I have to say that though at first it looked so cool, so creative, so visually appealing, so... un-Microsoft... after watching the videos on their site, I can see that it is pretty Microsoft underneath it all. I say that because they are positioning this for the business market, as a new way for businesses to make money and facilitate advertising and marketing for third parties (having the drink manufacturers' commercials play when you put down their product on your multi-touch restaurant table, for instance). This is the Microsoft mentality, through and through. Yech.
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Microsoft Launches Multitouch Surface Computing
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new iMacs touchscreen?
i dont know if anyone already posted this but new iMacs are due in the not-so-distant future....what can they do to make the iMac cooler? sure thinner would be one improvement, but I am thinking the iMac is touchscreen and comes off the the swivel (the screen/system itself will have a battery so you can do this) so you can carry around the room and put it in your lap.
maybe this is the big announcement at wddc haha...
steve jobs comes out...."yes "others" have talked about touchscreen technology available in the future for thousands and thousands of dollars....well, what if i told you there was a device already available for the everyday user? i present to you, the new imac....available today at the apple store" (but really ships in three months haha)
hahaha
i dont know if anyone already posted this but new iMacs are due in the not-so-distant future....what can they do to make the iMac cooler? sure thinner would be one improvement, but I am thinking the iMac is touchscreen and comes off the the swivel (the screen/system itself will have a battery so you can do this) so you can carry around the room and put it in your lap.
maybe this is the big announcement at wddc haha...
steve jobs comes out...."yes "others" have talked about touchscreen technology available in the future for thousands and thousands of dollars....well, what if i told you there was a device already available for the everyday user? i present to you, the new imac....available today at the apple store" (but really ships in three months haha)
hahaha
Yes, because it's not possible that it's stock art or anything LICENSED by Apple.....
easy fella , i just think its a bad move on MS part, its like them putting a nice underwater orange fish with green background on the MS iPhone rip off that palm is sure to unveil
My bad Josh
, I was in the agruin' mood from reading Fanbot posts.I understand what you're saying.
WHY THE HELL IS ANY PHONE THAT COMPANIES RELEASE AFTER JANUARY 2007 AN iPHONE RIPOFF???
I am so sick and tired of hearing that. "OMG, it's a touch screen. iPhone ripoff!!!!" "It makes a phone call, iPhone ripoff!!!" "I can surf the web on it. iPhone ripoff!"
I'm guessing since this makes phone calls too, it's an iPhone ripoff?
Apple certainly wasn't the first company to come out with a phone, and they definitely won't be the last. Stop calling everything else an iPhone ripoff BECAUSE IT ISN'T.
What, unlike the iPhone, which will work for free and spontaneously generate fair trade frappucinos for all?
I personally think it would be cool if, for instance, you ordered a rum and coke with Bacardi rum and your friend ordered some Captain Morgan, you set them down against each other and get the bat to fight the pirate.
These Fanbots are disgusting. I thought this type of behavior was only for the pre-pubescent teenage boys at the Xbox and PS3 sites. I guess I was wrong. It's quite sad to see some people and their rabid, blind eyed induced tirades.
Oh, the drama.
Seriously, calm down, there are better things to worry about.
I looked at the videos and "applications" suggested of this device...
You practially have to be a business to possibly afford it and to justify it but...
I used to work as a waiter at a regional (11 state) restaurant 15 years ago. The one restaurant I worked at had over 65 tables and a bar with smaller tables surrounding it and if that was the general set-up of all it's restaurants then multiply that by 35 total stores... having this MS table to see a menu or place an order or pay a bill doesn't make sound financial sense unless it is priced close to the "wooden table" it is replacing and what's that $50, $100... I don't think that's going to happen... any time soon... when the place I worked at got by with 65 (modestly priced) wooden tables, 4 ordering station computers and one cashier the economics are just not there, for now.
And no WOW factor is going to get a MS table into my scenario unless the "wow" is $50.00 buck for all that - wow!
Christ, give it up. That can be said for ANY form of entertainment device, like the iPod video orTV.....
