Microsoft “Absolutely” Had to Be in Hardware, Former CEO Steve Ballmer Says

​Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says the Redmond-based software giant had no other option than to invest in hardware, and judging from where the company is right now, this was clearly a smart decision. In an interview with Fox, Ballmer explains that hardware will be an essential business for Microsoft in the future, and explains that he is very pleased with the success the company experienced with the Surface series. “It’s one of the things I am really proud about was getting the muscle really working so that the company could do hardware. Because I do think it’s an important part of the future. I love the way the Surface has now emerged,” he said. The Surface adventure The first Surface model, called Surface RT, was launched when Steve Ballmer was still CEO of the company, but this version eventually failed and forced Microsoft t...