Microsoft Courier 2.0.
Why not announce when ready? It's the equivalent of Apple announcing their car, now. The tech press need to up their game. Oh yeah, forgot, the tech press cares little beyond clicks and ad impressions. A point against MR for not mentioning Courier.
And why are Microsoft using this wallpaper? It's so close to the wallpaper Apple included with and used heavily in the marketing of iOS 9:
http://i.imgur.com/swl1WmC.png
If they are restricted to announcing when ready, they will miss out on possible sales to people who would, if they knew it was coming, wait to buy that, instead of whatever they'd buy instead. Also, a BUNCH of people would complain, just as you are doing, that they should have announced it EARLIER, so... I guess they're damned if they do (announce it early,) and damned if they don't. Personally I think they're damned either way on account of they're Microsoft, and I will never forgive them or buy another product of any kind from them, but that's neither here nor there. For people who ARE willing to consider buying something from Microsoft, I suspect there's a moment in the process where Microsoft feels obliged to announce what they're working on because it's reached a critical stage of development in which the product-launch-window is going to be soon enough that failing to announce would be detrimental to the product's commercial success, they are reasonably confident they are going to produce this product, and maybe want FEEDBACK from the general public, likely to consider buying their product, regarding what they want from it.
I know, it's unheard of, for a big company, especially in the technical/consumer-electronics field, to ask its customers what they want in a potential future product, with an eye towards making something the people will actually WANT to buy, but hey... it's just crazy enough to work.
PS: Microsoft making this announcement is almost wholly unlike Apple announcing their inevitable "iCar," or whatever they're going to call it, in that Apple is (from what I gather, reading sites like this,) nowhere NEAR ready to offer the iCar for sale, while the Surface DS, (or whatever,) is probably closer to becoming a reality.
There are a few other differences as well: as notorious as Microsoft is, Apple is FAR MORE notorious for disregarding customer desires, or trying to force products down its consumers' throats, though that could be more than anything else because Apple is principally a company that makes, (or used to, anyway,) mainly physical, tangible products, that also makes software for the same, while Microsoft has historically been mostly a software company, that also makes a few pieces of hardware, once in a while. The product in question is also much smaller, meaning logistics of getting these out will be far more straight-forward. Microsoft has been selling things around this size via a number of distribution channels for a while now. Apple, by contrast, has never sold anything, (as far as I know,) larger than their display screens, (largest objects in terms of two dimensions,) or their Power Macs, (largest in terms of total linear measure, as the post office recons it,) and so they'd either have to go the Tesla Motors route, and try to bypass dealerships, or work WITH them, or turn their Apple iStores into, on top of everything else, automobile dealerships, which they're not REALLY configured to be. Of all the Apple iStores I've ever iBeen in, most have been inside malls, I don't know how many free-standing ones they have, but even of those, I doubt if many are capable of dispensing something as large as a car. (Though it's Apple, so maybe the cars will fold down very small, and be incredibly light and skinny. Of course, you make it small and thin enough, and you have a motorcycle.)
But the biggest difference is the amount of investment, in terms of money, buying a single one of these represents. My suspicion is that the Surface DS (or again, whatever,) is going to retail between $299 and $999 for the base model, (knowing as I do virtually nothing about it, I confess,) so in any case, probably a 3-digit price-tag in the US, while the iCar is likely to start out somewhere in the 5 digits, depending on how many they actually want to sell. It's hard to imagine Microsoft really expecting anyone to shell out over a thousand dollars for something that is basically going to be carried around everywhere in a pocket or purse, while it's equally hard to imagine Apple managing to make a device that can be used in the place of a passenger automobile, capable of on-interstate-highway travel, and somehow manage to price it below ten grand for each, unless they sell it without an engine or transmission, or indeed, a the-rest-of-the-car. The only way they COULD do such a thing really, is if they sold it below cost, giving money away for free, which as we all know Apple loves to do and does so all the time... (yes, that was sarcasm,) or by refusing to sell ANY, instead upending the whole car-ownership model, by instead letting you lease an iCar, on some kind of perpetual plan, where for $750/mo., let's say, (adjustable annually, probably,) and subject to certain terms and conditions, you get this car, and Apple does all maintenance, and periodically sends a crew to your house to upgrade components as needed. Kind of like updates. Thus, even if you kept one of these forever, you'd be paying Apple... forever. Some people that would appeal to, I think. Imagine, never having to worry about shopping for another car, and your car will last for the rest of your life. But also, you know those pushy updates Apple likes? (iOS 11.4 is available, press HERE to install now, or HERE to install in 10 seconds. Press neither and it will install in 5 seconds.) You can expect to see that kind of thing with the iCar, and I'd be surprised if it ended up NOT being the case. After all, it's Apple. What would be the point of buying a car from them if the experience were somehow the same as any and every other car you might buy from someone else?
So if you bought (perpetually leased, really,) an iCar, you'd end up having this experience from time to time:
Ring-ring... ring-ring... "Hi!" (an electronic but pleasant, fairly realistic, natural-sounding male voice says, cheery and nonthreatening,) "this is Apple Car Care, calling to schedule your Apple Car for a necessary upgrade and maintenance. According to our records, your car requires... periodic engine and battery module replacement... and... a carOS update. To schedule this for 2 in the morning, (after midnight tonight,) just leave your car in your driveway, at your usual home address, parked so the front bumper faces the street, ensuring no other car is parked in front of it, and a team of Apple Car Care Maintenance Geniuses will come by between 2 and 3 AM local time there, and replace these components for you. As always, you will receive a fully charged battery, and a courtesy Apple iFreshener hung from the vestigial windshield stud, where the rear-view mirror would be if this were a normal 'car,' as a friendly reminder that this maintenance has been performed..."
"If your Apple Car won't be there, or you'd rather schedule this for another time, please enter any 7 digit prime number, or stay on the line for an hour to reschedule. As a reminder, the terms of your Apple End Driver License Agreement require you to allow us to perform periodic maintenance and upgrades as soon as possible after being notified of the requirements for upgrade, and failure to comply could result in the repossession of your vehicle, and forfeiture of the deposit..."
Etc.
