Microsoft quietly bins Shape the Future brand

Schools initiative rebranded as Technology Access Programme

Microsoft appears to have discreetly rebranded its Shape the Future schools initiative amid speculation it was not getting adequate traction under the old brand.

The vendor was not available to comment on the change, but on official press releases Microsoft partners are now referring to it as the "technology access programme".

This is despite the fact the Shape the Future branding is still plastered all over Microsoft's public sector web pages.

"Microsoft technology access programme, formerly referred to as Shape the Future, is a global Microsoft programme that provides a comprehensive approach for government organisations looking to transform their education system to prepare students for the 21st century," said press releases from two separate resellers (Misco and Phoenix Software) promoting their involvement in the project.

Launched in 2012, Shape the Future aims to provide schoolchildren up to the age of 19 with discounted hardware. On 1 February, Microsoft overhauled the scheme in a bid to make it more appealing both to resellers and education customers. This included dropping the price of its operating system to OEMs to a nominal $1.

But some claim the changes did not do enough to reignite the scheme and suggested the name change reflects this.

"[The] Shape the Future [name] was not doing what it was supposed to," said one source. "Shape the Future sounds like something to do with yoghurts."

Despite the revamp, Microsoft has remained strangely reticent to talk to us about Shape the Future, something that has drawn criticism from partners looking to promote the initiative to schools customers.

Update:

Microsoft provided CRN with a comment and said: "Microsoft in Education is our core brand and we are participating in and remain committed to delivering technology access in partnership with governments, NGOs, and schools across the globe.

"Shape the Future has and remains the name of the programmatic licensing vehicle at Microsoft that allows for creating technology access programmes. We are not creating a brand around technology access programs or Shape the Future, rather we are using plain language to describe the benefit of what Microsoft is delivering."