14 DAY TRIAL // The next generation Surface system is expected to be demoed in mid-January next year, during Microsoft’s National Retail Federation (NRF) showcase.
Also known as Samsung SUR40, the multi-touch system was completed last month, when Samsung kicked off the pre-order period for it.
According to Mary-Jo Foley, the device will be a key part of Microsoft’s NRF event, which is set to kick off on January 16, 2012, in New York City.
The first such products have been showcased back in January during CES, and were supposed to start shipping before the end of the ongoing year.
However, it appears that they got delayed to January 2012, and that the New York event will also mark the beginning of the first shipments from Samsung.
The SUR40 system should arrive in a number of 23 countries around the globe, featuring a price tag of $8,900 (around 6,800 Euros).
Initially, Microsoft said that the system should feature a cost of around $7,600 (5,800 Euros).
For those out of the loop, we should note that the Samsung SUR40 system arrives with a large 40-inch HD 1080p touchscreen display and that it is only four inches thin (which includes the glass, PC and enclosure).
The system is based on an embedded version of Microsoft’s 64-bit Windows 7 Professional and can be used either as a table or as a wall-mountable kiosk.
Surface 2.0 is based on PixelSense technology, which was designed to use the screen as a camera for capturing objects that have been placed on the surface. Thus, it can recognize a variety of shapes, text, textures, and more.
According to Microsoft, the system can be used for a variety of applications, including healthcare, retail, and more. The Redmond-based company also made available for download a Surface 2.0 SDK, which can be found on Softpedia too, via this link.