iApple Products

With Microsoft founder Bill Gates making a partial return as technical adviser to new chief executive Satya Nadella, the focus shifts to Microsoft's upcoming batch of products. Will the next version of Windows, due in April, push customers further towards the tablet world or be a further retreat back to the familiar PC version and its start button?

Microsoft has had its share of hits and misses when it comes to its consumer products. Here, the FT looks back at five of the most memorable – as well as what we thought of them at the time, as reviewed over the years by Paul Taylor in the Personal Technology column

Xbox 360

Reviewed: December 2005

Product: Xbox 360 is the first of a new generation of high-definition games consoles.

Features: Produces a true high-definition image compatible with the latest HD televisions.

Why it was significant: Microsoft wants to show it learnt lessons from the 2001 launch of the original Xbox, criticised for a lack of games software.

Verdict: The ideal present for parents who do not want to see their kids for a few days ... it delivers on its promise as the most powerful and capable games machine on the market. But with Sony and Nintendo promising to deliver their next generation machines in 2007, the Xbox 360's reign could be relatively short lived.

Windows Vista

Reviewed: November 2006

Features: Improved security, integrated search capabilities, better communications and multimedia options and, of course, the sleek Aero interface with its see-through windows.

Why it is significant: Sets the ground for new security standards in its software. Tiny security flaws can cause billions of dollars worth of damage for Microsoft customers.

Verdict: Vista is disappointing because it is bloated, slow and unreliable.

©Daniel Lynch/|FT

Bing

Reviewed: June 2009

Features: Displays the search results in the centre of the screen and divides them into categories to make it easier to find what users want. Also introduces specialised shopping and travel search categories that can be accessed directly from the home page

Why it is significant: Improves on limitations of Microsoft's previous search engine, Live Search, to achieve better search results than competitors such as Google or Yahoo

Verdict: Unfamiliar interface that delivers results more suited to casual users than perhaps seasoned professional researchers, or those required to work through extended web links. Lacks some of the homepage tabs provided by other search providers such as mail and calendar functions

Microsoft Office 2010

Reviewed: June 2010

Features: For the first time, Office 2010 includes slimmed-down versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel and OneNote – under the umbrella term Office Web Apps – that allow users to view, edit and share documents online. It helps make Office users more connected.

Why it is significant: Among the core Office components of Word, Excel and PowerPoint, the latest version of Word has new features that make it easier to create visually exciting documents, while new tools in Excel make it easier to visualise complex data.

Verdict: Although somewhate cumbersome, Microsoft Office 2010 marks a significant but low-cost upgrade to Office 2007. It has lots of new features to improve productivity and adds web-based apps. There are also plenty of small improvements and tweaks to the main desktop apps that, taken together, represent a significant upgrade.

Windows Surface 2

Reviewed: November 2013

Features: Similar to its predecessor, the Surface RT, the Surface 2 has a more powerful and faster processor, a significantly higher-resolution 10.5in high-definition touch screen. It also boasts battery life that delivers up to 10 hours of continuous video playback between charges.

Why it is significant: Microsoft is valiantly trying to close the gap on the tablet market lead by Apple and Google Android products.

Verdict: Even though it comes with a version of Microsoft Office that includes the popular PowerPoint, Word, Excel, and Outlook apps, the Surface 2 still suffers from what might be termed a mighty app deficit: it can run only apps designed specifically for Windows RT.