It's already a known fact that the surface computer technology from Microsoft became commercially available and it's intended to reach many locations. As Microsoft described it, "surface turns an ordinary tabletop into a vibrant, dynamic surface that provides effortless interaction with all forms of digital content through natural gestures, touch and physical objects".
The user interface of this technology has as its main characteristic the fact that the traditional
mouse or keyboard are missing. Like in the real world, people interact with content and information on their own or together with their families and friends. The surface is a 30-inch display in a table-like form factor that can be used by small groups at the same time.
Bill Gates, Microsoft's leader, has stated in a recent interview that surface is just the beginning of the touch-based technology development. He also brought up some personal opinions about this new technology and also revealed some new details about it. Microsoft's chairman considers that surface computer technology is not so expensive for the end-user, and it may become even cheaper in the future. He hopes this technology's result will reach a selling price of around 1000$. Mr. Gates added that what makes nowadays this technology somewhat expensive is the projection piece and the way this is packaged, not the fundamental hardware (the cameras).
In what concerns the hardware development of the surface technology, Gates thinks a variety of implementations could be a good thing. This would also be a good reason for other people that have new ideas on hardware to get involved into the further development of this project. He also mentioned that one of the changes he's expecting is the option for the surface display to be switched from horizontal to vertical or vice-versa in an easy way.
Also, despite initially having been announced as a business-targeted product, represented by the "Milan" project, Gates said changes could still happen.
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