Microsoft's New Surface Computer

A lot of people in the computing community tend to undermine Microsoft, often saying that Microsoft has done nothing of note and exists mostly by copying or living off of other people's ideas. Although they have a point, in that MS is famous for taking other people's ideas; they also miss the point that MS is great at marketing products (even if it is through aggressive brand placement and tie-ups - everybody major business does it, including Mr. Steve "Fashionable" "Apple" Jobs) and also developing them further. From time to time, Microsoft has also come up with good ideas (which in time others have followed). It can be argued that those ideas were in fact taken from other smaller companies etc which they bought out, but that would also be true of Apple or any other competitor.

The latest offering from Microsoft is the amazing new surface computer. Here is a youtube video showinf what it's capable of (in typical MS fashion there is at least the one blemish :) ) -




Here are some links to find out more about it:
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/05/29/microsoft-announces-surface-computer/

Certainly looks like the future of computing, especially for Artists, Designers, Engineers and the like. The Tablet PC (another concept popularized by MS) helps to some extent and this is the logical next step. We are probably a few years away from a feasible and affordable variant though. But this is promising. After a long time, something in the Computer world that excites me.

Sidenote: A lot of people exist in that Mac vs. Windows debate - but it is really a useless debate - because after all the fight over who came up with what is pretty pointless since most personal computer (and I include Macs in that category) ideas originated at that fantastic R&D center known as Xerox PARC. Of course, people outside of the Computing industry are unaware of this and that's ok, but what surprises me is how easily they are willing to fight for their respective loyalties and also how a lot of people who are from a Computing background are unaware of this.

The real debate is Windows vs. Linux or to be exact proprietary vs. free, but that debate is out of the scope of this post. Suffice to say, that in the honest opinion of anyone who deals with computers and loves them the answer is simple: It's all good.

Whether Microsoft or Apple should be stopped from doing the things they do is part of bigger question, that of Capitalism and what is acceptable there. The rich always persecute the poor, and that is unacceptable.

But consider this: that the Gates foundation is the largest Independent Charity Organization in the World. Where would that be without Microsoft?