Dear Apple – Pack it up. Microsoft wins the technology wars.

Introducing, Microsoft Surface.

Touchbsod
Click for bigger image!

Just kidding, of course. Just like everything else they do with cool and potentially useful technology, they will falter and fail. Assimilate and destroy, that's the Redmond way.

Anyone remember WebTV?

By keeping 'Surface' under wraps and trying to maintain control of the project, they have done nothing but given their competitors an idea of how close Microsoft are to catching up to them.

You can't seriously think that 15 different companies aren't already working on this concept, right? By dropping the curtain, MS has shown these other guys how far they've come and possibly even given them some ideas on how to proceed.

What's even funnier is that these other companies will either a) immediately provide emulators and developer tools and b) will have something in production months before Microsoft even has chosen packaging.

The biggest joke has to be the videos provided on the Surface website. The futuristic view of some utopian computing platform is nothing more than stereotypically bad science fiction. The level of interaction required in these videos is next to impossible and the logistics in making it happen is laughably unlikely.

Does Microsoft seriously think that the following companies are going to fall into line and reinvent themselves all so people can interact with a freaking table?

Let's see, we have:
Credit card companies
Banks
Phone vendors
PDA makers
MP3 players (DRM in your living room!)
Restaurants
Hotels

And the list goes on... I'm sure all of these companies are going to invest millions in revamping their infrastructures simply to accommodate what looks like a deleted scene from the Minority Report DVD.

So yeah, look for a tabletop computer coming to your living room or office in the next couple of years. But don't expect it to have Microsoft engraved on the bezel.

Post Data

Related Posts

  • corporate_agnostic
    Well, this is what Sony was showing two years ago... (video on youTube)

    Sad fact is MS have never provided better software (or for that matter standard - even within themselves!).

    The way MS wins is by striking corporate deals and telling 'dumb' (in the technological sense) managers that they NEED this to work with that. At present MS have corporate giant such as Hilton Hotels, some international airport lounges and car rental places equipped. The equipment was supplied free - but with a licencing fee for a years (or three) contract.

    Name another company that has that many lawyers willing to stitch up exclusive rights to where the decision makers with money in the corporate world will be exposed to this stuff. Heck - they may even get a free PDA just for using it!

    Apple have probably got a better grip on the hardware aspect although the iPhone still lacks certain integration capabilities. Remember that Apple also released the Newton, then dropped the ball badly by not concentrating on the power aspect.

    Philips in Europe has devised a method of inductive power transmission which can power and charge devices WHATEVER the indevidual device needs...

    ...they are refusing point blank to sign an exclusive deal with anyone (even though the MS offer must have been a pretty penny).

    Apple will probably steal the march with the iPhone - after all it is like a PDA, but has a complete OS - much like the British PSION. It's touch screen is second to none and can be used in a wide range of environments. Try taking that table into a window location...

    ...sorry, does that mean windows can't be a good idea?
  • macasaurus
    I totally agree. MS is insane if they think they have what it takes to pull this off.
blog comments powered by Disqus