Tuesday, May 29, 2007

Microsoft Surface


Holy shit! This is the tech demo I linked to in the last post's thread, which is over a year old. But now it's not a tech demo, it's Microsoft. Cower in FEAR!!!

From a slashdot post...

"I find this very interesting from a marketing perspective. They are promoting this as if it was a product, and yet it isn't on sale - and even the implementations they are talking about (T-Mobile, Sheraton Hotels) are really trials with partners that won't be happening until the end of next year.

So what is this all about? The Vista and Office '07 launches haven't gone well from a marketing perspective - there has been a lot of press basically saying that Microsoft is losing its competitive edge. Couple that with the iPhone, and the fact that Apple is almost certainly going to be launching new products with multi-touch capabilities over the next year or so, and I think it is clear what is going on. Microsoft really want to improve their image in relation to Apple - they don't want Apple to be seen as the innovator and them as the company that's lost it.

Notice on the website [microsoft.com] that they have a section called "origins" giving the history of the technology within Microsoft - I think they are trying to reverse the image that they copy Apple. Now when the touch-screen iMac is launched (or whatever) Microsoft will have done a fairly good job at taking some of the shine off the launch, even though they don't have a consumer product in the area, nor will they have for some years."

More on the tech of this thing from Ars Technica...

6 comments:

Chad said...

i watched the first video and can't figure out why you'd be willing to fork out that kind of cash for a giant table where you can move pictures aroudn with your fingers.

Doesn't Wacom have the same kind of thing? touch screen tablet?

Mr. Alex said...

i watched the first video and can't figure out why you'd be willing to fork out that kind of cash for a giant table where you can move pictures around with your fingers.

Because...

1)Having one makes you much cooler than all the other art directors at your agency.

2)The agency is paying for it so any visitors who see it will be impressed with how cutting edge said agency is.

3)Other reasons that have to do with fashion and status.

Doesn't Wacom have the same kind of thing? touch screen tablet?

Yes, but I think you can only use it with a stylus and it doesn't have any of the "multi-touch" features that this display does.

Pete said...

Finally, digital butt prints! Thanks Microsoft!

Pete said...

Admittedly, the multi-touch feature is kind of cool, and provides for some nifty interface design.

But "The Magic, The Power, The Possibilities" ?

It's a good demonstration that corporate creativity is an oxymoron.

The tangible computing group they are not.

Chad said...

it just occurred to me... is that picture displaying the blue screen of death?

wow, i'm perceptive!

Pete said...

Gosh. It sure looks like it. :)