Microsoft Surface Computing

[Sonny Burnett]

MS unveiled surface computing back in 2007. While both Apple and MS have the multi-touch interface, Apple simply uses it to replace the mouse while Microsoft's surface computer takes the interface to a whole new level.

Watch this:

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7WIkrQu0-v0"]MS Surface Compuing[/ame]

 

[iVan]

Fits well in a briefcase does it?

I've seen some of those results way before that movie. Why didn't they act on it?

 

[DavidNM]

Boring! Bills problem is that he owns a software company - and while the OS is very very important - he's going to have a hell of a time finding a manufacturer who is willing to build anything other than a 'lowest bidder' piece of hardware to support Bills new OS.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

Boring! Bills problem is that he owns a software company - and while the OS is very very important - he's going to have a hell of a time finding a manufacturer who is willing to build anything other than a 'lowest bidder' piece of hardware to support Bills new OS.

Bill is boring however the technology is leaps ahead of anything that anyone else has today. While you can't fit it in your briefcase it will make all of your surfaces smart. There are already hardware vendors building these things for commercial applications. Eventually they will end up in consumer market.

Now did Apple steal the multi touch idea from Microsoft and beat them to market with their iPhone implementation of it?

All of this stuff is nice but by the end of this decade we should have acceptable voice recognition capabilities for computer input.

 

[Edlex]

There has to be a NASA level supercomputer hooked up to that thing. There's a reason why that was done three years ago and they haven't even been able to bring it to market.

 

[DavidNM]

The reason is that Bill Gates cannot manufacture hardware - only software. And he can only design an OS with a certain set of guidlines that can 'suggest' what hardware configurations are. The perfect example of this was the Tablet PC revolution about 6 or 7 years back. Microsoft designed the XP Operating System for Tablet PC's - but the manufacturers were all way too concerned with making the quick buck rather than changing the face of the market. Same thing with "surface" computing. Maybe something will come from it with Microsoft - I would imaging it would since they dominate so much of the OS market - but the true innovations will most likely come out of Apple in the future.

 

[Seadog]

The idea is for locations that require computers for people who stand up all day. Desk clerks at high end hotels, airline reservation desks, and other uses. It is the mainframe equivalent of the iPad. The eternal ying and yang of computers. Large screens with mega capacity vs portability.

 

[iVan]

When that table came out it was priced at around 15,000$, how many can afford that? The screen itself is about 2,000$ minimum.

There have been a few of those used in movies.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

There has to be a NASA level supercomputer hooked up to that thing. There's a reason why that was done three years ago and they haven't even been able to bring it to market.

Actually there isn't and the whole system has been brought to the commercial market already.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

The reason is that Bill Gates cannot manufacture hardware - only software. And he can only design an OS with a certain set of guidlines that can 'suggest' what hardware configurations are. The perfect example of this was the Tablet PC revolution about 6 or 7 years back. Microsoft designed the XP Operating System for Tablet PC's - but the manufacturers were all way too concerned with making the quick buck rather than changing the face of the market. Same thing with "surface" computing. Maybe something will come from it with Microsoft - I would imaging it would since they dominate so much of the OS market - but the true innovations will most likely come out of Apple in the future.

Whether you want to admit it or not the Windows OS is more sophisticated than OS X. Apple has total control over the hardware that their OS has to run on. With windows it is a totally different ball game. There is a high number or different of combinations of hardware that a PC or server can be made of. With multiple different vendors writing drivers for everything it is pretty impressive how well Windows works.

 

[Sonny Burnett]

When that table came out it was priced at around 15,000$, how many can afford that? The screen itself is about 2,000$ minimum.

There have been a few of those used in movies.

When Plasma TVs came out in 2000 a 50" had a cost of $20,000.00 also, now you can pick one up under $1,000.00.

When the free market is allowed to work, prices come down and quality goes up.

The first entry level iPhone with 4GB was 499.00 and the 8GB was 599.00. That being so can you imagine what the iPad would have cost in 2007?

 

[EARL97850]

Do they sell that thing with a carry bag? Haha!!!

Cya