Microsoft MIX 2012 gone for now

Microsoft platform evangelism GM Tim O'Brien in a blog post said his company was dropping another major event, MIX. At least the 2012 developer show would be cancelled in favor of one, monolithic developer event "sometime in the coming year." The notion of separating the web and native apps was no longer needed, O'Brien said, but Microsoft was also getting backlash from an excess of events.

Developers had a limited amount of resources in a given year and were better off spending more of that time completing projects than taking time to present about them. It was also complicating the situation, while the media had its own problems.

"Developers were confused, and asking us about which event to go to," O'Brien said. "Reporters, analysts and tech bloggers were trying to manage 'event fatigue,' and asked us the same question. And something that was more behind the scenes but very relevant to the time management aspect relates to our engineering teams."

The exit for MIX arrives just weeks after Microsoft dropped out of CES from 2013 onwards and now leaves Microsoft with a much slimmer schedule for unveilings. Outside of the unnamed developer event, only a presumed but not yet known Mobile World Congress event is expected next month. A future event would be more likely to cater to Windows 8.

Microsoft's new approach unintentionally now mirrors Apple's. Both now have just the one major developer event and have turned away from industry-run gatherings like CES or Macworld for product introductions in favor of their own private events that can adapt to their actual schedules.

By Electronista Staff