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Microsoft Launches Multitouch Surface Computing

I kinda can't wait for the "Mac vs PC" ad for this...

mac goes "hey PC check out my iPhone, it's pretty sweet..."
pc walks of screen comes back wheeling in a ;Surface table' then places the iPhone on it and starts moving photos and stuff to and looks mac in the eye and says "take that b*tch"



all things considering im a mac man, i have 2 and my main comp is a macpro, but i love stuff like that
 
Looks very nice indeed, but I can't think that I would want my photos jumbled around like that...
In other words, this is flash for flash's sake, it looks nice, but will it work in a practical everyday situation? I'm not saying no, but I can't see it just yet.
It's a bit like the computers in Zion in Matrix 3 or Minority Report. Look very cool but you wouldn't want to use one.

Unless you can play command and conquer on it of course, now that would rock hard!
 
aLoC said:
Like everyone else, I've seen the Jeff Han videos for this long ago, but I still think it's good to see MS trying to innovate. More competition for Apple = better for us.
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I agree. Given the fact that this tech isn't exclusive to either manufacturer, I can see Microsoft and Apple getting into a technology war, each trying to outdo each other with increasingly cooler and cooler products. Sounds excellent to me. I would really like to see some of this touch screen tech in a portable. OLED touch screen anyone?
 
iMeowbot said:
The multitouch technologies purchased by Apple and Microsoft may look the same in demos, but their implementations are very, very different. The companies can work parallel paths without too much mutual interference. They also have a long history of broad technology cross licensing, so it may be the other players without such relationships who have the biggest worries.
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The iPod syncs to the table folks..;)
 
I don't see how this could be interpreted as "competition for iPhone"... it's not like I'm going to say, "well I was going to get an iPhone, but now I'm going to wait for this Touch Surface instead".
 
So now I have to rewire my living room so I can plug in my coffee table? All in all, not a bad idea, but the only truly impressive thing to me is the device-to-device file transfer method. Even that could be better implemented though in my opinion. If it's bluetooth, why should I have to put an item on the table at all? I think when a bluetooth device comes in to range, a little arrow or some label should point in the direction of the device along the edge, to which photos etc. can be dragged. That would help with scratching etc.
 
verniesgarden said:
I kinda can't wait for the "Mac vs PC" ad for this...

mac goes "hey PC check out my iPhone, it's pretty sweet..."
pc walks of screen comes back wheeling in a ;Surface table' then places the iPhone on it and starts moving photos and stuff to and looks mac in the eye and says "take that b*tch"

all things considering im a mac man, i have 2 and my main comp is a macpro, but i love stuff like that
Click to expand...

I'm Mac to the core (core2?), but Microsoft really misses the boat if they don't jump on that. Apple's been hammering it home. That ad would be iconic...
 
DrAtheist said:
Looks very nice indeed, but I can't think that I would want my photos jumbled around like that...
In other words, this is flash for flash's sake, it looks nice, but will it work in a practical everyday situation? I'm not saying no, but I can't see it just yet.
It's a bit like the computers in Zion in Matrix 3 or Minority Report. Look very cool but you wouldn't want to use one.

Unless you can play command and conquer on it of course, now that would rock hard!
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Yeah, agree. I mean, I sort of gave up dealing with printed photos because it was daunting having them all on one table. . . Now combine that interface with something like Aperture and you've got a winner!

grappler said:
I don't see how this could be interpreted as "competition for iPhone"... it's not like I'm going to say, "well I was going to get an iPhone, but now I'm going to wait for this Touch Surface instead".
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Oh c'mon! Why have a touch screen in your pocket when you could spend $10K on one?!
 
I have just one thing to say:

http://databsod.ytmnd.com/




... but seriously. This is pretty cool. However, I think Microsoft is taking the slow route. Making a huge table-computer for commercial use, and then slowly bringing it to consumers? I think by the time they have a consumer offering, Apple will already have many Multi-touch devices. The first one comes out next month. Personal computer can't be too far behind.

Also think, Apple makes Multi-touch on a flat-screen, and Microsoft makes it with a projector and cameras. Which technology will make it's way to computers? Apple.
 
GUYS THE APPLE STORE IS DOWN!!! I wonder if they'll have new MBP's tomorrow?!

Just kidding.

But seriously, I wonder how multi-touch will affect gaming..? I'm not sure how gameplay in a first-person shooter game would be enhanced by multi-touch. I play Battlefield 2 a ton, and I can't really think of a way to make it better with multi-touch. I suppose I could be looking through a scope, then place my two fingers on the screen and stretch them apart and that would zoom in...? Or not... Ideas?
 
I find this a very good product from MS. It may not be very innovative, but is a very nice product.

Saying that they are just copying the iPhone is not true, first, because it is not like they started developing this after the iPhone was announced. And because it is just a VERY different product.

It is too expensive to be a good selling product, but with time computers are going to start going to be more similar to this.
 
DrAtheist said:
In other words, this is flash for flash's sake, it looks nice, but will it work in a practical everyday situation?
Click to expand...

I think it will be practical or impractical depending on the program you're trying to use. For arranging objects like photos or files (think Finder) it would be good. For writing a document, a plain old fashioned $20 keyboard would be better.
 
