Microsoft has prototype of ‘desktop table’ with a touch screen

Microsoft has a prototype of a ‘desktop table’, a PC with a huge touchscreen on which team members can collaborate on documents. Journalists spotted the device during a visit to the Envisioning Center, where Microsoft gives its view of the future.

The Envisioning Center on Microsoft’s Redmond campus is home to several prototypes the technology giant has developed over the years. A group of journalists recently visited the Center and saw, among other things, a huge desktop table.

The Verge notes in an article that Microsoft is already trying to “push” consumers a bit toward these kinds of devices with its Surface Studio, but that the company apparently envisions a future where entire desks and workstations will be dominated by computers with giant touch screens. According to The Verge, there are other devices in the Envisioning Center that hint at how we might work with computers in the future. They can be operated via touch screens, speech and augmented reality.

Another eye-catcher in the Envisioning Center is the Surface Hub Wall; a projection technology that turns a wall into a ‘smart surface’ that is touch sensitive, thanks to a hundred touch point sensors, but also responds to a stylus and voice commands.

Photo: The Verge