You may want to take a look at all the features not just some of the minor similarities.
http://news.com.com/1606-2-6186146.html
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Steve Ballmer on Microsoft Surface at All Things Digitial
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You may want to take a look at all the features not just some of the minor similarities.
http://news.com.com/1606-2-6186146.html
This is fantastic technology. I love how people keep saying "what are the uses?" Use your imagination! There are millions of uses. I've said it before and I'll say it again, but keyboards are terribly limiting, especially for languages that don't use the roman alphabet. Chinese is one. Japanese is another. With a touch screen, keyboards can be reconfigured and optimized for various languages without the need to retool a factory. This is a HUGE step forward.
Indeed, this would be wonderful for artists. No more drawing tablets. And for scientists. Imagine being able to rotate and rearrange models of proteins with your hands. . . It's an intuitive interface without boundaries. Anyone can use it pretty much right away.
Indeed, this would be wonderful for artists. No more drawing tablets. And for scientists. Imagine being able to rotate and rearrange models of proteins with your hands. . . It's an intuitive interface without boundaries. Anyone can use it pretty much right away.
Absolutely. The learning curve would be all but nonexistant in many areas.
All I have to say is, MS wasn't the first, and they won't be the last.
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6185464.html?tag=ne.video.6185893
Wait till the end of the video. Multi-touch is gonna be popping up everywhere.
The future will be really interesting indeed.
http://news.com.com/1606-2_3-6185464.html?tag=ne.video.6185893
Wait till the end of the video. Multi-touch is gonna be popping up everywhere.
The future will be really interesting indeed.
Waca Waca Waca...I can't help but think it looks like a PacMan machine!!!
This is promising technology, but it will take Apple to pull it off in a flawless design!!
This is promising technology, but it will take Apple to pull it off in a flawless design!!
It looks fantastic, but I'm not convinced it is (or ever will be) suitable for everyday usage.
Consider what an ergonomic nightmare it would be to crouch over a horizontal screen for a few hours work? Your neck would be killing you after one day.
So, how about having a vertical (or near vertical) multi-touch screen? Now consider how tiring your arms are going to be if you're having to hold them up to move stuff on screen all day?
Either way, there's a fundamental problem: the ideal screen position is near-vertical, the ideal hand-input position is near-horizontal.
Consider what an ergonomic nightmare it would be to crouch over a horizontal screen for a few hours work? Your neck would be killing you after one day.
So, how about having a vertical (or near vertical) multi-touch screen? Now consider how tiring your arms are going to be if you're having to hold them up to move stuff on screen all day?
Either way, there's a fundamental problem: the ideal screen position is near-vertical, the ideal hand-input position is near-horizontal.
Lots of fun hard to use
While it looks really cool, I could not stand trying to organize photos in a pile. Every time I want to work on a photo I have to move three out of the way. Maybe other organizational layouts would be available (I think I may have seen a straight layout pattern somewhere in the demo)
Notice how the "wireless" camera and cell phones each have those ugly domino tags attached to their backs.
Where do my photos go? If these are public who can look at everything later?
It would be fun for my kid to play with photos...
While it looks really cool, I could not stand trying to organize photos in a pile. Every time I want to work on a photo I have to move three out of the way. Maybe other organizational layouts would be available (I think I may have seen a straight layout pattern somewhere in the demo)
Notice how the "wireless" camera and cell phones each have those ugly domino tags attached to their backs.
Where do my photos go? If these are public who can look at everything later?
It would be fun for my kid to play with photos...
Usually when this type of thing happens, both just make underhanded comments about who was first with what, who does what better. That kind of stuff.
You're about as likely to see them in a hair-pulling cat fight as you are to see them give each other a deep french kiss.
although it looks cool, tables are only good for one thing - collecting junk and a place to hold your beverage. i seriously doubt people want to look down to view photos. i think what apple is doing by incorporating the computer with the tv is the better way to go.
Absolutly correct on people will go crazy comment. Today a lot of people have not yet awaken to the possibilities. This is really the future, it brings a more personnal and direct method of interacting with information and objects. With the correct applications this type of technology will bloom to no end. Combine it with Speach and it will get even better, throw away the keyboard and mouse.
Like you I am very disappointed that MS announced it first. Steve must be pissed. I wonder what changes is Steve making to his presentation after seeing this.
Hope is not something lame.
Not a "PC"
I think a lot of you are missing the point. This is not intending to replace the desktop PC... it's a totally different creature entirely. I can't imagine anyone wanting to sit down to something like this to write code, and it's foolish to suggest otherwise.
I think a lot of you are missing the point. This is not intending to replace the desktop PC... it's a totally different creature entirely. I can't imagine anyone wanting to sit down to something like this to write code, and it's foolish to suggest otherwise.
