Friday Poll: Which gadget will Microsoft try next?

CNET News Poll

Microsoft machines
What kind of gadget might Redmond try next?

Netbook
Robot
Cell phone
Touch-screen wall computer
Sit-down lawn mower

View results

The Zune HD: Microsoft's latest version of the iPod challenger.

Microsoft has made a few forays into hardware--notably the Zune and the Xbox--with varying degrees of success. What kind of gadget might Redmond try next?

Vote in our poll, and if you have any other predictions, be sure to share them in the TalkBack section below.

[Demolition]

I suppose that Surface turned on its side (as MSNBC did during the 2008 presidential election) would qualify as a touch-screen wall computer.

[kormiko]

Why aren't people choosing Robot?

We need robots now to save or enslave us.

Either way, at least we won't be talking about Kanye West.

[NPGMBR]

Kanye West just interrupted Patrick Swayze's death to say that Michael's was better.

[getwired]

I'd imagine it'll be whichever gadget Apple tries first.

[WinNoMo]

+1

[sciontcya]

+2
But they'll do it poorly.

[Rod Roddy]

+3
...but which Apple most likely bought the rights to from another company.

[Jim Buerk]

Microsoft should make the "TALC" Total Area Lawn Cutter to compete with the iMow Apple riding mower. It should come in brown, orange, and magenta, and offer wireless N capability but no practical implementation of it. Apple's model of course will come in white or chrome and cut an 18" path, which is quite small, but it will do it at 40mph and run on methane.

[ThePrairiePrankster]

Bravo!

[technewsjunkie]

Something they missed the boat on (the GUI, the web Browser, mobile devices...) , or someone else created.

[solitare_pax]

Hopefully they won't try to make a competing product to the i-Rack:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rw2nkoGLhrE

[ehfla]

Apple can't compete with hardware makers without getting them (and the justice department) mad at them. It would have to be an area with little competition. That leaves only the wall computer, the lawn mower, or robot. The mower is to far out of their market. The wall computer is a possibility...Gates has them at his home, and it would build on their Surface technology. Except for vacuum cleaners, home robots have not had much success. It's definitely an area where some R&D and marketing money could have a huge impact.

[myles taylor]

This is about Microsoft, not Apple.

[systemsmac]

I agree with the comments that m$ is nothing more than a "me too" company. Seems innovation takes second fiddle to imitation down in redmond. Anyway, what ever they do, the glory days are over, Google now rules the world, I think we should be watching Google.

[AppleSuxLeo]

I have the future in my hand...and it has TEGRA and OLED. They need to incorporate a phone into the HD or vice versa.
TEGRA is the fastest , smoothest by far. It`s unreal. Try it and the old Apple way of splattering icons all over the screen looks so 1990`s. LOL

[hnavp66]

Remember MS Phone? That was an interesting, but half hearted effort on their part that they gave up on. It's was a home phone that would announce the caller verbally, and would interact with your computer to log calls.

[hnavp66]

MS wont do a robot because its not something they can copy yet. MS's SOP is to see someone else's idea, copy it and out spend / out market a less innovative product. Dont get me wrong, I use MS stuff all the time, but once you get past Windows, cutting edge isn't MS's forte.

[Renegade Knight]

Plenty of robots to copy. Two contenders have been mentioned in Crave. Think "Mobile Security Camera" and some of the other twaks they have come up with on robots and MS could do something here that hasn't been done yet. Make one of these things mainstream.

As for Me Too...in some cases yes, but then Apple has that problem as well. Anything they pioneered has failed. Everthing they copied has worked out well. Strange eh?

[myles taylor]

They won't do a phone; they already said they weren't going to and I don't see it happening. They're focusing on WinMo for their mobile market.

The wall computer is not just likely, it's assured. Microsoft has been saying they are working on a "smart house" for some time and has had demos at Disney, etc.