Summary: Vapourware is all that Microsoft has to show when it comes to hardware ideas; in terms of actual products, Microsoft lags behind the competition

MICROSOFT is a major failure in hardware [1, 2], with the exception of mice and keyboards which it stamps with its logo.

One example of a huge failure, commercially (except KIN [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7], which is a failure that's hard to beat), is the Surface. Microsoft can make negative reviews vanish if it wants to, but from a business perspective, there is no need for any reviews to show that this product was a money sink. It's self evident. Microsoft is not quite so sure what to even do with that thing. Now it may want to make a hugely expensive game controller out of it.

Microsoft Surface Used as a Big Games Controller

[...]

While it's not a perfect solution since your hands are still covering screen real estate, it's still a fascinating exercise that could point to how we someday may play hardcore games.

How about using a functional computer as a paperweight? This makes no sense.

“It's a face-saving exercise where they pull something out of the garage to show they can "innovate", in theory.”Surface has been just an experiment, but it wasn't supposed to be that way. Microsoft was about to cancel the project before it came out and this week it become nothing but vapourware for an unsuitable market [1, 2, 3, 4]. There are almost no programs designed for it (Vista Phone 7 has the same problem), so people can only praise the little that exists [1, 2]. The Surface has had no mention in the press almost at all for about a year, so now they do some demos and make empty promises for PR reasons. It's a face-saving exercise where they pull something out of the garage to show they can "innovate", in theory.

One wonders if it's "three years too late" because they have an oversized dud which nobody remembers even exists. Vapourware is all they have left against Linux and Apple (hypePad). It's a sign of changes to come. Speaking of vapourware, mind the recent discussion below. ⬆

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Chips_B_Malroy	Notice the lack of articles on windows 8 vaporware.  I would suggest that MS learned not to sour the Xmas buying season with promo's of something newer.	Sep 20 05:10
Chips_B_Malroy	http://news.softpedia.com/news/Actually-Windows-8-in-2012-and-Office-15-in-2014-Makes-Sense-153933.shtml	Sep 20 05:10
TechrightsBot-tr	Title: Actually, Windows 8 in 2012 and Office 15 in 2014 Make Sense - Softpedia .::. Size~: 48.34 KB	Sep 20 05:10
Chips_B_Malroy	"Considering that confirmation of the fact that the Windows 8 project had been kicked off dropped in early 2009, ahead of the RTM of Windows 7, the next major iteration of the Windows client could hit RTM by mid-2012."	Sep 20 05:11
Chips_B_Malroy	So really, with only a year and a half to go, why would businesses upgrade to 7?	Sep 20 05:12
Chips_B_Malroy	that is if they go with windows	Sep 20 05:12
Chips_B_Malroy	almost halfway to another endless windows upgrade cycle for more pain for windows users	Sep 20 05:13
cubevector	yes	Sep 20 05:14
cubevector	it really is an upgrade treadmill	Sep 20 05:14
Chips_B_Malroy	it important to remind windows users that they only rent the software and have to pay for upgrades	Sep 20 05:15
Chips_B_Malroy	that it might break a lot of their software and not have drivers for older hardware as well	Sep 20 05:16
Chips_B_Malroy	and like Vista, it might be full of bugs/bloat/drm and just plain slow	Sep 20 05:17