If, and when, this becomes attainable for consumer purchase it will be a great home device, whether it was made by MS or not. Kids will eat it up. The paint program that was displayed is amazing for younger kids.
If this was an Apple device, you along with the other robots, would be praising this as the 2nd coming of Christ. It's not by Apple, but MS, so you're pre-programmed to hate.
Give what up? Facing reality?
Fifteen years ago I was writing code for touchscreen programs.
No we are not copying. Where do get that kind of a Idea
I went to the M$ $urface web page and looked at the Nice demos of the new Product.
Then I noticed that the Special Logo for $urface is a sleightly changed version of the Apple KeyBoard Symbol (on the Apple Keyboard right and Left of the Spacebar) Turn on edge. Its sort off like :Look we stole one of the corners off the Apple Symbol. Now that is Symbolic.
Lots of Fun.
Ynot
I went to the M$ $urface web page and looked at the Nice demos of the new Product.
Then I noticed that the Special Logo for $urface is a sleightly changed version of the Apple KeyBoard Symbol (on the Apple Keyboard right and Left of the Spacebar) Turn on edge. Its sort off like :Look we stole one of the corners off the Apple Symbol. Now that is Symbolic.
Lots of Fun.
Ynot
These Fanbots are disgusting. I thought this type of behavior was only for the pre-pubescent teenage boys at the Xbox and PS3 sites. I guess I was wrong. It's quite sad to see some people and their rabid, blind eyed induced tirades.
Is it really hard to say "Wow, MS created something cool as all hell. Good job! Hopefully other companies will run with this also?"
Given a choice, I would MUCH rather have this than an iPhone if moolah wasn't and issue! Definitely has a greater WOW factor. It's not even close.
Fanbots are sad, on either side of the fence.....
Just interested: Why would you much rather have this than an iPhone? Just for a "Wow factor?"
I could actually see myself using an iPhone for making calls, listening to music, organizing contacts, checking e-mail, reducing the number of devices I carry when traveling.
But, I don't really see how the MS Table does anything other than what my current computer does... sure I can touch and drag something and it looks cool, but the end result is the same. I am looking at pictures.
I do see how businesses could use this. Would be cool for bar video games like the Ms. PacMan Table Arcade Game back in the day. But I wouldn't buy one for my house.
I just don't see the mainstream appeal to the consumer, I think it is target towards business despite the video showing it used in the home.
EDIT:
Actually, I could see buying one if it were like $500-$1000 dollars and I could get board games on it. Would be cool to play checkers or chess on with friends/family.
Oh, Bill's involved, all right. He's front and center demoing it to the media:
Gates demos Surface for Today Show
Very conveeeeeeeeenient timing to unveil this right before his public appearance tonight with Steve Jobs.
Christ, give it up. That can be said for ANY form of entertainment device, like the iPod video or
If, and when, this becomes attainable for consumer purchase it will be a great home device, whether it was made by MS or not. Kids will eat it up. The paint program that was displayed is amazing for younger kids.
If this was an Apple device, you along with the other robots, would be praising this as the 2nd coming of Christ. It's not by Apple, but MS, so you're pre-programmed to hate.
Give what up? Facing reality?
Fifteen years ago I was writing code for touchscreen programs, so sorry -- I'm not "wowed" by crude finger-interfaces designed for use by the unwashed masses. It all boils down to this -- hands and fingers can only serve as crude interface. This sort of tech is good for a five-year old to finger-paint, but useless for a photographer that needs precise control of cropping, etc. It might be useful in Wal-mart's camera dept. so grandma could easily print out her pictures, however.
You could say it's unoriginal in the sense that it uses multitouch technology. But, if you were to classify products this way, most new products would be "unoriginal." What is great about this product is the way they use the technology that is actually new and innovative. I don't know if you have watched the video or not, but there are some great features like live interaction with handheld devices set onto the screen. Place your digital camera on there and the pictures spill out onto the screen. Place your cell phone on there and throw the images and music onto it. Throw your debit cards on there and split of the check for your table at a restaurant.
I have to tip my hat to Microsoft. It appears they've taken a page from Apple's book with the name of the product. "Surface" Sounds very Apple-ish.
