Microsoft is rebuilding XBOX and Windows 11 while Surface collects dust

This week was another reminder that Microsoft can move fast when it wants to. Xbox is undoing years of bad decisions. Windows 11 is getting fixes that people have begged for since before the OS launched.

And then there’s Surface... still waiting for its turn. Still stocking shelves and digital storefronts with hardware that's years old.

As a Surface fan, I can't help but look at Xbox and Windows 11 with envy.

Xbox has spent the past few months doing what fans want: cutting the price of Game Pass, ditching the awful “This is an Xbox” campaign, undoing the Microsoft Gaming rebrand, and green‑lighting Project Helix. Everything from Achievements to the capitalization of Xbox is being reviewed.

Windows 11 is being revitalized through the Windows K2 initiative. Microsoft has major plans to reduce the pain points of Windows 11, listen to user feedback, and make an operating system worth being proud of.

I could argue that Xbox and Windows 11 are only seeing these major changes because of years of negative feedback, but hey, at least things are changing. Surface, on the other hand, feels abandoned.

Surface will never outrank Windows, Xbox, or Azure, but it should be the hardware that shows what Microsoft software can look like when it’s done right.

Instead, we’re left with a lineup that feels years old, because it is.

If Windows 11 gets fully revitalized, what device would you recommend to show it off? I doubt it's a Surface.