Props. I'm still never buying another micro$oft product as long as I live. ever micro$oft based product I've ever owned has broken in some way or another.
 
fowler. said:
wow, not only impressed with what microsoft has created, but also the cynicism within this thread.

you guys are amazing
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Yes, the table is a-m-a-z-i-n-g! This new innovation from Microsoft will change the way we build cities. We'd build the cities of tomorrow around tables! Think of what that will mean!
 
Hmm. Let's see.

Microdoft "invents" a coffee table where I can use 2 fingers two resize pictures at a price point of about $10000 and I can't take it anywhere.

Apple invents the iPhone. . . where I can use 2 fingers two resize pictures at a price point of about $500 and I can take it everywhere.

Hmm.

Microdofts coffee table already looks like yesterworlds technology to me.
 
CmdrLaForge said:
Hmm. Let's see.

Microdoft "invents" a coffee table where I can use 2 fingers two resize pictures at a price point of about $10000 and I can't take it anywhere.

Apple invents the iPhone. . . where I can use 2 fingers two resize pictures at a price point of about $500 and I can take it everywhere.

Hmm.

Microdofts coffee table already looks like yesterworlds technology to me.
Click to expand...

And do you think large monitors are going out of style. In a few years, will all our 15" 1680x1200 monitors be old news, being replaced by 2.5" monitors. It will free up a lot of desk space, but for a whole lot of things, it simply will be worse. I mean, sometimes I like to even be able to see 2 photos on the screen at the same time!
 
Meh.:rolleyes:

Just another proof of concept device (like many things) from Microsoft that is so expensive that it will never arrive in the average home.

Wait a second, this just in...

Apple, Inc. just announced a product with a similar interface months ago at Mac World? They call it the iPhone and it will be available next month at an affordable price that the average person can even travel with it!
 
Note: This is a Page 8 News Item

If MacRumors had a Page 8, this item would belong on it.

A Non-announcement
This is a non-announcement about a cool, quasi-experimental software technology with only half-baked applications as yet, which was developed by Jeff Han. (The most impressive scenes in that video are Han's demos, which aren't even Microsoft-related.) Microsoft has now acquired the technology, perhaps in partnership with Han. It is commendable that Microsoft is attempting to involve itself with inspiring technology and market it in some way.

Impractical Necessity of a Controlled Environment
Microsoft's innovation in this venture is the touchscreen's recognition of non-input devices. This is indeed taking this emerging touchscreen technology the next half-step, thus commendable. However, that recognition is not achieved through touch, but rather optically, through a complex array of infrared cameras positioned around the room. This setup requires a controlled environment that provides direct sightlines between the cameras and the touchscreen. However, I would suggest that venues such as bars, casinos, and hospitals (mentioned in the video as potential customers) are rather dark, crowded, chaotic environments that may not always afford the necessary optical conditions for operation.

Premature Debut to Keep Up
Why would Microsoft make a big announcement about such a nascent, "not-ready-for-primetime" product? I would submit that it's because Microsoft is feeling more pressure than usual to keep up with their competitors who are seen as nimbler, cooler, and more innovative, especially Google and Apple. Microsoft simply needed some kind of impressive announcement at this All Things Digital conference to keep up with the iJoneses. And I don't think it's far-fetched to imagine that Bill Gates demanded that this wow-factor technology debut in time for his Wednesday night appearance with Steve Jobs. This joint appearance of theirs will inevitably be a very public comparison of these two companies, and since iPhone is so red-hot as the tech world anticipates its launch, Gates does not want to lose face. With this announcement, Gates can now claim, semi-legitimately, that Microsoft "is right there with Apple" innovating at the forefront of touchscreen technology as the next chapter of interactivity in computing. In short, this announcement can serve as Gates' "Get Out of Jail Free" card if/when the conversation turns to iPhone.
 
Hmm, everyone's so harsh to Microsoft. (Well, mostly.)
This is an interesting device. Sure, it's overpriced, but how cool would it be to have in your lounge room?
As for innovation, well they stole this from The Island :D
 
the more i look and compare, this table kinda puts the iphone to shame

all you guys saysing "10k is way too much!" jeez... look what it can do, i say 10k is kinda a cheap price compared to what i'd expect it to be

an iphone at 500 seems over priced to me though, but you have to look at the future,

if this at every other coffee shop, i'm gonna put my phone on the table to look and play with my picks, i dont know about you all but i like seeing things bigger, so there goes the need for touchscreen phone

but in view of innovation, this still better than the iphone, the iphone is an introvert innovation it only advances apon the device that it is, a "phone"

this table is an extrovert innovation it advances your everyday ojects, your interaction with everything


BRAVO MS!
 
gco212 said:
Did you really just try to say that the iPhone and this are competing products? It's time for you to brush up on your conspiracy theories.
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Oh for god's sake. What's with being so literal? Of course they're not direct competitors and that's not what I meant. The ongoing battle in tech right now is over who will control the living room (i.e., the digital hub thing.) Apple's approach has been iPod, iLife, AppleTV, iPhone, Airport Extreme, etc... and they've been making good progress. And this is (IMO) MS's big move to slow Apple down.

Anyway, like I said, I think this is pure vapor. I'll believe it when I see it in person.
 
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