Microsoft Surface 2.0 delayed to January 2012

By Tom Warren, on 12th Oct 11 3:27 pm with 24 Comments

Microsoft Surface 2

Microsoft’s Surface 2.0 multi-touch table has been pushed back to January 2012.

Microsoft originally unveiled its second generation Surface computer at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year. The new version of Surface was originally scheduled to be available before the end of the year. The Surface 2.0, built by Samsung, has been delayed to January 2012 according to ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. Samsung confirmed to Foley that the device will be made available in January 2012, later than Microsoft’s original time-lines.

The Surface 2.0 will be priced at around $7,600 and features a multicore CPU and GPU by AMD. The samsung SUR40 is made up of an AMD Athlon 2.9GHz dual core processor, 4GB RAM, 320GB HDD, AMD Radeon HD 6750 GPU and a 40-inch HD LCD display. The display at the heart of the Surface 2 allows for more than 50 points of contacts and is coated in Gorilla Glass for protection. The top part of Microsoft’s Surface 2 uses the biggest piece of gorilla glass that has ever been bonded to an LCD. Microsoft has worked hard with Samsung to ensure the product is suitable for use in locations such as night clubs, bars and food outlets. Although the unit is not “water proof”, both Samsung and Microsoft worked to create drain channels on the device for instances when liquid hits the unit. Microsoft’s Windows 7 will power the new Surface. Samsung manufactures the device in partnership with Microsoft and the new model is just 4-inches thick. Due to the new size of the Surface 2, customers have the option to mount it vertically.

The Surface 2 also responds to objects using optical tag recognition and the ability to read objects using Microsoft’s new PixelSense technology. PixelSense is a proprietary Microsoft technology developed by the company over the past few years. An infrared and optical sensor powers every display pixel and gives an LCD display the power to recognize fingers, hands and objects placed on the screen. As a result there’s over a million sensors in the device seeing what’s on the screen.

Microsoft delivered its Surface 2.0 SDK in July which features a greater Metro style design. Application developers can now target Surface and Windows 7 touch enabled PCs thanks to the fact the Surface runs an embedded version of Windows 7. For more information on the Surface 2.0, check out our hands on video from earlier this year.

  • Jinge

    I hope I will be able to play with it! The V1 was nice, this one must be awesome!

    • http://www.winrumors.com Tom W

      Having played with both, there’s a big difference given the fact it no longer has a massive project underneath :) It’s a great device, I can see this being used across a number of screens in future. Great for marketing and advertising.

    • Jinge

      I totally agree for the marketing point. This table will be – as Surface 1 was – a real inspiration for the future. If people get used to play with it, manufacturers may begin to create something similar for private usage.
      The “low point” of the V1 was the speed and screen resolution, which made it look a bit old, but I think this new version, with its specs will rock.

      The price getting down too, I think we may begin to see more shops/bars/restaurant/… buying some. Nice :)

    • James

      OK but. And it’s a big but $7.6k a piece plus the $50k minimum to create a worthwhile application.

      Still no where near the ball park when considering other well proven traditional marketing methods.

    • Jinge

      @James:disqus I would say it depends how big you are. For fastfoods like McDonalds Starbucks, clothes branded stores, supermarkets, …. you buy 1 app, and many tables, so the investment is not so high.

      The size was definitely a bad point, because you couldn’t sit under the table, neither hang it. Now the problem is solved, and it may be used in more popular places such as restaurants or coffees… 
      And if it gets more popular, some companies may create standard apps for example for restaurants, which could be customizable at low price. Always, bigger adoption, lower price.

  • Anonymous

    Windows 8 and only like $3k and ill get one

    • Deadonthefloor

      Your price point will be the target of the Windows 9 release.

  • http://www.facebook.com/noe.brito Noe Brito

    I love playing with the Surface at Disneyland!

    • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1724462076 Tim Mariner

      Where is it located in Disneyland?

  • FuzzyLogician

    I played with the first version at a MS store once and it was pretty cool.  I look forward to finding a new one to play around with.

  • http://adamhaider.com Adam Haider

    “The Surface 2.0 will be priced at around $7,600″
    Is this being offered to consumers too or just stores? I would do anything to have this as my coffee table. I could think of so many great possibilities with how this would integrate in the home. Home automation apps will be a huge market. Microsoft needs to do what they are doing with Wiindows Phone and Windows 8 by opening up for more discussion on Surface. Still not much is known.

    • Anonymous

      I think its just stores for now.

    • Anonymous

      If youre willing to pay up i doubt theyll turn you down :- )
       

    • http://twitter.com/starksimon Stark

      Best. Coffee. Table. Ever.

    • Gian Paolo Santopaolo

      Every one can buy it, directly from Samsung or from microsoft surface partners…

  • Anonymous

    This may be too expensive for consumers at the moment, but Microsoft is smart to get in early and build up their patent portfolio.  In a few years, I can see this technology being much cheaper and Microsoft will be ready to expand and grab the market.

  • Chris

    I think Microsoft should make a smaller version of this and have it as their own branded tablet with Windows 8 on it. 

    Why have a “big ass table” again? 

    • Guest

      Good call. Then they could compete against their own OEMs with world’s most expensive tablet, most of whose extra functions would be of no particular value to that set of users. You’re a regular strategic genius.

    • Chris

      Did you even read my post? I said smaller version and have it as their own branded tablet. Meaning it would be a tablet. Doesn’t mean it needs to cost $10,000.

      Did your mother drop you on your head or were you born this stupid?

  • http://www.facebook.com/thechrisferreira Chris Ferreira

    Surface is maybe the single most exciting bit of tech I have seen in a long time. The implications for content creation and the art and music scene are limitless. Architecture and design, publishing everything. Imagine how many industries could be affected by moving to tactile content creation on that scale…truly awesome.

    My mom is a fashion designer and my sister is an architect. This would blow them away. 

    • Guest

      Unfortunately, instead of licensing it widely and letting people run with it, MS is going to keep selling it direct with at most a couple hundred units going out a year. Then Apple will come along, copy most of it, say the invented it, and sell units for <$1000.

    • Deadonthefloor

      A couple hundred units a year?

      With a launch partner like the Royal Bank of Canada for Surface 2.0, I’m sure their requirements alone are for a couple hundred units a year.

      Add on Surface v1 partners and you’re easily geared to move 10,000+ units at launch.

  • http://www.facebook.com/thechrisferreira Chris Ferreira

    its unfortunate that there isnt an option to just purchase the surface itself without the components and power it with an external computer. It  would reduce cost, plus the component specs arent terribly impressive to begin with.

  • OMG55

    I can see this taking the place of traditional menus and the like thereby creating cost savings that would pay for itself. You wouldn’t have to pay printing companies to make high-end menus, if it is connected to a network order could be input directly from the surface and ported directly to the kitchen (potential reduction in staff which equates to savings), some waiter carry around little booklets to take orders ( savings there as well). So essentially, this thing could pay for itself rather quickly.