Comments on: More hidden details on Microsoft Surface website: prior origins, unannounced road show and tech specs

By: Bill Buxton

Bill Buxton — Wed, 09 Jan 2008 17:06:01 +0000

As has been stated, there is a long history around multi-touch and other technologies related to Surface.

If you are interested in the longer history of multi-touch, see my web page:

http://www.billbuxton.com/multitouchOverview.html

I hope that this is of interest to anyone interested in this history.

Bill Buxton, Principal Researcher, Microsoft Research

By: Chad

Chad — Thu, 07 Jun 2007 17:03:11 +0000

I had a high school summer course at the University of Toronto in 1993 and Bill Buxton was one of the main people involved. He and his students lectured and gave demos on human-computer interaction including a tour of their lab with tons of these types of physical interaction devices. Things like desks with computer displays projected onto them using digitizing pucks to interact, multi-mouse systems, tele-presence, etc. Very inspiring, but it seems like ancient history now!

By: Surface computing - coming to your coffee table soon

Surface computing - coming to your coffee table soon — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 13:01:26 +0000

[...] site and found some commented out (ignored by the browser) items inside. Here’s one such entry: More hidden details on Microsoft Surface website: prior origins, unannounced road show and tech spec…. As a side note, did anyone catch the interview with Bill Gates and Steve Jobs? It’s a seven video [...]

By: Michael Griffiths

Michael Griffiths — Thu, 31 May 2007 21:31:02 +0000

Not the first to market, just the first low-cost device.

$5,000 – $10,000 for a unit? Pretty bloody cheap for Hotels/corporations. It won’t “be on every desk” but it might “be in every lobby.”

By: Darcy

Darcy — Thu, 31 May 2007 11:40:43 +0000

@ xaml, Multi-touch technology isn’t new, and of course Microsoft are not the only ones working on this technology. Microsoft will however be the first to bring something like this to the market, so for most people (non geeks), this will be very new.

By: Zygote

Zygote — Thu, 31 May 2007 03:54:20 +0000

This new “Surface” uses Microsoft XNA technology for the graphics rendering Its pretty sweet stuff!

By: xaml

xaml — Wed, 30 May 2007 14:01:24 +0000

It’s strange they left out the 1985-1995 time span when in the teaser/introduction it says “a new way that isn’t new at all”.

By: » Do you want a Surface Computer? | All about Microsoft | ZDNet.com

Wed, 30 May 2007 13:23:55 +0000

[...] hidden in a Flash file that’s part of Surface Computer collateral an intersting reference: “Microsoft’s New Milan Media Player on Store Shelves on Nov 14.” Sure sounds like a Zune with a multi-touch display to [...]