“Microsoft is a company of devices and services,” said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, in a letter to shareholders, which may be surprising coming from the world’s leading producer of software.

Accompanying the report of fiscal 2012, Steve Ballmer’s letter to shareholders that they intended to make, customers, partners and competitors are clear that “Microsoft is not just a software company ‘.

Battle cry of “developers, developers, developers” Ballmer proclaimed in 2006, it seems that we are going to ‘Devices, Devices, Devices’.

Although Ballmer reiterated that “Microsoft is counting on its partners to produce commercial and consumer devices and hardware that customers want”, it seems clear that the company is not going to joke in the hardware sector nor to “encourage manufacturers “as some observers raised.

All indications are that Microsoft CEO and the board of the company seeks a new direction. So that we understand Microsoft wants to be a second Apple, controlling and integrating software and hardware devices themselves, such as the Surface tablet.

A strategy publicly criticized by partners like Acer, a risk that Microsoft recognizes it but it seems assumed by the company. Hence the rumors of Surface 2 or Microsoft’s smartphone are rising.

For Ballmer’s words, do not be surprised if Microsoft puts more devices on the market with its own style, but the fat part of the software revenues keep coming, especially professional and corporate division, as they come to reflect the latest financial results.