Microsoft Surface slips into Australia

Beverley Head
Tuesday, 09 February 2010 12:10

IT Industry - Market

ANZ, Curtin University and Lonely Planet are among the early enterprise adopters of Microsoft Surface which the company officially released in Australia today – the 19th country in the world to get Surface after its May 2007 announcement.

Surface, which features a coffee table sized screen with 50 touch points, allows a wide number of users to interact using the screen. Depending on the application users of the table can collaborate and access, share or collect information.

Cameras under the screen collect images of objects placed on the Surface and integrate the image with applications.

According to Microsoft Australia managing director Tracey Fellows; “This represents and fundamental shift in how we think about and use technology.”

With local entry level prices of developer units for $24,500 plus GST and the commercial units priced at $21,000 each, it might also require a shift in the way organisations are prepared to pay for technology. 

Internationally organisations including Barclays Bank, Emirates, Vodafone and Sheraton have been using the Surface while closer to home ANZ, Lonely Planet and Curtin University are among the early adopters. According to Robbie Bach, Microsoft’s president of entertainment and devices, early enterprise applications hinge around; “Helping business server their customers and manage costs,” although there are also a range of education and consumer applications anticipated for the system.

Kim Wisniewski, system engineer for future technology at West Australia’s Curtin University, said that the institution was interested in exploring how Surface could be used to; “push the student experience to a new level.”