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Would you pay $1,499 for the Microsoft 'Oahu' Surface table?

By | October 14, 2008, 7:04am PDT

Microsoft has been dangling the possibility of a smaller, more consumer-centric version of its Surface multi-touch tabletop computer for the past few months. Now that form factor has a codename: Oahu.

Long Zheng of istartedsomething.com has more details on Oahu, which he has gleaned from a Microsoft marketing survey evaluating interest in a more affordable, smaller, home-oriented Surface. As Zheng notes the survey asked participants about a few different “forms” of Oahu — a table for meals, a counter top or games table.

The survey questions whether users would be willing to spend $1,499 for a Surface games table or casual table.

As Zheng notes, Oahu, “besides being the name of the Hawaiian island - home to Honolulu, Pearl Harbour and Lost, it is indirectly translated as ‘The Gathering Place.’”

No word on when Oahu test trials may begin or when a final product may hit. But Microsoft is set to talk about its Surface software development kit at the Professional Developers Conference in two weeks….

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Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

Disclosure

Mary-Jo Foley

Freelance journalist/blogger Mary Jo Foley has nothing to disclose. WYSIWYG (what you see is what you get). I do not own Microsoft stock or stock in any of its partners or competitors. I have no business ventures that are sponsored by/funded by Microsoft or any of its partners or competitors.

Biography

Mary-Jo Foley

Mary Jo Foley has covered the tech industry for 25 years for a variety of publications, including ZDNet, eWeek and Baseline. She has kept close tabs on Microsoft strategy, products and technologies for the past 10 years. In the late 1990s, she penned the award-winning "At The Evil Empire" column for ZDNet, and more recently the Microsoft Watch blog for Ziff Davis.

Got a tip? Send her an email with your rants, rumors, tips and tattles. Confidentiality guaranteed.

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RE: Would you pay $1,499 for the Microsoft 'Oahu' Surface table?
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Off course >: )
timiteh 14th Oct 2008
Yes i would especially if it comes with Windows 7 and has quite a bigger than 22" and Full HD screen.
Seriously it is not everyday that Microsoft release an innovative and exciting consumer product.
I think an interactive D&D table would be awesome...
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OMG!
GORGUTS 15th Oct 2008
You nailed it. When I was a kid I played D&D and my friends and I loved it. But we only had a fold out map and our imaginations. Without taking too much away from imagination, you could also have at the touch of a button, player stats, game notes, dice rolls, creature info, 3D dungeon mapping, games over IP with other friends in different areas with video & Audio. This could be huge.
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Oh no...
skatersev 15th Oct 2008
I don't want to get back into D&D!
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Yes. Heck, I have seen plain wooden tables
GuidingLight Updated - 14th Oct 2008
sell for the same price, if not more.
Why not a 1,500 table that you could interact with?
0 Votes
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I hear having it embedded either on a table or on a wall that
FINALLY those Hi-Resolution graphics will jump-out at the
viewer user. All thanks to the protruding fiber-optic pixels
that, together in semi-unison fashion, form the mechanical
translations of the physics behind the screen plain.
0 Votes
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...
I can't imagine my dining room table, coffee table or my desk having one of these. Talk about a neck cramp if you use it for a moderate use computer replacement. So, basicly any type of horizontal surface would be an emphatic NO. Horizontal surfaces might be fine for casula usage in restaurants, hotels, casinos and game rooms, but I can't imagine serving dinner on it or if it was a coffee table type, putting my feet up on it. A vertical configuration might be fun at the right price. How about the refrigerator? Calendar, grocery list, family notes, etc? Maybe in combination with the bathroom mirror so you can surf/read at the same time while shaving, brushing your teach, fixing your hair, etc. I'm happy for eveyone interested in the horizontal config at home and I'd be happy to come over and enjoy yours. But, I would be unable to come up with any horizontal config that makes any decorating sense if you don't have a dedicated bar area in your house (which I don't).
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Ergonomics matter
ThePrairiePrankster Updated - 14th Oct 2008
Form factors are important, the form factor of this device if adopted widely, will be a sure source of additional patients for chiropractors and physical therapists. The neck and shoulder strain caused by prolonged use of this type of horizontal is an ergonomic disaster.

I like the idea for a vertical touch screen very much, but for limited use.

Surface computing is interesting, but this table concept while cool at first glance, will lead to poor neck and back health for those who use it more than casually.
0 Votes
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Really?
GORGUTS 15th Oct 2008
Libraries have been using horizontal desks to read on for, well, since the first library. When I put my phone down on a table and key through the menu's, it's horizontal. When I write a note on a pad of paper, it's horizontal. I think this device is geared for the casual user. Not someone that's going to plant themselves on it for hours on end. Unless it's for a specific app. Boardgames, architecture, and that sort of thing.
Food for thought? Would you have a bumper pool table in your house that double duties as a dining room table? If yes, then you are probably a shoe-in for this. I think most of us with decorating sense would like to keep our furniture classy.
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Have some imagination...
SMFX_ 14th Oct 2008
Okay, if you're thinking about the old arcade style monstrosities or tall pool-hall style tables. You're right, they'd be an eye sore. Or if it were a whole coffee table, it'd be too easily damaged.

