It is no secret that the original Xbox 360 contained many “off-the-shelf” electronic components, from disc drives down to chips. This was probably a factor that caused the dreaded “red ring of death,” which Microsoft found so difficult to overcome. This failure cost the company upwards of a billion dollars.
So, it would make sense to outsource most of the production of the device, and create a contract which applies all electronic failure blame to the manufacturer of that device.
As a software company, Microsoft is in the best position to do this, and recently announced the new Microsoft Surface 2.0, which is in fact being manufactured by Samsung. This means that the two companies are already venturing into this business together, so what is stopping them from doing it again, but this time with a home console?
Perhaps history may stop this from occuring, the tale of Nintendo and Sony in the early days of the original Playstation may be a factor, and will Microsoft allow a third party so close into the workings of one of their biggest money makers? Only time will tell, but we personally would welcome an Xbox that is manufactured by a tried and tested company like Samsung. Let’s face it, it’ll probably be a hell of lot more reliable out of the gate!
http://www.gadgehit.com/2011/12/04/could-microsoft-outsource-xbox-720-to-samsung/
