Microsoft's discontinued PC accessories, including a range of popular keyboards, mice, and others are set to be revived by Incase under a unique new partnership.
The tech giant's decision last year to discontinue a range of its products surprised many consumers after they had been in the market for decades. The development followed Microsoft's shift in focus to the Surface brand.
Microsoft's Discontinued PC Accessories
Incase and Microsoft have signed a deal to bring back the latter's discontinued PC accessories under the former's brand moving forward.
During an interview, Onward Brands CEO Charlie Tebele said that the discontinued products will still be the same but instead of Microsoft, they will say Incase, designed by Microsoft. Onward Brands is the parent company that is responsible for the Incase, Incipio, Griffin, and Survivor brands that make accessories for laptops and mobile devices.
The development is the first time that Incase will be offering PC accessories such as keyboards, mice, and webcams. The company will be using the same manufacturing components and supply chain as Microsoft and will be licensing the designs for a variety of items.
Microsoft-designed mice will also continue to live on and be available to consumers, including the Bluetooth Ergonomic Mouse and the Modern Mobile Mouse. Incase is also planning to offer Microsoft-designed speakers, audio docks, headsets, and the Modern Webcam, as per The Verge.
New products that the tech giant started but never shipped would also be coming out for consumers to purchase. Tebele noted that there is a new item coming out that Microsoft had under development.
He said that it is a new ergonomic keyboard that is very exciting and they will be announcing that it is under design by Microsoft as well. When asked if there are more unannounced Microsoft designs that could come out, Tebele said "there's a potential" for more.
All of the discontinued Microsoft products that will be revived will look and perform exactly the way they did before. Incase is licensing the designs from Microsoft but neither of the two companies is willing to disclose the exact terms of the agreement.
Reports noted that Microsoft will still retain ownership of its designs, so there is a potential to bring back classic mice or keyboards in the future or continue to renew its license to Incase, according to ArsTechnica.
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Reviving the Products Under a New Brand
The general manager of Surface, Nancie Gaskill said that for its part, Microsoft is still convicted of going under one single brand. Microsoft's decision to discontinue a wide array of products meant that it would only focus on more expensive, higher-end designs worthy of Surface branding.
A general manager at Incase's parent company Onward Brands, Marshall Clark said that consumers should expect to see their favorite products back on the market this year under the Incase brand, said PCMag.
Over the years, Microsoft's ergonomic keyboards and mice have proven to be popular among its consumers. This meant that there was an understandable disappointment from the PC community following the announcement of the discontinuation of the products.
Tebele noted that they have seen people not happy with the phase-out, adding that he expects them to be thrilled about the latest development with Incase, which he said is particularly true about the new ergonomic keyboard they plan to release.
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