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posted by martyb on Tuesday September 25 2018, @01:42AM   Printer-friendly
from the sounds-kinda-'flat' dept.

Microsoft plans to release a 50-inch version of Surface Hub in 2019 that can be upgraded the following year by using a removable "processor cartridge":

Microsoft is unveiling hardware changes to its Surface Hub 2 today. The software giant first unveiled its 50-inch display earlier this year, with a promise of a 2019 release. While the hardware will now be released in Q2 of 2019, many of the cool new software features will require a hardware and software update set to launch in 2020.

Microsoft is planning to use removable processor cartridges in its Surface Hub 2S product that launches next year, and users will be able to purchase an upgrade cartridge to the Surface Hub 2X in 2020. The cartridges slot into the back of the Surface Hub 2 hardware and can be upgraded or serviced. Microsoft's hardware upgrades sound similar to Samsung's previous efforts with smart TVs that you could upgrade each year with an "evolution kit" that updated the processor.

Also at Ars Technica, Engadget, and The Register.


Original Submission

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Microsoft Announces Surface Hub 2: One (50.5-Inch) Size Fits All 10 comments

Microsoft's Surface Hub 2 is designed for an office of the future

Microsoft is unveiling the next-generation of its giant conference room displays today: Surface Hub 2. While the original Surface Hub shipped in 2016 with 1080p 55-inch and 4K 84-inch options, the Surface Hub 2 will use a 50.5-inch display with a greater than 4K resolution and 3:2 aspect ratio with extremely thin bezels. That's the same ratio as all other Surface products, and Microsoft has clearly picked this to compliment the fact its giant display now rotates to a portrait position.

[...] While it's still based on Windows 10, Microsoft is working on a new dynamic collaboration scenario that will allow multiple people to walk up to the Surface Hub 2, log into the device using the built-in fingerprint reader and then each pull their own work into a single collaborative document. Most of the software will be optimized for Microsoft Teams, and far-field microphones and 4K cameras will allow you to make video calls in portrait mode that make it feel like you're standing next to a colleague.

[...] Microsoft says pricing will be in line with similar competitive devices, which could mean we'll see a more aggressive price point to counter Google's own digital whiteboard. Microsoft has already sold Surface Hubs to more than 5,000 businesses in 25 countries. More than half of Fortune 100 companies already own a Surface Hub, and it's the most popular Surface device for enterprise customers. By simplifying to a single display size (50.5-inch) with the Surface Hub 2, the hardware should be easier to manufacture. Microsoft has struggled to manufacture Surface Hub devices to meet demand, and the company closed its US manufacturing plant last year, presumably to cut costs and speed up production elsewhere.

Related: Google's "Jamboard" Takes on the Giant Touchscreen Workplace Niche


Original Submission

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  • (Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:22AM (2 children)

    by PartTimeZombie (4827) on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:22AM (#739499)

    I have been involved in the purchase of many of these "collaboration" type meeting aid devices, and they look fantastic at first glance but hardly ever get any use.

    Only a couple of months ago I threw away a "Smartboard" that cost ~$14,000 10 years or so ago, and has been used exactly zero times in the five years I have been here.

    Also, removable processor cartridges won't be like adding RAM or a new SSD to your laptop. They will be expensive as hell, and won't be available at all just when you really need one. The link to the Samsung "evolution kit" proves me right.

    • (Score: 2) by richtopia on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:41AM (1 child)

      by richtopia (3160) on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:41AM (#739525) Homepage Journal

      I agree on the price. If Microsoft were to release an open design on the upgrade kit perhaps competition could make the price reasonable, but I know better. I mean, the company is named Micro-Soft for crying out loud! Obviously because they manufacture both microprocessors and software for said microprocessors. Or something like that.

      • (Score: 2) by c0lo on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:53AM

        by c0lo (156) Subscriber Badge on Tuesday September 25 2018, @03:53AM (#739532) Journal

        If Microsoft were to release an open design on the upgrade kit perhaps competition could make the price reasonable

        You make it sound like you think Microsoft wants lower prices and competition on one of their own products.

        --
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0 https://soylentnews.org/~MichaelDavidCrawford
  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by MostCynical on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:57AM

    by MostCynical (2589) on Tuesday September 25 2018, @02:57AM (#739512) Journal

    so, microsoft have already designed and built the next model, realised this model is too expensive, but, rather than lower the price, have de-specc'd it, so the new/upgrade/better bits can be built alongside, and Capex decisions can be made with "guaranteed three year+" support included in the business case.

    (Note, the upgrade module could even squeak into the Opex budget, next year, or the year after)

    --
    "I guess once you start doubting, there's no end to it." -Batou, Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex
  • (Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @07:12AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday September 25 2018, @07:12AM (#739581)

    The cartridges slot into the back of the Surface Hub 2 hardware and can be upgraded or serviced.

    Inserted into the back, and serviced? OMB! Micro$oft rape as a service! God save us all! Will not some one put an end to this ass-raping quasi-monopoly? Please! It will be like that dude in the hold of the Exxon Valdez in "Waterworld", when Kevin drops the flare: "Thank God!"

  • (Score: 3, Interesting) by black6host on Tuesday September 25 2018, @12:00PM

    by black6host (3827) on Tuesday September 25 2018, @12:00PM (#739629) Journal

    This reminds me of the old Pentium IIs with its cartridge based form factor. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pentium_II [wikipedia.org] Used to have an old Micron server running Novell and the chip crapped out on me. Well, all the desktops were PIIs so I just pulled out a cartridge from an unused machine, put it in the server and the network was back up and running in 15 minutes. Sure the replacement cartridge was a little slower but no one could tell the difference as the disks were the bottleneck on the server.

    Easiest critical repair I've ever done.

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