Microsoft’s Surface Hub Gets Delayed Again
Giant displays also receive a cheeky price hike ahead of launch next year
Microsoft’s aim to revolutionise office meetings might have to wait a while longer after it was reported that the company’s Surface Hub displays have been delayed again.
According to reports, the units, which were originally set to ship on January 1, have now been pushed back to sometime within the first three months of 2016.
And the product is also getting a price rise, with ZDNet reporting that the 55-inch and 84-inch screens will now cost $8,999 and $21,999 respectively in the US, meaning a $2,000 hike each, although it’s not yet known if the rise will also impact the UK.
Costly Surface Hub
“We are still on track to ship the first Surface Hub devices to customers early next year,” a Microsoft spokesperson told TechWeekEurope.
“We are excited about the impact this new category of device will have on transforming how people collaborate at work. It’s an ambitious goal and we want to make sure we are taking the right steps to build a successful business that will drive this new category forward.”
Microsoft added that the rise will not apply to customers who have pre-ordered the Surface Hub, which will stay at the original price, but new orders will have to pay more.
First announced back in January, the Surface Hub is a large screen whiteboard style device that runs a customised version of Windows 10 and is intended to replace traditional whiteboards in schools and offices.
The 55-inch and 84-inch versions were originally set to be shipped on September 1, but following a strong response to pre-orders, this date was then pushed back to January 2016, with UK prices set at £5,709 for the 55-inch edition and £16,269 for the 84-inch version.
The collaborative Surface Hub can detect 100 points of multitouch and up to three simultaneous pen inputs. It has dual 1080p front-facing video cameras, and a four-element microphone array that detects and follows voices to eliminate background noise during videoconferencing sessions.
There is also built-in Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC and a variety of ports for easy wired and wireless connectivity options, allowing devices to share content to the screen.
The product will also be a key part of getting Microsoft’s range of Windows 10 software into new environments, as part of the company’s drive to get it installed on a billion devices.
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