But the company managed to do that today with a launch from way outside of the box – a coffee table-shaped computer called Surface that re-invents the user interface.
Developed by Microsoft’s Entertainment and Devices division, Surface dispenses with keyboard and mouse in favour of a desktop system where data is manipulated by hands, voice and pen.
The touch screen tabletop lets users “grab” data or manipulate pull-down menus. Barcoded objects sitting on the tabletop can be integrated into applications so that their movement becomes a part of the user interface.
Surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that small groups can use at the same time. The OS in the system is based on Vista and can deal with several users at once (which different people at a table manipulating different parts of the system), Microsoft said.
Surface Computing sounds gimmicky. And with the devices (which Microsoft is manufacturing itself) are not cheap at US$5,000 (A$6,100) to US$10,000.
But Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer, who launched the new systems at the Wall Street Journal’s D: All Things Digital conference in California, says the company is serious about developing the systems into a mature market.
“With Surface, we are creating more intuitive ways for people to interact with technology,” Mr Ballmer said.
“We see this as a multibillion dollar category, and we envision a time when surface computing technologies will be pervasive, from tabletops and counters to the hallway mirror. Surface is the first step in realising that vision,” he said.
The first business applications for the systems will be in hospitality, entertainment and retail, Microsoft said. Harrah’s Entertainment, the hotel and casino group has said it will use the systems in a variety of dining, entertainment and reservation tasks.
Mobile phone company T-Mobile will use the Surface systems in retail outlets to let people look at products, prices and features of mobile phones (which will sit on the tabletop, and bring up data as customers manipulate the phone).
Microsoft corporate vice-president Tom Gibbons says the technology that drives Surface and its potential applications should not be underestimated. Microsoft’s core goals had always focused on bringing increasingly natural interfaces to computing, and Surface was a big step in that direction, he said.
“Surface computing is a powerful movement. In fact, it’s as significant as the move from DOS [Disk Operating System] to GUI [Graphic User Interface],” Mr Gibbons said.
“Surface computing breaks down those traditional barriers to technology so that people can interact with all kinds of digital content in a more intuitive, engaging and efficient manner,” he said.
“It’s about technology adapting to the user, rather than the user adapting to the technology.”
“We’ve looked at the market extensively, and when you consider that the revenue-generating opportunities include services, hardware and software, we believe there will be a multi-billion-dollar addressable market for surface computing,” Mr Gibbons said.
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