Microsoft wants to bring Surface home sooner
When people get a chance to try out Microsoft's Surface touch-screen tabletop computer, they often wish they could take one home.
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Monday that the company is trying to speed up that process after getting a lot of demand for a consumer version.
Mark Bolger, director of marketing for Microsoft's surface-computing effort, shows off the company's new touchscreen tabletop PC last May. The company is still working to ship the product.
(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)When Microsoft announced its plans for Surface last spring, the stated plan was to bring the technology to consumers eventually, but the company warned that it could be five years before a version of the products would be on shelves at the local Best Buy.
But the company got a lot of pushback on that timing, Ballmer said.
"We're going to follow our nose," Ballmer said, indicating that Microsoft hopes to shorten the gap before a consumer version is available.
That said, at the moment, Microsoft still has its hands full trying to ship the first machines to its handful of early customers: folks in the hotel, casino and retail businesses. The tech giant had hoped to start having models up and running for those customers by the end of last year, but now is aiming to do so by spring.
During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina. 
- Does microsoft finally understand.....
- by HDTV_001 February 4, 2008 3:09 PM PST
- Hope that this article has solid ground.<br /><br />But from past experience i doubt that Microsoft will be able to come out with a working product soon (mean less than three year).<br /><br />The last attemps i could see is Vista . They pass nearly five years with around 2 million beta testors.<br /><br />Final product was fairly enough. What is frustrating is to see independant developper create workaround.<br /><br />Exemple!! Indexing search engine. X1 and Copernic seem to have a far better product than windows desktop search.<br /><br />The culture of the entreprise does not seem oriented toward developping product.<br /><br />With hundred of billion$ revenue, thousans developpers we saw no real evelution in their product. I would bet that if the R&D department open their door we could see thousand of interesting productd sleeping on shelf.<br /><br />Why? or How come....<br /><br /><br />I might have surface sooner if i purchase a tablet pc with touch capability.<br /><br />Please microsoft jump over the evolution of your product and go to revolution mode. You have the budget, you have the people they have the experience<br /><br />P.S. In resume stop developping horizontally the company and concentrate on product vertically so we will get product with depther function.
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