Microsoft is undergoing a "significant shift" in the way it does business, moving away from software as its sole focus and toward making hardware, online services and apps work together seamlessly across multiple screens and gadgets. Microsoft's strategy shift comes at a critical time for the company. The business is still performing well overall, but Windows sales fell 3% between June 2011 and June 2012, and Windows Phone has failed to catch on despite a massive advertising blitz and high-profile partnership with Nokia
http://money.cnn.com/2012/10/10/technology/microsoft-gadgets/index.html