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Microsoft Surface spreads to Europe and Middle East

IT Industry - Strategy

Microsoft's Surface table computer has broken out of North America and is now available in 12 countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Surface is Microsoft's tabletop system allowing one or more people to interact with virtual objects.

It can also respond to physical objects being placed on the display.

Marketed initially in the US and Canada for hospitality and retail applications, Surface is now being sold in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Qatar, Spain, Sweden, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

Microsoft has also announced new partners that will take the platform into new vertical markets.

They include Avanade (banking and finance),  Infusion Development (finance, healthcare, and government), InterKnowlogy (healthcare, travel and tourism, government, manufacturing), IntuiLab (public sector, banking, and media), Razorfish (automotive, banking and finance, and telecommunications), and Vectorform (automotive, education, and finance).

The Surface partner program now covers more than 120 organisations in 11 countries.