Okay Microsoft comes out with a new Productivity Futurevideo and I admittedly want to go to there.
The new video for me is a little different from past ones because much of what’s shown now represents real world products. Almost everything in this video corresponded to a product available now or soon to be out. So what does the future hold for the Surface? Thinner bezels, screens, and new form factors.
The evolution of Windows, a revolution for Microsoft Hardware
The next update to Windows will bring a new look but the same focus on getting things done. Cortana’s update brings new capabilities through the new personal assistant software.
The Surface lineup is expanding with the new Surface Courier, Surface Hub Home, and Surface 5.
Surface Courier, the tablet transformed
The Surface Courier brings new flexibility to the tablet form factor. Use the device folded and it’s a 8 inch device or open it and use the 11 inch screen to get more work done. For those looking for a more traditional form factor, the Surface 5 refreshes the entry level Surface device for students, business, and customers.
The new Surface Pen is now Universal, use it with other Windows tablets, the iPad Pro 3 and compatible Android tablets. Try the new stone charger for faster charging of the pen.
The Surface Hub Home is a new all in one that brings the power of the Surface Hub to the All in One device. Aimed at the education market, Hub Home works seamlessly with other Windows devices.
Building on the HoloLens, the Microsoft HoloPad brings Holograms further into the home and office. HoloPad allows for the power of Holograms to be used by people without strapping on a Lens. The 3d of HoloPad lets users interact with computers in a whole new way.
Coming soon the next evolution in digital White boarding for the office and home; MagicWall and Surface Hub.
* this is a work of fiction; I have no bloody clue what Microsoft is doing.
A few days before the Surface announcement that’s happening tomorrow a video popped up that revealed tantalizing clues on some of the work the Surface team has been doing since the launch of the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. The video also revealed some of the work Microsoft is putting into Office tablet applications.
(There is a reason I am calling this post Surface Ink)
In the lead up to tomorrow’s announcement a presentation was uncovered by Windows watcher Walking Cat aka (h0x0d) that not only may shed light on what we may see in the Surface Mini but also an interesting look at some other projects Microsoft is working on.
So to set the context, a video and corresponding slides were put on the Microsoft Research site showing a presentation on digital inking. The hour plus presentation was chock full of the stuff Microsoft watchers dream of: Threshold (codename for Windows 9), Gemini (Office touch apps for Windows), and even Cortana. There was also a mention (albeit on screen) of the lamented Courier.
(No one should’ve been surprised that the video and slides were taken down tout suite)
Now the majority of the presentation was on inking and in particular the work done by the Cross-Group Ink team; a team made up of people from Office, Windows, Surface, and Perceptive Pixel. The purpose of the group was to create a unified strategy to make inking work across Microsoft products. Now the discussion was in and of itself interesting, especially considering the amount o work Microsoft has done in the past with pen computing and ink. I mean the ideas put forth by Tucker Hatfield and William Vong are enough for a separate post alone.
To condense the talk down: While inking (digital drawing) and the pen have been a part of Windows and Office it has never been a first-class input nor has inking ever been pushed as anything other than a novelty. The Cross-Group’s work has been to unify inking to make it a “One Microsoft” strategy (integrated cross platform). Hatfield in his opening remarked how inking and pen have been disjointed and not easy to access for regular users. The translation from the analog (real) pen to the digital stylus hasn’t been seamless and isn’t easy to learn.
Vong’s part of the talk was around some of the scenarios a unified Ink strategy could entail. Specifically it was about making the pen “ink” (write, draw etc.) instead of being a replacement for the mouse. In a few scenarios he illustrated using the pen to not only draw or write but to do searches. It was interesting to see how much the scenarios called INK echoed earlier pen initiatives like Ink Seine as well as the Courier. Now that I’ve talked about the talk let me parse out the information that’s wetted the watchers.
First Office Gemini. The bulk of images showing off the Cross-Group’s ideas involve the Metro (tablet) versions of Office for Windows devices. During the talk the early concepts of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Outlook were shown. Now these were EARLY prototypes and you can tell because a recent build of PowerPoint was shown at /build//. One of things revealed by this presentation is that the Gemini apps will have more features than the Office for iPad apps. And while it should be noted (as it was in the talk) much of what’s shown is about possible choices, inking will be possible for some Gemini apps.
Beyond Gemini the other interesting tidbits involve Cortana and Digital Inking. At one point Vong mentions OZ, also mentioned as the Cortana line. OZ is apparently the codename for a natural language engine that works with Office. I think an early form of this recently showed up in the Office WebApps with TellMe. In addition there was talk of Digital Inking (which may or may not be part of DirectX/Direct3D). Digital Inking was brought up in brief conversation about the fact that in order for inking to truly work it has to have compelling programs that use it. Digital Inking looks to be an overhaul or addition to current APIs that allow developers to create new apps.
