Humdrum Hardware: Why Google And Microsoft Are Goading Their Partners To Innovate

Google's and Microsoft's efforts to launch first-party hardware, form exclusive partnerships, and acquire partners are disrupting the status quo within their ecosystems. These changes are driven largely by the failure of Google's and Microsoft's original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to deliver innovative hardware that is able to compete against Apple's (as well as against devices in each other's ecosystems). To compete in today's post-PC environment, OEM product strategists must abandon their PC-era race-to-the bottom strategies and instead adopt strategies geared toward product innovation. In this report, we discuss proven strategies for delivering innovative products and provide advice on how OEMs can refocus their strategies for innovation.