The internet is buzzing today with people raving about the new Microsoft Surface technology announcement. Hopefully people will soon get over the initial hype generated by the fantasy videos on Microsoft’s website and take a more practical look at this MS announcement. Come on people, multi-touch technology is nothing new! According to Wikipedia, “Multi-touch has at least a 25 year history, beginning in 1982, with pioneering work being done at the University of Toronto (multi-touch tablets) and Bell Labs (multi-touch screens).” Microsoft would like us all to think that they’ve just “innovated” the future, but in reality, they haven’t released a single multi-touch consumer device and will only (possibly) have these tables available for hotels and restaurants by the end of the year.
The other thing I just can’t understand is why a table? Multi-touch whiteboard? That’d be cool! Multi-touch refrigerator? Well, OK. Multi-touch phone? That’d be amazing (oh wait, someone is already doing that)! Multi-touch tablet PC? This sounds more reasonable. But no, MS decides to release a TABLE! Tables are things we work on, eat on and lay things on. I personally don’t want to have to clear off my table so I can transfer songs to my music player, or move my plate in order to pay my bill at the restaurant.
The rest of the technology world is focused on making computers smaller and easier to use. Apple is releasing its iPhone and putting the power of OS X in your pocket. And what is Microsoft doing? They’re getting ready to change the world with their $10,000 table! I think this about sums up the current situation in the computer industry. Microsoft has lost its mind.
Oh, be nice : they aren’t ripping of someone’s else idea, for once.
“Sorry mum, the table bluescreened again and ate my homework.”
Their move makes perfect sense and its just the beginning of what microsoft
will become just like apple moving in that direction.
Of course its just a commercial application now but a lot
of rich folks will buy this as well.
Microsoft always has been in for the long haul. don’t be impatient :-)
Microsoft os on its way out. A $10K table indeed. Why don’t they fix DOS, Win3x, Win95 and Me and
Xp and Me II before they go introducing another half baked product. Sorry, mommie, the table
wants to reboot NOW.