Ergonomically speaking, I would much rather use a verticle screen than a horizontal one - at least the arms would be moving and get a work out versus a stationary crunch of the neck.
Perhaps the best solution for large screen multitouch would be a 45 degree screen with an area to rest the elbows. Would be hard to pull off so that brings us back to the best application for multitouch - which happens to be a phone or a bit larger handheld device.
By the way - there seems to be an strong similarity between Balmer and Bush - lies, contradictory statements, empty bravado, and stoopidity. Only Bush is a bit more cooler than Balmer.
just about anything!!!!
Video conferencing, document collaboration, working on a building plan by yourself and with others, video editing, photo editing, making music and editing the music. Doing and visualizing math problems, stats, charts, graphs, wow I can go on and on.
Add voice response and recognition and you can also trow away the keyboard and mouse.
Remember when you were a kid, use that imagination to interact in a different way.
"Never wave at someone you don't know....
Because what if they don't have any hands..."
Such a cool technology, but I wonder how the pRon industy will do with this technolody?
Because what if they don't have any hands..."
Such a cool technology, but I wonder how the pRon industy will do with this technolody?
You're joking right? How is Surface anything but horrible for video conferencing? You don't need the multi-touch, you don't relly even need single touch! It would only be useful as long as your calls only last 5 minutes, but otherwise your neck will get sore from leaning over the table. Not to mention that leaning over a table talking to it makes you look like a complete tool.
multitouch
This technology was origionally developed and patented by Frank Lytle, who called it "Gestures" at the time. He sold the patent rights to Apple. Gestures/MultiTouch is all about the how one uses multiple fingers to affect how a program or operating system behaves, not the way the multiple fingers are sensed.
The iPhone is not the first use of MultiTouch by Apple, it's been part of the operation of the MacBook Pro touch pad for months now.
My personal opinion is that MicroSoft is trying to appear as a leader in something that they are way behind in. They will lose in a patent fight. Their input solution is expensive and unweildly. The software is all show and lacks an integrated solution to everyday utility. In short; it zucks!
This technology was origionally developed and patented by Frank Lytle, who called it "Gestures" at the time. He sold the patent rights to Apple. Gestures/MultiTouch is all about the how one uses multiple fingers to affect how a program or operating system behaves, not the way the multiple fingers are sensed.
The iPhone is not the first use of MultiTouch by Apple, it's been part of the operation of the MacBook Pro touch pad for months now.
My personal opinion is that MicroSoft is trying to appear as a leader in something that they are way behind in. They will lose in a patent fight. Their input solution is expensive and unweildly. The software is all show and lacks an integrated solution to everyday utility. In short; it zucks!
The problem that M$ will have with this is that they don't make the hardware- they're going to say to all the hardware vendors "make this thing and we'll give you the software for it." Then the user experience will vary with the manufacturer or how well the hardware and software play together. Just look at windows- on some machines it runs just dandily without any problems and quickly, and on different machines (with similar specs just different brand components) the drivers will all crash and not intermingle well and the whole system will slow down to a crawl. That's where apple has the advantage- You sit down at a Mac, and you know what to expect. You sync up your friend's iPod and it's exactly the same as yours and the iPhone will be no different. Once again, unlike windows mobile phones which have different features from phone to phone and therefore different user experiences.... so the surface thing is cool- really cool- but I have doubts that M$ will be able to pull it off.
You may want to take a look at all the features not just some of the minor similarities.
http://news.com.com/1606-2-6186146.html
Competition to what? A $10K table that animates fizzy bubbles when you place a glass on top of it?
Surface looks great. The UI is slick (although we've seen it all before on OS X, Sci-Fi movies, etc), but what does this thing really DO? Why would I, as a business, pay $10K for one of these? Nevermind the home user...
Until M$ can show me how Surface will truly benefit me, it's all just an eye-popping demo as far as I'm concerned. Yeah, the technology seems cool, but it also feels very "me too", as if M$ is tired of Apple getting all the "oooh, aah" praise in the press.
So, while Apple shows off cool technology that actually has some purpose TODAY, M$ treats us to a glimpse into our Blade Runner / 5th Element future. Looks good, but do I care? Not really.
From what I understand, this is a complete system from MS, like the Xbox, or Zune. I don't think they're taking the PC/OS approach on this one.
Now after kinda defending MS on that, I am kinda jarred that they did this. I'm don't know exactly what Apple has patented on the multi touch dillio, but from what I understand, the gestures used IS patented by Apple, and from the MS video, they use the same gestures to do the same things...
But after reading all the comments, and reading all those rumors of touch screen displays across the range for Apple, I feel a little better about it all