However, if you look at the drawing on the site, its small enough it could be inset into a larger structure. There have been many stylish coffee tables and other tables that have glass tops that were relatively sensitive too. You could easily put one of these into a stylish wooden coffee table that might often be found as a display case or other glass top. It's also small enough you could easily put 2 or 3 within a standard configuration and have a mini-network.

To simply discount it because your mental image of computer furniture is stuck in 1985 is a little short sighted.

However, its entirely probably Microsoft will fail to make it stylish and it will fail misrabley, Jobs will identify their mistake a year or two later, and come out with an iTable with simplicity design that will be all the rage with the apple logo on it.

-SMFX
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Contributr
No.

'nuf said.

Chris Dawson
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Very.... concise
SMFX_ Updated - 14th Oct 2008
Glad to see you didn't just go too in-depth and just run on regardless, Mr. Dawson.

However, honestly, have a discussion on it. $1,500 is definitely steep for a stationary laptop (which is what this ends up being). Is it the price that's the obstacle? The Micro$oft centricity? Or just the idea of having a computer in future is ludicrous? Like to hear other's ideas as well.

-SMFX
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Maybe if it extends mobile devices
odenni 14th Oct 2008
You've seen the demos where they drop a phone or camera onto the surface and extend the device's capabilities and UI with the table. I'm guessing this is going to become more and more common, perhaps assisted by Live Mesh, or maybe not, and definitely will be imitated by competitors, especially Apple.
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no, no
Paul Fletcher 16th Oct 2008
Apple did it first happy
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Poker and Blackjack
windows4ever 14th Oct 2008
Surface will be great for table games. Don't rule it out.
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What's the OS??
archetuthus 14th Oct 2008
Is there any other question?
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I see your point
Paul Fletcher 16th Oct 2008
If it is Linux based it will half-ass finished and kernel updates each week
If it is OSX it will only work with iTunes and Quacktime....

...your point was??
Yesterday I was help my kid with his reading using flash cards and wondering if there was a touch screen (surface/otherwise maybe windows 7) it would have been cool.

I find a lot of value with affordable touch screens espicially schools and workplaces.

I would defnitely consider one for my home. It would be better if it could accomodate to be placed in any direction. Horizontal/Tilt/Vertical/Long side/Short side!! so that I could use it as a TV or a Table happy
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no.
CobraA1 14th Oct 2008
A $1499 table that will probably be scratched, banged up, and even broken within the first month?

No.
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Anyone who could afford one...
6T9ura$$0ff 15th Oct 2008
would probably have the sense to take care of it and not let the kids skateboard over it or throw their beer bottles at it...

Personally, I think it's a great idea...but the table top should be able to be tilted or raised when desired and it should be compatible with gaming systems and high end video.
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Doesn't make sense for home, but...
nix_hed 14th Oct 2008
...think about how cool it would be as an arcade machine.
You can take games that either are already out with touch
interfaces or take games that would make sense with a touch
interface and put them into a single machine you can enjoy a
couple of brews and some pizza on at the same time.
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Why?
DvT-Hex 14th Oct 2008
I cannot think of a single use for such a device.
Yes! 30" Minimum, Highly ajustable for use at different angles. Great in Home Theater / Gaming / Bar / and collaboration environments. Hope it works with any OS, but I suspect it won't.
If the developers come up with some apps for it, it could be amazing. Perhaps even develop some interfaces for the Wii, PS3, 360. I can picture some cool ways to utilize something like this. Maybe a killer movie or photo editor.
Yes. Why not? People pay more than that to install small DVD players and PC screens all over the house...

Make it tilt or raise and compatible with gaming and video systems and I'd buy it.
Only if:
- it ran Linux.
- the touch screen could be separated from the PC.
- it had all sorts of extra I/O capabilities.
- had full tech documentation.
Lets see ..
Stock market is tanking. People are losing jobs / houses / retirement savings. Can't afford to send the kids to college. It's looking like another depression is upon us. Might as well go out in style. Of course I will buy one. Maybe two.
The problem is that the question is so hypothetical.

What size display? 14"? 42"?
What resolution display? 800x600? 3840x2400?
What graphics performance? Updating the OS at 15fps?
3D polygons at 120fps?
What processor? Celeron 1.2GHz? Core 2 Quad 3.2GHz?
How much memory? 512MB? 8GB?

For $1500, it should have a 24" display at 1920x1200
60fps, Core 2 Duo 3GHz, 2GB RAM, 1TB hard drive, BD-
ROM, digital audio, and graphics and audio subsystems
capable of handling video at 1920x1200x60fps. If this
doesn't come out for another two years, the specs will
need to be much higher at the same price.

Proper working will be more important. Will it
actually track - and correctly process - eight hands
at a time? And a full set of 32 game playing pieces,
say, a chess set, with some sort of codes on the
bottoms of the pieces? (Or D&D figurines, whatever. I
prefer HeroClix.)

Is it fragile? About the same as your typical $200
glass-top table. That also should be given proper care
to avoid scratches. No boots on the glass table, no
drink glasses without coasters, etc.
0 Votes
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