Company: Microsoft Hardware, Redmond, Washington
Company Description: The Hardware Group at Microsoft relies on innovative engineering, cutting-edge industrial design and extensive usability testing to create computer peripherals of exceptional quality and durability that enhance the software experience and strengthen the connection between consumers and their PC.
Nomination Category: Company, Office & Product Awards Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Best New Product or Service

Nomination Title: Microsoft Puts a New Spin on Innovation

1. Describe the nominated product or service: its functions, features, and benefits, and how it differs from competitive offerings. Include the date in 2003-04 on which the product or service was introduced to the marketplace (up to 500 words):

Microsoft introduced the first scroll wheel integrated with software in 1996, and it
quickly became the No. 1 feature people look for when buying a mouse.  Six years
later, the company began work to further evolve this popular feature, answering
user requests to improve the scroll wheel’s design and make the computing
experience even more efficient.

After 18 months of design and research, Microsoft launched its new scroll wheel
with Tilt Wheel Technology in September of 2003. Designed for two distinct sets of
customers,- business and home users, - this revolutionary new design features a
scroll wheel that tilts from side to side, acts as a button, and reacts to how
quickly you roll the wheel to enable smooth, accurate movement through
documents, Web pages and worksheets.  The design of the wheel may look
mundane at first glance, however months of engineering work needed to be done in
order to make the newly redesigned wheel fit into the body of a mouse, as well as
react appropriately to the user’s touch.

With this new innovation, Microsoft Hardware delivers four ways to navigate in one
wheel:
•  Vertical and horizontal scrolling for navigating Web pages or spreadsheets
•  Accelerated scrolling to move through documents faster than ever
•  Smooth scrolling wheel that is easy to control and comfortable to the touch
•  The ability to quickly toggle between open windows by depressing the wheel
button

When launched, Microsoft scroll wheel with Tilt Wheel Technology was offered in
five products and was an immediate success with consumers who appreciated
new levels of productivity and efficiency the Tilt Wheel offered.  In fact, Microsoft’s
Tilt Wheel boasted greater sales in its first six months of availability than the
company's optical technology—the first of its kind when it was introduced in
1999—which was also quickly adopted by consumers and is now the mouse
tracking standard with improved accuracy and precision over the mechanical ball. 
Since the September 2003 launch, the Tilt Wheel has been phased into
subsequent Microsoft Hardware products and industry competitors have created
versions of Microsoft’s original concept.

The press was also receptive as the Tilt Wheel was the lead feature of a product
launch that garnered nearly 320 million impressions in the U.S. alone.  Positive
features ran in publications from The New York Times and TIME, to Architectural
Digest, Popular Mechanics, Computer Gaming World and Good Housekeeping.
U.S. News & World Report noted “…Now Microsoft has added left-right motion
with its Tilt Wheel Technology...Expect the smart tilt wheel to become a feature
on most new mice.”    Newsday suggested that “Microsoft’s new IntelliMouse
Explorer takes the scroll wheel a step further up the MES – the Mice Evolutionary
Scale”, dubbing it the “’why didn’t I think of that’ of 2003”.  The Houston Chronicle stated “…It’s a brand new feature and, in my humble opinion, the coolest advance
in mouse technology since, well, the scroll wheel.”  Finally, Popular Mechanics
added, “Microsoft’s hardware division has demonstrated it understands real
innovation and can deliver.”

2. List hyperlinks to any online news stories, press releases, or other documents that support the claims made in the section above. You may also include links to product photos, logos, etc. IMPORTANT: Begin each link with http://, and enclose each link in square brackets; for example, [http://www.youraddress.com]:

“Microsoft unveils new mice, hardware products,” USA Today
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/techinnovations/2003-09-04-ms-tilt-m
ouse_x.htm

“Office Space, the sequel,” Newsweek
http://www.keepmedia.com/ShowItemDetails.do?itemID=309173&extID=10037&oliID=229

“Microsoft Keyboards and Mice,” PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,4149,1241805,00.asp

“Microsoft parades new mice and keyboards,” PC World
http://www.pcworld.com/news/article/0,aid,112296,00.asp

“Microsoft Unveils Wireless Peripherals,” eWEEK
http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1759,1495059,00.asp

“Microsoft breeds sideways-scrolling mouse,” CNET News
http://news.com.com/Microsoft+breeds+sideways-scrolling+mouse/2100-1040_3-5071013.html

Microsoft Hardware’s history of innovation leading up to the tilt wheel
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/innovation/history.mspx

Tilt wheel demo
http://www.microsoft.com/hardware/mouseandkeyboard/features/tiltwheel.mspx

3. Provide a brief (up to 100 words) biography of the leader(s) of the team that developed this nominated product or service:

Tom Gibbons
General Manager, Microsoft Hardware
Tom Gibbons directs more than 200 technologists, ergonomists, industrial
designers and engineers and is responsible for managing the business strategy
and product development for the division. Gibbons and his team are committed to
developing and distributing innovative hardware devices — such as mice and
keyboards — that enhance users’ experiences with their computers.

With over 10 years experience with Microsoft® Hardware, Gibbons recognizes the
importance of designing innovations that influence change and improve consumers’
PC experiences. Always mindful of the user experience Gibbons leads the group
toward advances in wireless technology, comfortable ergonomic designs and more
styles than ever before.