[geeks] Microsoft Surface...

[Mark]

On 31 May 2007, at 01:22, Bill Bradford wrote:

> On Thu, May 31, 2007 at 12:03:00AM +0100, Mark wrote:
>> Has anyone else seen this:
>> http://www.microsoft.com/surface/
>> I was pretty blown away by it but I'm aware it could be partially
>> hype. Still as a concept it's pretty damned impressive, especially as
>> it came out of Microsoft!
>
> Unfortunately, they didn't come up with the idea.

Oh jesus can anyone *not* look at a Microsoft product and decide it's  
a total crap shoot because it uses other people's innovation? I mean  
really, it isn't something Microsoft have done exclusively but they  
got a product, and are marketing it, and they've been working on this  
for many years (well, if you believe the 'Origins' section).

Whenever Apple releases an innovative new product everyone is in awe  
and wonder at how great it is and how innovative it is, even if it  
doesn't work off something they developed themselves - like the  
screen on the iPhone, you mentioned they bought that in from outside.

Yet if Microsoft does it everyone beats down on the table. They say  
"You fraudsters, you ripped off so-and-so and such-and-such" or "oh  
they just bought in someone elses idea", becuase that's what everyone  
is used to saying about Microsoft. They overlook the fact that, at  
least from the demos I've seen, this looks like a genuinely great  
idea. It's intuitive, it's straightforward to use and, most  
importantly, it's different.

I've been a vocal critic of Microsoft, and still am, but even I can't  
help but like this as a product concept. C'mon guys, they got the  
product done first for a change, give em some credit...

-- 
Mark Benson

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