Microsoft Courier Not Heading Into Production
4/30/2010 01:02:00 PM
kenmouse
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Here’s some remarkably bad news. It seems that the Microsoft Courier, the dual-screen digital journal with Tegra 2 inside, has been scrapped. According to the report from The Wall Street Journal, it seems that Microsoft executives informed the internal team working on the Courier that the project was no longer supported by Microsoft, and that it’s been removed from future production. Of course, Microsoft had never officially come forward and publicly announced the Courier, but we know it existed.
The Courier first broke cover at the end of last year, and since then it’s caught the love of tablet fans all over the place. The second time we got a real good look at the concept of the tablet, our interest was piqued considerably. It made it all worse when rumors broke that the dual-screen digital journal would be using Tegra 2 under the hood. Simply put, the Courier was one of the best conceptual ideas to come out of Redmond in a long time, and we’re sad to see it go.
According to Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw, Microsoft is always testing devices, building them up from concepts, and that’s exactly what the Courier was. Just a design, and at this time, Microsoft has no plans to build the Courier for a market release any time soon. Now, one would have to wonder if this has anything to do with the iPad at all, let alone the very idea of a webOS tablet. Is the competition just too much for Microsoft, that they figure staying out of the market is just a better idea? Or, is the Courier something that Microsoft built to make something better we haven’t seen yet?
What scared Microsoft into scrapping a secret tablet project?
Microsoft has reportedly pulled the plug on Courier, the folding tablet/booklet device that was reportedly in “late prototype” last fall but was never launched - or acknowledged, for that matter, according to Gizmodo. Citing “sources familiar with the matter,” the site reported that CEO Steve Ballmer informed the internal team that the project would no longer be supported.
Obviously, Microsoft isn’t giving up any details about why it pulled the plug. But Gizmodo did post a statement from the company. In a nutshell, Microsoft is always exploring and testing new products and technologies and the Courier project was one of those. While it will be “evaluated in for use in future offerings” there are no plans to build such a device right now, the company said. Gizmodo first reported on the “Secret Tablet” in September (see image).
That’s probably a good call for Microsoft, given the arrival of the iPad and the buzz around others in the works, including the HP Slate. Apple’s must-have device has put a high bar in place for tablet computing and anything below that bar was destined to be the butt of jokes. C’mon, was Microsoft really going to launch something cooler and hipper than the iPad?
It also gives Microsoft some time to sit back and watch to see how consumers and verticals - like education and health care - do and don’t like in their tablet offerings. It’s times like this when it’s important to remember that the iPod wasn’t the first mp3 player to hit the market.
I hope Microsoft is instead putting all of its “mobile” resources into the launch of Windows Phone 7. The smartphone war is in full swing, especially now that HP is ready to start putting its strength behind Palm. Apple has a huge head start with the iPhone, Google is on Apple’s tail with a lineup of Android devices and carrier partners, RIM is gearing up for a new Blackberry OS of its own and don’t forget Symbian, which is also gearing up for a later-this-year smartphone OS update.
If Microsoft wants to be a contender, it needs to hone in on getting that mobile OS released - pronto!
The Courier first broke cover at the end of last year, and since then it’s caught the love of tablet fans all over the place. The second time we got a real good look at the concept of the tablet, our interest was piqued considerably. It made it all worse when rumors broke that the dual-screen digital journal would be using Tegra 2 under the hood. Simply put, the Courier was one of the best conceptual ideas to come out of Redmond in a long time, and we’re sad to see it go.
According to Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw, Microsoft is always testing devices, building them up from concepts, and that’s exactly what the Courier was. Just a design, and at this time, Microsoft has no plans to build the Courier for a market release any time soon. Now, one would have to wonder if this has anything to do with the iPad at all, let alone the very idea of a webOS tablet. Is the competition just too much for Microsoft, that they figure staying out of the market is just a better idea? Or, is the Courier something that Microsoft built to make something better we haven’t seen yet?
What scared Microsoft into scrapping a secret tablet project?
Microsoft has reportedly pulled the plug on Courier, the folding tablet/booklet device that was reportedly in “late prototype” last fall but was never launched - or acknowledged, for that matter, according to Gizmodo. Citing “sources familiar with the matter,” the site reported that CEO Steve Ballmer informed the internal team that the project would no longer be supported.
Obviously, Microsoft isn’t giving up any details about why it pulled the plug. But Gizmodo did post a statement from the company. In a nutshell, Microsoft is always exploring and testing new products and technologies and the Courier project was one of those. While it will be “evaluated in for use in future offerings” there are no plans to build such a device right now, the company said. Gizmodo first reported on the “Secret Tablet” in September (see image).
That’s probably a good call for Microsoft, given the arrival of the iPad and the buzz around others in the works, including the HP Slate. Apple’s must-have device has put a high bar in place for tablet computing and anything below that bar was destined to be the butt of jokes. C’mon, was Microsoft really going to launch something cooler and hipper than the iPad?
It also gives Microsoft some time to sit back and watch to see how consumers and verticals - like education and health care - do and don’t like in their tablet offerings. It’s times like this when it’s important to remember that the iPod wasn’t the first mp3 player to hit the market.
I hope Microsoft is instead putting all of its “mobile” resources into the launch of Windows Phone 7. The smartphone war is in full swing, especially now that HP is ready to start putting its strength behind Palm. Apple has a huge head start with the iPhone, Google is on Apple’s tail with a lineup of Android devices and carrier partners, RIM is gearing up for a new Blackberry OS of its own and don’t forget Symbian, which is also gearing up for a later-this-year smartphone OS update.
If Microsoft wants to be a contender, it needs to hone in on getting that mobile OS released - pronto!
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