The map application they keep showing looks just like Mac OS X. I was shocked. The concept of puting your PDA on the table and dragging files to it is pretty cool. I don’t see a “killer app” here. I went through the MS site last night and I kep seeing the same stuff. How useful is moving pictures around on a virtual light table? Now if I could edit the picture or a group of pictures or create something new with my content, that would be nifty.

Also, if you see the big-screen demo with the two guys working in concert, there’s an amazing amount of data being moved. I’m not seeing anything like that on the light tables. In fact, the product demos looked laggy and had low frame rates.

If Apple comes out with a similar tech like some people are rumouring, I expect something more complete than this tech demo. That’s what I see here, a tech demo, not a complete product. It seems rushed. So Microsoft.

The idea of manipulating data in this way seems very powerful. It would make move files around my computer much easier and could make photo manipulation much easier as well. I hope it matures quickly.

First of all . . . this looks very cool. Clearly the videos are not going to show off the entire feature set. It’s a short video—why waste time showing something as mundane as sliding around brightness/contrast sliders to enchance some photos when you have stuff that is much cooler like dragging files to devices, dragging foods to credit cards, etc. Rest assured, you’ll be able to manipulate your photos. I can already do it on my TabletPC. Swap the stylus for a finger and you’re set.

In regards to the copycat comments — Cupertino’s photocopiers are just faster than Redmond’s. You can find real live versions of interfaces nearly identical to the iPhone and Surface already.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKh1Rv0PlOQ (the iPhone’s “pinch” gesture isn’t so innovative after all)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0h-RhyopUmc (very similar to what you see in the MS Surface demo with regards to tables interacting with the objects placed on them)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M0ODskdEPnQ (a tablet interface that I think is pretty cool)

But really there’s nothing to balk at or be “shocked” about here. This is how technology moves forward. We don’t ridicule all cars as photocopies of the Model T or all vaccines as ripoffs of the smallpox vaccine. I’m happy to see good ideas spread and not be overly concerned with who thought of what before the other guy.

I want one of those as my monitor… If Apple does one of these I hope that they let you run Photoshop on it.

gimme a break on the “copying mac” nonsense… it’s so old. jeff han intro’d this almost two years ago, and you think that they’re copying apple? all i could think of when i first saw the iphone was “god, i hope han’s getting handsomely rewarded.” that was the real innovation. as for everyone else, it’s just about dissemination. i don’t mean to bitch and moan about the apple/microsoft debate, but this is particularly egregious.

Wow, for once, I agree with everyone’s comments. Wait a minute, I see Smash replied, so never mind. I wouldn’t object to one of these in my house, but I’ll wait for a small price drop.

The networking device to device functions are timesaving, the rest isn’t.
Time to buy Windex /glass cleaner disinfectant stock :)