Remember the “Big-Ass Table,” which first surfaced nearly seven years ago? Even if not, chances are that you’ve seen them before. CNN has one it dubs the “Magic Wall,” while Fox News recently unveiled 55-inch touschcreens of its own. Though Microsoft officials haven’t said a whole lot about its Perceptive Pixel (PPI) displays, the large touchscreen display that can stretch up to 82 inches in size, it appears that it may soon get more visibility in the company’s product line-up.
(Source: TechCrunch)
Speaking at Microsoft’s Australia Partner Conference, Executive Vice President of Devices Stephen Elop says the company is gearing up to “mass produce” its PPI displays. The reports indicate Microsoft wants to work these displays into the rest of the Windows ecosystem to make it as useful as any of their PCs or tablets — some of which are powered by Atmel microcontrollers — especially in collaborative scenarios.
“Microsoft’s intention to mass-produce the hardware means that it will sell touch-based screens of all sizes. With its Nokia hardware purchase, Microsoft sells touchscreens that are best suited for your pocket. With Surface, touchscreens that fit best inside your backpack. And with PPI displays, touchscreens that can only fit on a huge slab of open wall,” writes TechCrunch’s Alex Wilhelm.
Microsoft has not elaborated upon price at this phase, only noting that costs are dropping, but at the moment a 55-inch model is likely to set you back in the ballpark of $7,000, according to TechCrunch’s report.
Regardless, it looks like we’re not too far away from the generational shift of homes outfitted with gigantic touch-enabled, Minority Report-like displays.
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