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I’ve always been a fan of Microsoft’s SideWinder series of PC accessories. Rather than using a typical laptop mouse I use a Microsoft SideWinder X5 USB mouse. I have always been a fan of the hardware and would endorse it in a heartbeat.
Anyone who watches television can tell you that the fact that I’m gushing about it means something bad has happened. In this case it’s because Microsoft has announced that it is ending its SideWinder product line. The decision was not made because of slow sales, but rather a combination of competition and inability to regularly release products. In fact, since its 2007 relaunch of the SideWinder brand, Microsoft has released a grand total of four PC mice and two keyboards.
Admittedly, I’m tempted to go find and buy one of these keyboards before they become scarce.
As implied before, Microsoft killed the SideWinder name once before, in 2003. However in 2007 the computing giant worked out an agreement with fellow PC accessory manufacturer Razer that ushered in a new series of SideWinder products.
So will SideWinder-branded hardware ever return? Only time will tell, my friends.
