David McManus says that the future is bright for Microsoft’s new devices

Last week Microsoft held an event in New York to unveil an array of new devices.

The lineup was mostly predicted with the company introducing an update to its tablet computer, the Surface.

The new Surface Pro 4 is certainly a sleek and relatively powerful machine and with the optional keyboard attached can work like a laptop. A new range of phone models was also announced, but at this point Microsoft must surely have accepted that it will never be anything but a minor player in the smartphone market when up against the absolute dominance of Android and iOS.

Microsoft’s failure to gain a foothold in the world of handsets is a shame. The problem is that the computer giant turned up to a party that was already in full swing. Had they been there at the start, the Windows phone operating system might have stood a chance but now they really only exist because a huge computer company like Microsoft simply couldn’t not make them. The new phones include innovative technology that clearly highlights the different directions taken by Microsoft and Apple.

Apple’s CEO Tim Cook has gone on record to say he has no intention of merging OS X and iOS meaning that the desktop and mobile operating systems will always stay separate.

Ever since the introduction of Windows 8, Microsoft has clearly been attempting just the opposite. It wants the same operating systems on all its devices from a compact phone to a large desktop computer.

The initial mishmash of Windows 8 was met with global derision. The automatic and seemingly random switching between desktop-styled software and mobile-styled apps caused confusion among millions. Microsoft has addressed many of these problems with Windows 10, clearly showing its intention to keep a single operating system across all of its devices.

It is that intention that allows the clever technology, dubbed Continuum, in its latest line of phones. By plugging the Lumia 950 or 950 XL into the new Display Dock connected to a mouse, monitor and keyboard, the phones become fully-fledged desktop computers.

The implications for this technology are quite astounding. The idea of using your phone for everything is hugely tantalising and will only get better as computing power increases. Google is doing something similar to unify its operating system, announcing that future versions of its Chrome laptop will now run Android rather than Chrome OS.

Just as Microsoft’s event was due to wrap up, the company announced it had one more thing to show off and introduced the Surface Book, its first proper laptop – sort of.

Clearly taking styling tips (and even its name) from Apple’s Macbook, the Surface Book is a sleek aluminium laptop with a trick up its sleeve. By pressing a button, the screen can detach from the keyboard turning the full Windows laptop it into a tablet – technology again made possible thanks to that single operating system .

Microsoft has been somewhat in the doldrums over recent years but it seems to have found its second wind.

The future is an interesting place.