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History
The technology behind Surface is called Multi-touch. It has at least a 25-year
history, beginning in 1982, with pioneering work being done at the University of
Toronto (multi-touch tablets) and Bell Labs (multi-touch screens). The product
idea for Surface was initially conceptualized in 2001 by Steven Bathiche of
Microsoft Hardware and Andy Wilson of Microsoft Research. In October 2001, a
virtual team was formed with Bathiche and Wilson as key members, to bring the
idea to the next stage of development.
In 2003, the team presented the idea to the Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, in a
group review. Later, the virtual team was expanded and a prototype nicknamed T1
was produced within a month. The prototype was based on an IKEA table with a
hole cut in the top and a sheet of architect vellum used as a diffuser. The team
also developed some applications, including pinball, a photo browser and a video
puzzle. Over the next year, Microsoft built more than 85 early prototypes for
Surface. The final hardware design was finalized in 2005.
A version of the device was used in the 2005 Science Fiction movie The Island,
which was used by Sean Bean's character "Merrick". As noted in the DVD
commentary, the director Michael Bay stated the concept of the device came from
consultation with Microsoft during the making of the movie.
Surface was unveiled by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on May 29, 2007 at The Wall
Street Journal's D: All Things Digital conference in Carlsbad, California.
Surface Computing is part of Microsoft's Productivity and Extended Consumer
Experiences Group, which is within the Entertainment & Devices division. The
first few companies to deploy Surface will include Harrah's Entertainment,
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, T-Mobile and a distributor, International
Game Technology.
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