the left and right buttons, so that users do not need to keep their fingers in front.

The appearance of Microsoft mouse 5.0 is not big as that of the first mouse

This is a favorite mouse from a foreign friend's house.

In 1986, Microsoft mouse 5.0 became Microsoft's first award-winning hardware product, driving the consumer boom in the market and rapidly popularized among users.