Surface Hub

[Krusnik87]

Microsoft’s giant-screen Surface Hub hits the market

 

The device, aimed for use in corporate meeting rooms, is rolling out six months later than originally planned.

The Surface Hub, Microsoft’s giant, touch-enabled screen meant for corporate meeting rooms, has started shipping to customers, about six months later than originally planned.

 

In a blog post last week announcing the shipments, Microsoft didn’t address the cause of the delay for the device, which was scheduled for September rollout.

 

The delay is the latest manufacturing hurdle for a software-focused company, which has occasionally stumbled when venturing into making its own hardware.

 

The price also rose, by $2,000, from Microsoft’s first announcement of expected availability. The 55-inch model costs $8,999, and the 84-inch variant starts at $21,999.

The Surface Hub is built in part on technology acquired in a 2012 deal to buy Perceptive Pixel, a builder of touch-screen displays that can handle more than one input at a time, a technology most famously used by CNN anchors to track election results.

 

The devices are manufactured in Wilsonville, Ore., the old home of Perceptive Pixel’s engineering team.

 

Microsoft is betting the devices, which tightly integrate Skype video and voice-conferencing services, and a whiteboardlike tool in OneNote, can replace much of the other audiovisual and conferencing technology in corporate meeting rooms.

 

The Surface Hub comes with an array of integrated light sensors, cameras, microphones and audio, visual and Internet connectivity ports.

 

As part of the pitch to justify the costly devices, Brian Hall, a general manager of devices marketing at Microsoft, cited potential cost savings for large organizations.

 

Owning the device could cut down on the need to purchase other meeting-room equipment, cut printing costs and improve sales for teams presenting to clients with the device, Hall said, touting results of a Microsoft-funded study by Forrester Consulting.

 

Sources: seattletimes.com

 

Tech specifics:

 

Operating system

Windows 10

Exterior

Dimensions: 84 – 46.12" x 86.7" x 4.15" (1171.5mm x 2202.9mm x 105.4mm),

55 – 31.75" x 59.62" x 3.38" (806.4mm x 1514.3mm x 85.8mm)

Weight: 84 – 280lbs, 55 – 105lbs

Color: Black

Physical buttons: Power, Input Select, Volume, Brightness

Storage

128GB SSD, 8GB RAM

Display

Resolution: 3840 x 2160 (84" model) and 1920 x 1080 (55" model)

Aspect ratio: 16:9,

Touch: 100-point multi-touch

Pen input

Surface Hub Pen (two included), Powered, Active, subpixel accuracy

CPU

84": 4th Generation Intel Core i7 with Nvidia Quadro K2200 Graphics

55": 4th Generation Intel Core i5 with Intel HD 4600 Graphics

Network

Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac)

Ethernet 1Gbps

Bluetooth 4.0 low energy

NFC Reader

Miracast Enabled

Cameras and A/V

Dual 1080p front-facing cameras, 100 degree Horizontal field of view

High performance, 4 element array microphone

Dual Front-facing stereo speakers

Ports

84 – (1) USB 3.0, (4) USB 2.0, Ethernet 1Gbps, DisplayPort Out, 3.5mm Stereo Out,

RS232 Serial (RJ11). Ingest: DisplayPort In, HDMI In, VGA In, 3.5mm Stereo In, (2)

USB 2.0 type B

55 – (1) USB 3.0, (2) USB 2.0, Ethernet 1Gbps, DisplayPort Out, 3.5mm Stereo Out,

RS232 Serial (RJ11). Ingest: DisplayPort In, HDMI In, VGA In, 3.5mm Stereo In, (1)

USB 2.0 type B

Sensors

 

 

source: microsoft.com