14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft introduced what it referred to as a new product category at the end of May, 2007, and revealed that it planned for Surface to be made available by business customers by the end of the past year. However, the complexity of tailoring custom applications to Microsoft's tabletop computer meant that the Redmond company and its partners had to postpone the delivery of the surface computing solutions until the first quarter of 2008. But even if it took the company a tad longer than initially estimated, Microsoft revealed that AT&T would be its first customer to deliver Surface computers to the public.
"We are thrilled to bring this groundbreaking new technology to our stores so we can introduce customers to their mobile worlds in a very personal and easy way. We look forward to working with Microsoft to continue developing new ways for our customers to learn about the ever-growing lineup of mobile devices and applications," revealed Ralph de la Vega, president and CEO, AT&T Mobility.
Microsoft Surface will hit the AT&T retail stores beginning with April 1, 2008, but obviously it will not be available for purchase. Surface will instead be used to simply enrich and enhance the mobile shopping experience. AT&T customers will be able to take advantage of the touch, gestures and object recognition of the surface computers in order to explore the mobile device offerings at their disposal. In the end, Microsoft and AT&T plan to deploy Surface in no less than 2,200 retail stores in the U.S.
Microsoft Surface runs with the latest Windows client at its core. The 30-inch table-like display featuring Windows Vista is an example of a new direction of development at Microsoft focused on user interaction. Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates has emphasized repeatedly the need to supplement traditional models of interaction between people and technology with natural user interfaces.
"Microsoft Surface transforms the retail environment from a transaction destination to a customer engagement destination. With innovative and intuitive ways of accessing information and digital content on Microsoft Surface, consumers now have an entirely new, unique and personalized shopping experience. We're excited to have AT&T bring this to life and be the first company showcasing Surface in its retail locations," stated Robbie Bach, president, Entertainment & Devices Division, Microsoft.