Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Wow, how did this not come from Apple?

Ok, maybe the question should be how did this come from Microsoft?

It could be a better way to show off photos and move through music than what I have seen in from home theatre/media computers to this point. This type of interface would be more intuitive to use than a remote control or keyboard to move through photos, albums, or lists. (In fact they should be rid of lists altogether...use cover art or large thumbnails of memorable scenes.)

The experience would be more intimate for sharing photos with friends and family. I can see everyone gathering around a coffee table with a Surface enabled device built in, to see the wedding photos or photos of the grandkids. Or actuallly seeing the cover art of movies that you potentially want to watch.

There are a few "ifs" that Microsoft has to resolve to make this big (like the Ipod became big for Apple).

If the price is not outrageous Surface could be big. I do not want to pay $1000 for it: $300 is the most I would pay. Even $300 might be high.

If they do not attempt to make this a stand alone computer at a stand alone computer price, it could be big. We do not need another stand alone computer to administer (or pay for). I don't care if it is actually Vista running- cripple it, so I don't have to concern myself with running security software on it or defending it from vulnerabilities. Make it connect effortlessly to a stand alone computer - wirelessly. Think like Apple TV and do not try to do too much with this device. Doing too much makes prices rise, too. But, don't take steps to stop (white hat) hackers from doing cool things with it.

(There needs to be a balance here. Lock it down enough so that people who do not know anything about the inner workings of computers do not have to worry about anything, at the same time, don't actively attempt to keep the motivated and knowledgable users from building on it. Again, see Apple TV.)

If they partner with a furniture design firm and give customers options in order to work with so the device can blend in to an existing room aesthetic (like offering different types of wood, stain, colors, for say a coffee table), Surface could be big.

These "ifs" are not trivial for such a large company. Is there any chance that Microsoft can get Surface into the living room? Or will it be a novelty only seen in hotels and casinos? Today I feel like an optimist, and since Apple has gotten it right so many times now that Microsoft can copy them, I think Microsoft can make Surface big.