At this week’s Microsoft Surface and Windows AI event, the company unveiled several new hardware and software products for enterprise customers. With so many announcements, the launch of Microsoft’s Adaptive Accessories for Business may have flown under your radar — but here’s why they matter.
Also: Five biggest announcements at Microsoft’s March Surface and AI event
Microsoft first unveiled its Adaptive Accessories in May 2022, and now, nearly two years later, the accessories are finally being offered to commercial customers. The accessories provide customers who have difficulty using a traditional mouse and keyboard with alternative, more accessible input tools.
The accessories include standalone solutions, such as the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse, and others that can be added to your current setup to make it more comfortable, such as the Microsoft Adaptive Mouse Tail and Thumb Support.
Microsoft shared that the accessories were built to match the “elegant” design of its products, sporting a matte black look as seen in the photo above.
Along with the Adaptive Accessories for Business, Microsoft also unveiled a new Surface Pro Keyboard with bold keyset. This keyboard features the same slot to house the Surface Slim Pen and tactile keys but with a notable font change, as seen below. The bolded font on the keys — paired with a brighter backlight — makes the new keyboard much easier to read and type on, potentially reducing eye strain.
To further its accessibility efforts, Microsoft also introduced software updates across Windows 11, including the ability to ask Copilot to turn on accessibility features such as live captions, the magnifier tool, and more. This helps users forgo the endless wormhole that is digging through Windows’ Settings menu.