In Pictures: Microsoft hardware successes and failures

Redmond's Track Record on Hardware

Monday, in a launch event preceded by secrecy and speculation, Microsoft introduced a family of tablets to take on Apple’s iPad head-to-head. It’s big news, and so far reaction to the Surface tablets has generally been positive.

That’s not to say Surface is a slam dunk. Redmond has made ill-advised hardware decision before. Let's look at some past Microsoft hardware successes and failures, starting with the good news.