One of the interesting things gleamed from the video is that the presentation we saw wasn’t the full presentation, an executive one was shown earlier with a working prototype. Second was the Group’s decision to push a digitizer instead of a capacitive stylus. The group’s goal seem to be on delivering a compelling experience and not something that gets watered down. The third big surprise was that the group included members of the Surface team.
In some ways I shouldn’t be surprised the Surface team’s origin seemed tied to Microsoft Research with a number of the team coming from MSR’s Applied Hardware. Given how much thought this Cross-Group has put into inking it makes me wish the Surface Mini was called the Surface INK. Anyway this presentation has raised expectations especially after it was removed from the MSR website.
Well all will be revealed tomorrow until then enjoy the images courtesy of Microsoft Research, Michael Vong, and Tucker Hatsfield. Also the video is courtesy of Michael Weihl.
The Microsoft Courier is one of those things that is difficult to write about objectively. It was one of those gadgets that once you learn about it, ruins everything else in its category. I mean here was this thing that was like an iPad but taken to another level; it was science fiction. Two seven inch tablets which allowed you to use two applications at the same time (without a bezel). It ran an app that let you draw and create in ways that have only been seen on Inspector Gadget; this thing was literally Penny Computer book.
When the first images and video leaked three years ago, people were gearing up for a battle between the then newly announced iPad and this thing that was just too cool for words. Information would leak out about and people could not get Microsoft to confirm its existence. Before long more images showing the UI, a mockup of the device, and another video were posted. I mean people were talking about this device like it was second coming.
When the project was confirmed by Microsoft it was also canceled; to this day you’ll read about someone complaining that Microsoft screwed up in its decision not to release this device. I was disappointed because the device really seemed to take touch computing to the next level. And so the press wrote articles about Microsoft’s lack of innovation; the people behind the project left Microsoft which meant more articles saying that Microsoft just didn’t get it. And Microsoft moved on to Windows 8.
The story around the Courier and its demise became clearer when CNET’s Jay Greene wrote a two part piece on the Courier and Windows 8. I’m going to link to the story but to sum it up the Courier team’s dream ended when it met the reality of Bill Gates and the plans of Windows president Steven Sinofsky.
Looking back I have to admit that the Courier, based on all available information, was a niche product. It was aimed at the “creative classes”, artist, writers, and the like; and revolved around a limited set of scenarios. And as much as I would’ve and still would like to see it in stores, it wasn’t aimed at the mass market.
As much as I hate when others do it, looking at the Courier in hindsight you could tell where it would have issues. The fact it didn’t have a native mail client would’ve been a strike even after reviewers gushed over its use as a digital notebook. The fact it had a camera placed awkwardly on the left; awkward because of the Courier’s booklet design. We didn’t have an idea about apps other than the camera and the live journal. What would games or other media look like on this device? The last issue that would have faced the Courier would’ve been where it sat within Microsoft’s ecosystem. Windows Phone, which was completed around the same time as the Courier, would introduce a new mobile platform. Windows Phone unlike Windows Mobile would bring together the entertainment and business halves of the Microsoft ecosystem into one device. It also introduced the Metro interface. The Courier would’ve gone to market with a UI different from both Windows Phone and Windows; it would also be built on top a forked version of the NT kernel (the basis for Windows). I wonder if questions would’ve been asked about where the Courier fit and how would Microsoft deal with having another operating system to manage (Windows, Windows Phone, Server, CE, and Xbox).
The Courier was a companion device built around the idea of the notebook; a creation device with pen and touch inputs. It was innovative as hell, and would’ve been well received; and it still would’ve face questions. Would we be as enamored with the Courier in the real world with its main function built around a narrow use case? I mean look at ChromeOS. Would the Courier have become a device liked the iPad, something people think of as a Post-PC device or something like an e-Reader?
The biggest thing about the Courier, the aspect of it I still want Microsoft to do, is the idea around creating applications built for touch and mobile. The idea that you have to rethink your approach when it comes to applications built for touch input in mind. The notion of putting touch to work is something that still appeals to many (and honestly comes to fruition on the iPad). Part of me thinks the Courier truly could’ve worked, but I also know it would’ve had limitations.
And that is why I think the big tragedy isn’t in the cancelation of the product, but that it was integrated fully into Windows 8. In many ways both groups saw the oncoming wave of tablets, but had half the solution. The Courier team brought with them the applications that would’ve made the case for a Windows tablet and the Windows group would have brought a better foundation on which to build. I think another tragedy is the fact that Microsoft lost a dedicated division looking at consumer products.
(Seems as if all great romances and gadgets end bittersweetly)
Of Spaceships and Boomboxes 