Get off it, designers: Microsoft Surface IS in fact a big deal
Am I in an alternate universe here? Twice in one month, I find myself actually excited by new Microsoft products. At MIX07, I watched from the audience as Silverlight was announced; today, I wake up to the news that Microsoft is launching a 30-inch touchscreen table with a gestural interface.
This new product, called Surface, attempts to commercialize a variety of technologies that have been in research labs for at least a decade. Its “multi-touch” screen can detect inputs from several different people at once; its infrared “machine vision” system recognizes objects placed on the surface; and its user interface is gestural, meaning the only devices you need are at your fingertips — quite literally. Think a tabletop-sized version of Apple’s iPhone interface. If you haven’t already, check out the video or the story at Popular Mechanics:
But what the heck? The design community has reacted with a big “Bah!”, at least judging by reactions today on the IxDA discussion list. – Continue reading this post>
