Microsoft Build: Ballmer talks up connected devices and the cloud

Anaheim: Microsoft chief Steve Ballmer detailed how connected devices and cloud services are at the heart of the company's strategy going forward, but also insisted that Windows is still a key part of that vision.

Ballmer made a surprise appearance during the second day of the firm's Build developer conference, and talked about how Windows 8 fitted with the new Windows Server 8 and Windows Azure cloud services to deliver new capabilities that developers could capitalise on.

"If Windows 8 is Windows re-imagined, then it is a first step in the process of re-imagining Microsoft," he said.

Ballmer conceded there is a "long way still to go" with Windows 8, and emphasised the importance of the platform's support for the ARM architecture.

"Both x86 and ARM are important, so it's not going to be a case of Intel or ARM, but both Intel and ARM on various form factors," he stated.

Speaking of the cloud, Ballmer said that it is still early days in the industry-wide shift towards cloud services, but that cloud was now a central part of Microsoft's strategy.

"Each Microsoft product group is moving to the cloud as a fundamental business platform," he said, adding that it wasn't just about moving applications online, but about rethinking the way these are delivered and changing both the business model and the usage model for customers.

The way cloud-connected devices will change how people work has yet to be fully appreciated, he claimed.

However, Ballmer also said that Microsoft's new strategy is still centred on Windows, and poured cold water on any speculation that Windows was running out of steam.

"This year there will be 350 million plus Windows devices sold. No platform other than Windows ships on that many devices," he claimed, adding that compatibility is major strength for Microsoft.

"Windows 8 can still run apps that go back over decades," he said.