If Microsoft has its way, Surface devices will be omnipresent-- not only tablets and smartphones, but as wall-sized touchscreens and interactive tables, all of which smart and seamlessly connected.
Such a vision comes from the trailer announcing the opening of the new Microsoft Envisioning Centre, whose mission is creating not the next generation of Microsoft computing, but products for the next 5 to 10 years.
According to the 2 minute video nearly every available surface is interactive, since giant touchscreens pepper the walls both offices and homes. All the displays are interconnected, meaning users can instantly beam and interact with data from tablets and smartphones (such as family photos or work schedules) on the bigger screens.
Meanwhile children play on tablets as they watch grandma read bedtime stories (which in turn unfold on screen as interactive cartoons) on the living room TV.
Not even the kitchen escapes Microsoft attentions-- the counter top acts as an interactive display, showing instructions to a man as he follows a recipe on yet another huge wall-mounted display.
“I like to think of [the facility] as a concept car that allows us to share what it might be like to experience future technologies with visitors, get their feedback, tweak, remix and discuss,” Microsoft editor Steve Clayton writes. “It’s all part of advancing the trends we think have the greatest potential.”
The video is interesting enough, even if we can't help but be reminded of other Microsoft visions of the future-- namely the original Surface interactive table. Will Microsoft succeed with the latest take on the concept?