Two things. One, we’re going to need a lot of hand sanitiser if Microsoft is right about the all-touch-everything future. Two, I’m surprised how much I like Microsoft’s vision — it’s futuristic, natural and metro-y.
It’s not quite as bold as AT&T’s predictions back in 1993 because this Microsoft video focuses more on the productivity side of life (don’t worry, not everything is about computers! Hopefully there’s nature hidden somewhere). But if Microsoft is even half as accurate as AT&T was (AT&T was swinging with a .900 batting average in those ad spots), we can expect paper thin phones and tablets that merge seamlessly with the rest of our lives — car windows as AR, kitchens powered with Surface, cards to help jobs, touchboard calendars and more. The thing that amused me the most though? How there was still a physical keyboard in the video (I’m totally down with that).
Now get started Microsoft. I want this future. [YouTube via TechCrunch]
Jatallica
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:12 AMThis future world seems to involve a lot of sharing of information, which is probably OK in a hacker free world!
martyfmelb
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:39 AMI watched it, and was left with a lingering feeling of, “well, what’s the point?”. Strange, as I normally drink the future-vision kool-aid.
Matt
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:41 AMPretty cool, seems a lot more realistic then some of these other future videos.
I don’t think we’re getting rid of the keyboard any time soon, at least not until we can type with our minds.
deadnotsleeping
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:09 AMThat’s fine for all the educated people, what about the rest of the worker class?
codework
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:35 AMI believe they are the ones in sweatshops making these devices for us ??
Craig
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:19 AMHey that’s the courier … they dumped their own future ….
codework
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:33 AMI just don’t understand the fascination with transparent devices… How is it better?
And all of the edge-to-edge displays – you’d be constantly bumping active content on the borders.
And massive arm gestures might be intuitive and cool but require a lot more energy over extended periods than a push of a button.
Other than that – I love the future !!
Scott
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 10:34 AMMicrosofts future looks a lot like what Apple is almost at now
shane
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:01 AMHAHAHA… Eh????
Jon
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:22 AMLMAAOOO … o wait.. what ? fanboy troll much ?
Marcus
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 4:45 PMThe future according to apple:
http://media.thinq.co.uk/photos/lion-launchpad_big650.jpg
shane
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:01 AMI love the future – But really? In a world where most people have a windows desktop and either an iOS or Android device or combo of both, this seamless transfer of information between devices is never going to happen.
And I was so happy to see the real keyboard in there… im glad they have given up on the idea of soft keyboards
Macdave
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:13 AMI predict we’ll have a Microsoft toilet assistant pop up when taking a dump in the not too distant future.
James Mac
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 11:48 AMNeeds more robots.
Eccentric
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 12:41 PMWhere’s the Blade Runner grunge, this future is way too sterile for my taste.
G
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 1:41 PMI couldn’t watch all of this because i’m at work, but isn’t this the video MS released a year or so ago?… if not, then they already envisaged this a year or so ago and have just added to it.
Don’t turn your nose up at the folks at MS – they are full of amazing ideas and concepts and with the partnership with nokia as a starting point, perhaps they will start having a platform to actually start showing more of these ideas. They already have with WinMo 7 – so let’s see what they have to bring next :)
ps: im an android fan, with apple products, who uses pc’s with windows… so no flaming coming from me
david
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 2:32 PMI think Microsoft will kick arse in the coming years, with Steve Jobs gone and the partnership with Nokia. They already have amazing technologies like surface and kinect. Everything in the video exists in one form or another now. The only thing that is not available is the edge to edge ultrathin screens. So I don’t think the future is that far off.
Mark
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 3:21 PMquite realistic, good to see.
Fenix
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 4:20 PMThe future brings suicide doors on cars….. sweeet.
Nick
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 5:44 PMI like how it looks like Windows 8′s Metro UI, it looks rather nice and clean
Mitch Johnson
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 6:11 PMLies!!
Where’s the pr0n?? I see none! (Except a milf in the video….)
But still, in the future, we’ll be finding new and interesting uses for technology in pr0n, not this useless productive nonsense.
wes
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 6:23 PMthat guy who donated money is a cheapskate! HKD 20 is less than AUD3
Dave
Monday, October 31, 2011 at 9:40 AMPlus, in 10 years time inflation will make 20HKD even less…
Ikk
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 7:57 PMThe keyboard is not going away any time soon, right now its just easier to use then using a touch screen constantly.
The video shows the ideal future (of typing) perfectly, using a keyboard to type as its more natural, then using touch as an extension of that. Having to touch a screen constantly with your arm outstreached is tiring.
Kroo
Friday, October 28, 2011 at 8:37 PMWhile Microsoft dream about what the future will look like, others will actually be doing the heavy lifting, then Microsoft will wait 3 years and release the exact sam thing. Good thing someone at Microsoft knows how to use Adobe after effects, otherwise they couldn’t even attempt to create a dream of what the future might look like. More Microsoft PR bullshit.
Joyi
Sunday, October 30, 2011 at 5:55 PMI’m with that guy ^ Spot on!!
Dave
Monday, October 31, 2011 at 9:40 AM2021? The NBN should be half finished by then…