Welcome Microsoft "Surface" - First Take

Michael Gartenberg | May 30, 2007, 07:53 AM

I've had to wait some time before I could talk about this project but today the embargo is lifted and I finally speak about a new project from Microsoft.

The noted science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke once said that "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." I'd paraphrase that to and say any sufficiently advanced new product needs to look like it just came off the Starship Enterprise. Today, Microsoft introduces Surface and computing will change quite a bit. I'd say it meets my definition as well as Clarke's.

What is it? Surface is a Windows PC inside a table with a 30" touchscreen on top. Inside are also cameras that can sense what's happening on screen. The result is you can use a Surface device just by touching the screen with your finger but unlike other touch screens, Surface is multi-touch so you can use all your fingers at the same time or more importantly, multiple users can engage with each other at the same time. Yes it's a PC but you'd never know it was running Windows and while it could run Office, that's not something it's ever likely to do. This is PC evolution happening right now. It's really something you need to see up close and in thirty seconds, the light bulb goes on.

This is an extremely important announcement for Microsoft and it matters a lot for them. First, it shows innovation is alive and well in Redmond. Second, it shows the market in a clear and concrete way that they still know how to ship things. Finally, it shows that Microsoft is getting good at figuring out markets. The surface computing technology was initially shown in a consumer device for games but they realized quickly that was not the correct implementation for this technology at this time. By re-targeting the market and keeping control over the hardware and software they have delivered a cool product that's easy for the first customers to understand, implement and most importantly, use it to make money.

This is exactly the type of thing Microsoft does well. Five years ago, you couldn't build this type of unit for any price. Today, it's cost effective for business and pretty soon, it will be consumer ready. By leveraging their expertise in software, Microsoft is able to take the concept of personal computing to the next level. Surface changes the way people can interact with a computer and offers a very compelling vision of the future. Personally, I can't wait to get this stuff built into my next desk.