There are 44,000 employees at Microsoft who help create some of the world's most innovative and recognized software. This is probably not a surprising figure, considering the ubiquity of Microsoft products in stores, homes and offices around the globe. What may come as a surprise is that only 200 of the company's employees build Microsoft's best-selling, award-winning hardware -- its mice and keyboards. Comprised of engineers, industrial designers, ergonomists, technologists and business pros, this relatively small team creates products that help users be more efficient in their favorite software programs while improving comfort and style.

Nineteen years and a myriad of design and technology awards later, the Hardware group continues to lead in its field. In March the team introduced IntelliEye mouse technology, a new proprietary chip that enables an optical lens to capture up to 6,000 frames per second -- 42 percent faster than any other optical chip. The new technology will be integrated into Microsoft's latest wired and wireless products this fall. Also this fall Microsoft will launch a new keyboard, featuring a smarter, dual-handed design and customizable keys for the ultimate in fingertip efficiency, underscoring the keyboard's important role in desktop productivity. With PC hardware gaining more and more attention, consumers are now recognizing what Microsoft's Desktop Productivity team has known for 20 years: "peripherals" are essential to improving overall computing experience, and the best is yet to come.