I think so highly of Mary-Jo Foley that I would bet she is so close to accurate that it might scare some people.
W7 W8
W7 W8
Since the first video and photo leaks went public last week of Microsofts alleged second-generation Tablet PC, tipsters have been working overtime.
Since Microsoft isnt commenting at all on Courier (the official statement is we dont comment on rumors or speculation), its tough to separate fact from fiction at this point.
But some tipsters are a little more connected than others. And one of my connected tipsters has shared some new info with me that Im posting now, given that it seems more verifiable.
I say verifiable here, not in an official sense, but based on a new Courier video clip Gizmodo posted on September 29. Gizmodos new clip shows more details about the journaling model around which Couriers user interface seems to revolve. From Gizmodos explanation:
The (Courier) journal can actually be published online, and its shown here as able to be downloaded in three formats: a Courier file, Powerpoint or PDF. Theres also a library that looks a lot like Delicious Library, where things like subscriptions, notebooks and apps, are stored.
That sure makes the Courier sound like it fits in with Microsofts uber-three screens and a cloud vision via which devices, TVs and PCs all share common cloud-based services, storage, etc.
The Courier journaling metaphor isnt so different from Microsofts OneNote note-taking app that is currently the showcase app for existing tablet PCs, my connected source said. He explained:
The concept started as a software idea on how one would really build OneNote from scratch if you could for the Tablet form factor. That then morphed into building a tablet. If you look at the most successful pocket computer today - it is still the Franklin Covey Planning Products. So, the idea was how do you create a digital planner.
My source also claimed that the operating system underneath Courier is at least currently Windows 7. (Thats not as crazy as it might seem, given that the OS underlying Microsofts Surface is Vista and Windows 7 is touch-enabled.)
You cant install Windows 7 apps on Courier, the source said, and thats intentional.
The original Microsoft Tablets failed because the applications were not tailored to a tablet form factor - that is, Word still had toolbars and menus and scollbars. So, a tablet needs to be like an iPhone - a UX that is specific for the form factor, the source said.
My source said that Courier is an incubation project, meaning its further along than a Microsoft Research project, but still not in the commercialization pipeline. That said, he heard the delivery goal is mid-2010. That seems pretty darn ambitious to me, but he also said Microsoft is currently leaning toward using the Xbox model in other words, making the device itself, and not relying on its current Tablet partners so that could speed things up a bit.
I cant verify any of what my source has told me. But I figured Id put it out there, as it jibes with what Gizmodo has unearthed.
Whats your take? Is the Courier protoype were hearing and seeing bits and pieces about something you could see having wider appeal than the current generation of Tablets?
source:zdnet