Microsoft’s Vision of the Future: Everything is Touch [Video]
Microsoft has put out this interesting concept video to demonstrate what they think the future of computing will be like. The iPad influence is clear, and in short, everything is a touch screen or tablet, complete with holograms and other things that look like they belong in a sci-fi movie. The best part? There’s none of that ugly ribbon UI either! Microsoft describes the video as follows:
Watch how future technology will help people make better use of their time, focus their attention, and strengthen relationships while getting things done at work, home, and on the go.
You have to hand it to Microsoft for thinking out of the box here. Presumably Windows 8 is the first step in this touch-everything direction of active tiles and an entirely new UI. You can get a preview of that now by installing Windows 8 in VMWare or VirtualBox right on your Mac, the developer preview is free while in beta although it’s fairly boring without a touch screen.
Looks great, but until they’re shipping real iPad competitors running an OS baked in Redmond, consider this as a purely theoretical part of the future.
Video and several screenshots are below:
[…] like Microsoft released a video for their sci-fi inspired imaginative future, Blackberry has jumped in with their own futuristic concept video, complete with plenty of touch […]
hahahahahaha. At 1:20, the station there is the hong kong mtr station that’s not even open yet.
Too bad Microsoft could never do this. Only Apple could accomplish something like this…
While Microsoft is busy hallucinating and making short movies with special effects circa 1999 Mission Impossible, Apple is actually *creating* this stuff.
It’s a neat concept, but it’s only that, a concept. Apple is shipping the future today.
Typical Microsoft: Always telling us that they’re working on great things for the future in an obvious attempt to keep us from giving up on their buggy, insecure crap of the present.
I recall some keynote a few years ago where Bill Gates described Airplay pretty well. As far as I can tell, MS is no where near this. It seems to me that MS likes to make these far reaching proposals, but they never seem to deliver on them. I’ll be the first to admit that they make some fantastic proposals. I love the ideas they propose, they just never seem to pursue them to fruition
I think this is something what should have been quoted & not MS crap:
http://www.ted.com/talks/pranav_mistry_the_thrilling_potential_of_sixthsense_technology.html
Ha ha ha, only thing I can think of is Blue Screen Of Death & Support calls ;)
They are not even ashamed of talking of future when they can’t even run present systems without problems….
Visually, it’s stunning. However, it looks a bit convoluted. So many images, tight spaces, etc.
Wait a minute.
Microsoft, from the sales guys to Balmer and Gates have said that the future is a STYLUS! Where’t the pointy stick??!? Users want to use the pointy stick, Ballmer said so!
It says produced by microsoft office, which would have less involvement with the OS team, or hardware teams. There are some interesting ideas, but is the whole world going to be covered in magic displays?
Reminds me of this apple video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bjve67p33E
The most impressive for me is that no one is talking and, except for the little girl in the kitchen, there are no eye contact between people. Makes me feel so alone. I liked the big screen on a desktop surrounding the man but it is not soft round; it could be great something like the screen on some cinemas with Panavision or something. My aftertaste with this video is sorrow and loneliness.
@Rick…you said it exactly! :)
Anyone can release a video with special effects, the difference between Microsoft and Apple is that Apple is actively shipping the future whereas Microsoft is just thinking about it.
They’ll get around to it someday of course, but for now it’s an Apple world and everyone else continues to be inspired by their creations. Steve Jobs legacy lives on!