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Steve Ballmer on Microsoft Surface at All Things Digitial

Wednesday May 30, 2007 9:20 am PDT by Arnold Kim
Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft, is being interviewed at the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital conference this morning. Ballmer discussed and demoed Microsoft Surface, a multi-touch table that was introduced earlier today.


Walt Mossberg addresses similarities with the technology to the Apple iPhone:

Walt notes Surfaces user-interface similarities to Apples iPhone and some new HP devices, and wonders about intellectual-property issues. Were confident in our IP, says Pete Thompson, general manager of Microsoft Surface Computing. And, he adds, multitouch has been around for a long time.


Microsoft plans thin-panel versions, vertical displays, and other form factors for the technology.

Mossberg also asks "if Microsoft will stick with Zune, given the seemingly impossible task of catching up to Apples iPod", to which Ballmer stated "We're firmly behind Zune." Meanwhile, Ballmer denies that Microsoft will ever develop a Phone.

Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are to be interviewed later today at the All Things Digital Conference. Jobs will also be interviewed in a separate session alone.
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drewyboy
65 months ago
I can't wait for Ballmer to blow crap out his butt and say they are the best at it, and that the iPhone sucks, and says they been working with this from the beginning yada yada yada...
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syklee26
65 months ago
what was the focus of that photo, Ballmer's shiny head or the table itself?
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eenu
65 months ago
which goes back to my previous comments about this infringing on Apple's IP. Steve said he would defend multi touch fiercely..... lets see what he has to say.
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sam10685
65 months ago
This is intriguing. Apple will be rather upsset. Hence, more awesome products for us. :)
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rubberduck007
65 months ago

what was the focus of that photo, Ballmer's shiny head or the table itself?


The blokes a fool.... and I pity the fool...
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stoid
65 months ago
Will this be the new 'tablet'? A device that has some really cool potential, but is always just a little too poorly executed and a little too expensive to really take off as a mainstream market.
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Daveway
65 months ago
Of course Ballmer's gonna get hit hard by Apple's #1 fan journalist. :)

And if he thinks they have no problems with IP, then he is quite mistaken.
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nagromme
65 months ago

Will this be the new 'tablet'? A device that has some really cool potential, but is always just a little too poorly executed and a little too expensive to really take off as a mainstream market.


At $10,000, maybe more than a little too expensive :o Still undeniably cool though :)

I wonder if MS's confidence in IP issues stems from their success in making off with the early Mac OS UI :p
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jmulder
65 months ago

"We're firmly behind Zune."



...and Zune is firmly behind iPod.
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justflie
65 months ago
From what I understand (and that's not too much), the way in which Microsoft approaches this problem is different than how the iPhone works. The Surface uses infrared cameras underneath the glass to "see" the objects that are placed on it/touching it, whereas the iPhone is a touchscreen using a capacitance-method to interact with the objects. Since they approach the problems differently (albeit, with more or less the same results), there might not be as much of a problem as you think. Then again, like I said, this is just from what little knowledge I have of these devices/the patents behind them.
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