14 DAY TRIAL // While not many people outside of Microsoft get to visit the company’s Redmond campus, even less get the chance to tour specific destinations that otherwise remain hidden from the world. It’s the case of places such as Microsoft Home which Softpedia readers were able to “visit” yesterday, and the Microsoft Hardware Model, that is featured in the video embedded below.
Both the Microsoft Home and Microsoft Hardware Model Shop video tours are provided courtesy of Steve Clayton, author of the Next at Microsoft blog.
The content allows viewers to get a glimpse inside Redmond, and see the household of tomorrow as well as how the software giant builds its peripherals at prototype level.
“What I love about the model shop is it’s not something people expect from Microsoft,” Clayton said.
“When people visit, they initially ask why we have such a facility but soon realize that we make a good amount of hardware – mice, keyboards, webcams, headsets, Zune, Xbox and associated accessories.
“As you walk around the shop, it’s fascinating to see the full range of hardware prototyping that is done – from very simple models, carved by hand all the way through to 3D printed objects that are then finished in the paint room.”
The video features Microsoft’s Vince Jesus and Clint Rutkas, and runs for almost a quarter of an hour, but it’s certainly worth a watch.
At the beginning, Jesus talks about the development of the Arc Touch Mouse from prototype to finished product, but there are additional focus points throughout the video.
“This is possibly my favorite hidden space on Microsoft Campus – I found it within a few weeks of starting my new gig and everyone I have taken there has been blown away. Not only by the space but the team who works there...and the work they do,” Clayton said.