Is Surface Computing for Real?
Depending on which side of the tech world you're coming from, "surface computing" may sound more like a repackaged marketing ploy for touch-screens rather than an entirely new product category. For tech-averse consumers, however, surface computing offers an intuitiveness that should help it grow into a serious market. Its value for business users is less clear -- don't expect your operations manager to be sliding data points around with her finger any time soon.
Steve Ballmer's announcement yesterday made Microsoft the first tech company to offer a market-ready surface computing product, creatively dubbed Microsoft Surface. Tom Gibbons led the charge -- here's an excerpt from his PressPass interview at yesterday's All Things Digital conference:
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]. Our research shows that many people are intimidated and isolated by today's technology. Many features available in mobile phones, PCs and other electronic devices like digital cameras aren't even used because the technology is intimidating. 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. It's about technology adapting to the user, rather than the user adapting to the technology.It may be true that the idea of surface computing is a revolutionary movement. But it's hard to believe that Microsoft Surface is going to make the same impact on computing as the replacement of cryptic command lines with simple graphic icons. Really, I'm waiting for a computing space, like this one, or the one Tom Cruise navigates in Minority Report.
(Image of touch interface by Microsoft)