I can do the stuff that the iPhone does on my lil' Razr. It's not really new, just different.
Again, these "different but same" arguments (not knocking you) can be said about everything. Why get a BMW M5 when a Corolla does the same basic functions, drives, plays the radio and the windows roll down?
Was this marketed to photographers? Is this a replacement for Photoshop? Did they say edit the next 28 Days Later on it? Nope, not once.
Who gives a crap when you were programming what. MS took an existing technology and ran with it on a GRAND scale. I'm sorry that Apple wasn't the first to do this. But if they were I would see the same Fanbot, knock down, comments that I'm reading here.
If, this was cheap ($2-3000ish), added basic email and surfing functions, it would be sold out for years if there were no other players in the market.
Speaking purely techncially...
...the multi-touch (MT) interface (forget whether it's Apple's or Microsofts or Jeff Hann's, it doesn't matter from this perspective) is __huge__.
Why?
Because for the first time we have more than one human computer interaction device operating at the same time. I've been building software for over 10 years and it _always_ gets tricky when it gets to the UI.
Multi-thread all you want in the background, but when you want to paint something to the screen, you have to queue up a request for the __single__ UI thread. The display is sacred, only one thread can write to it at a time (For display read "window within an application."
Now look at MT...
Mutliple pointing devices (fingers, brushes, you name it) operating at the same time. At first I said to myself "Wait, but even though you 'pinch the image' to shrink it, it's really just one UI operation right?" Well, sort of, but then you see all the demos which show multiple things happening at the same time. I can be growing one image at the same time I am rotating and shrinking a video file. If I happen to have 4 hands I can do all that myself, or two people can do two different things, at the same time, on the same machine, using the _same_ display. I don't recall ever seeing that. Terminal Servers don't use the same display. Same machine, but different (virtual) displays. X-windows, same deal. Even on OS X or Windows if your mouse is dragging window A it can't be resizing window B at the same time as Window X is having text entered into it.
Speaking as a technical architect, I'm very excited at the potential to turn the world upside down with multi-touch technology. It throws away the "one input at a time" model we've lived with for so long.
And note, I'm not talking Apple versus Microsoft versus anyone else. I'm talking changing the way we interact with computers, at the technical level. The tools, APIs, everything which supports this is going to make us design software very differently. Who knows what we can do with it till we try.
Be well!
t
...the multi-touch (MT) interface (forget whether it's Apple's or Microsofts or Jeff Hann's, it doesn't matter from this perspective) is __huge__.
Why?
Because for the first time we have more than one human computer interaction device operating at the same time. I've been building software for over 10 years and it _always_ gets tricky when it gets to the UI.
Multi-thread all you want in the background, but when you want to paint something to the screen, you have to queue up a request for the __single__ UI thread. The display is sacred, only one thread can write to it at a time (For display read "window within an application."
Now look at MT...
Mutliple pointing devices (fingers, brushes, you name it) operating at the same time. At first I said to myself "Wait, but even though you 'pinch the image' to shrink it, it's really just one UI operation right?" Well, sort of, but then you see all the demos which show multiple things happening at the same time. I can be growing one image at the same time I am rotating and shrinking a video file. If I happen to have 4 hands I can do all that myself, or two people can do two different things, at the same time, on the same machine, using the _same_ display. I don't recall ever seeing that. Terminal Servers don't use the same display. Same machine, but different (virtual) displays. X-windows, same deal. Even on OS X or Windows if your mouse is dragging window A it can't be resizing window B at the same time as Window X is having text entered into it.
Speaking as a technical architect, I'm very excited at the potential to turn the world upside down with multi-touch technology. It throws away the "one input at a time" model we've lived with for so long.
And note, I'm not talking Apple versus Microsoft versus anyone else. I'm talking changing the way we interact with computers, at the technical level. The tools, APIs, everything which supports this is going to make us design software very differently. Who knows what we can do with it till we try.
Be well!
t
...the multi-touch (MT) interface (forget whether it's Apple's or Microsofts or Jeff Hann's, it doesn't matter from this perspective) is __huge__.
Why?
