On the hardware side, their Surface line is beautiful. But the modern Windows UI/UX is...uninspired and sterile. So is Edge, Explorer, and Office suite.
Google and Apple are the leaders in the application design space re. UI/UX, and I just don’t see Microsoft treating it seriously just yet.
Google and Apple are not much better. Neither have upgraded to Flat 2.0 [1] although Apple is slowly moving in that direction in the post-Jony-Ive era.
Apple's name used to be synonymous with good design. But that was back when Jobs was still around.
[1] "Google’s Material design language is one example of flat 2.0 with the right priorities: it uses consistent metaphors and principles borrowed from physics to help users make sense of interfaces and interpret visual hierarchies in content."
As a designer, I feel truly inspired by Apple’s UI even today. Google tries to get design but their company goals do not place user experience on as high a pedestal as Apple, and they are always a little behind.
My two cents.
Ironically, their hardware is the one of few good things about them, but even that is starting to slip now IMHO.
For example, their last month Surface update. It seemed them going absolutely crazy with "details," but half an hour into the event and you can start see how poorly thought through the design was.
Just like Apple's early product, they are very "substance over essence." They add a lot of fancy features, but they themselves have poor idea what for they are.