About Microsoft Surface

After establishing the lead in software industry, Microsoft toyed with various hardware. We saw xBox, Zune etc. Then a bigger project was under development under code name Milan, which was all about Microsoft Surface. Milan was aimed to leverage the perfect combination of hardware and software. Manipulating digital content using hand gestures, motions and physical objects is all about Microsoft Surface.

Many had a wrong impression about Microsoft Surface. They thought it is another glorified and hyped touch screen computer. And they are proved wrong by the features provided in the Microsoft surface. The touch screen computers enable users to do away with keyboard and mouse. They can navigate the menu by touching various options to reach a logical end of viewing data or printing. And there ends the comparison. Microsoft Surface can do many more things, which you think are not possible!

What is so special about Microsoft Surface? One can touch a color in the one-screen palette and draw an image on the screen. Touch blue and draw the sky, Touch green and draw grass. Microsoft Surface can understand all this. It also recognizes various objects. The system can be designed to set up a plate on the surface and the system throws up a menu! And many more possibilities await us as we progress.

How can Microsoft Surface identify the fingers and objects? The technology itself is not new. It is called Multi-touch. University of Toronto had some pioneering work on multi-touch tablets and Bell Labs on multi-touch screens, way back in early 1980s. Steven Bathiche of Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research conceptualized leveraging multi-touch and thought about Microsoft Surface as product in 2001.

Microsoft formed a team in October 2001 to make Microsoft Surface a reality. The work went on briskly and a presentation about Microsoft Surface was given to Bill Gates in 2003. The first prototype was nicknamed T1 and the development team designed specific applications like photo browser, puzzles, games etc. After building more than 80 prototypes, the hardware design was frozen in 2005.