Because for the first time we have more than one human computer interaction device operating at the same time. I've been building software for over 10 years and it _always_ gets tricky when it gets to the UI.
Multi-thread all you want in the background, but when you want to paint something to the screen, you have to queue up a request for the __single__ UI thread. The display is sacred, only one thread can write to it at a time (For display read "window within an application."
Now look at MT...
Mutliple pointing devices (fingers, brushes, you name it) operating at the same time. At first I said to myself "Wait, but even though you 'pinch the image' to shrink it, it's really just one UI operation right?" Well, sort of, but then you see all the demos which show multiple things happening at the same time. I can be growing one image at the same time I am rotating and shrinking a video file. If I happen to have 4 hands I can do all that myself, or two people can do two different things, at the same time, on the same machine, using the _same_ display. I don't recall ever seeing that. Terminal Servers don't use the same display. Same machine, but different (virtual) displays. X-windows, same deal. Even on OS X or Windows if your mouse is dragging window A it can't be resizing window B at the same time as Window X is having text entered into it.
Speaking as a technical architect, I'm very excited at the potential to turn the world upside down with multi-touch technology. It throws away the "one input at a time" model we've lived with for so long.
And note, I'm not talking Apple versus Microsoft versus anyone else. I'm talking changing the way we interact with computers, at the technical level. The tools, APIs, everything which supports this is going to make us design software very differently. Who knows what we can do with it till we try.
Be well!
t
But...but...Appull didn't makes it. It's teh suck.
Very good post and an angle I hadn't looked at it from.
Dude, you have some issues you should see about. Did I even mention the word Apple or Microsoft in regard to genius or innovation? Your reaction to my opinions about this product is as defensive and insecure as Ballmer's would be. Are you going to throw a chair? Grow up and debate the issue rather than acting like a 2-year old.
I agree that the "different but same" arguments are pointless. People buy what fits their lifestyle and what they want it to do, or do with it.
Just seems like for something to be widely adopted it needs to make something that is difficult easier or have a unique function. I am not sure how the Surface does that.. so I was wondering how people who would buy it would use it... Besides looking cool what it would replace or make better?
I can place my soda on it and bubbles spill out, and I can move them around (which would be fun and pretty cool), but besides looking neat... I could absolutely live without it.
Someone else may have added a similar comment, I didnt read all 18 pages.
Ya, its cool, but what is something like that going to cost? There is no way that is going to be sold to joe average consumer. If the iPhone is $600 with a touch screen, what is a table with a touch screen 20x bigger going to cost????
Granted the iPhone has alot more functionality, but Im guessing the touchscreen is what primarily drives the price.
Sorry, I dont need a $10,000 coffee table to transfer and show pictures.
Ya, its cool, but what is something like that going to cost? There is no way that is going to be sold to joe average consumer. If the iPhone is $600 with a touch screen, what is a table with a touch screen 20x bigger going to cost????
Granted the iPhone has alot more functionality, but Im guessing the touchscreen is what primarily drives the price.
Sorry, I dont need a $10,000 coffee table to transfer and show pictures.
MS has always seemed to me to be heading in the wrong direction with speech recognition. It just wouldn't work in a crowded place. I mean who wants to be sitting in a mostly quiet room and be heard saying aloud "Send. NO. Send. NO. Send. Yes. YES."
Is this the birth of a new form of computer interface both MS and Apple? I hope so.
Is this the birth of a new form of computer interface both MS and Apple? I hope so.
That multitouch table is awesome; it reminds me of the movie Minority Report. It really feels like we are entering the future of computing. I love it.
I haven't read all the posts.. but I'm a little confused. I've seen videos demos of multi-touch interactive displays floating around the net for the past few years, and the upcoming iPhone also has multi-touch features. So I'm not exactly sure why the press is touting this display technology as an introduction from Microsoft.
Secondly.. I thought there was a patent on multi-touch displays.. so the multi-touch aspect of the upcoming iPhone is not patented by Apple? Could someone shed some light on this?
Secondly.. I thought there was a patent on multi-touch displays.. so the multi-touch aspect of the upcoming iPhone is not patented by Apple? Could someone shed some light on this?