{"id":1769,"date":"2012-05-17T05:00:46","date_gmt":"2012-05-17T12:00:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/?p=1769"},"modified":"2020-12-24T00:26:01","modified_gmt":"2020-12-24T08:26:01","slug":"tabletop-computing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.yardi.com\/blog\/tabletop-computing\/","title":{"rendered":"Tabletop Computing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Has it really already been two years since Microsoft debuted their innovative Surface tabletop computer? That’s a trick question \u2013 it’s actually been five years, a veritable eternity in the lifetime of any consumer computing product. Surface was supposed to be the first shot of a revolution in business and game computing, the vanguard of a bold new enterprise technology.<\/p>\n

How did that work out?<\/p>\n

Microsoft introduced Surface in May 2007 and the first units shipped a year later. Opportunities to view this curious creature in the wild have been vanishingly rare. Harrah’s picked one up for the bar at their Rio Casino in Las Vegas; Disneyland added one to their Tomorrowland exhibit; Sheraton put units in the lobby of five of their hotels worldwide; MSNBC used a Surface on-air during their 2008 election coverage. But they haven’t reached the mainstream business market<\/a> anticipated by Bill Gates when he forecast a five year time frame for product roll out.<\/p>\n

\"Surface<\/p>\n

After Surface, there were several attempts by various manufacturers to turn tabletop computing into a viable technology, including the Linux MPX, Ideum MT-50, spinTOUCH iBar, and the most recent iTable from PQ Labs. None has been able to meet even the minimal success achieved by the Surface.<\/p>\n

You’re more likely to see Bigfoot on a Segway or Nessie talking on an iPhone than a human using a tabletop computer… where did they go? Tablets bear most of blame for taking the thunder out of the tabletop computing storm. Tablets and tabletops feature quite a bit of overlap, including their basic design and the touch interface. However, tablets add the ultimate conveniences of portability and a scale that is comfortable \u2013 it’s just not easy to relate to a tabletop computer, or consider it as something other than a lavish novelty.<\/p>\n

Ironically, the same tablet technology that has buried tabletops to this point may provide a boost to the technology moving forward. Now that consumers are familiar and comfortable with large-format touchscreen interfaces, they may be more enthusiastic to see new iterations of the platform \u2013 the ready availability of convenience typically makes users bolder and more willing to explore new innovations.<\/p>\n

Property management firms have found that adding large screen computers (with a mouse) in self serve kiosks to building lobbies and model units is one way to capture the interest and engagement of prospects. They can zoom in on property amenities, view and compare floor plans and model layouts, and see an interactive map of the surrounding neighborhood and services. (See an example of an interactive kiosk display<\/a> for a Dallas property.) After piquing their interest and a successful unit tour, the prospect can return to the kiosk to fill out an application and submit it directly into the property’s application database.<\/p>\n

Such kiosks, mostly found in Class A properties,\u00a0 could move to the next generation with tabletop computing.<\/p>\n

Earlier this year Microsoft and Samsung rolled out Surface 2.0 \u2013 here is the spiel direct from the horse’s mouth:<\/p>\n

<\/object><\/p>\n

Microsoft has lowered the price significantly (about $8500 to get started) and state-of-the-art PixelSense technology replaces bulky cameras \u2013 the screen responds not just to touch, but can sense objects placed on it and respond appropriately. Microsoft is offering a host of new enterprise apps \u2013 some custom-tailored to order \u2013 to encourage businesses to explore the possibilities that tabletop computing can offer.\u00a0 Those who have adopted the technology are divers, ranging from BMW to AT&T to fighter jet maker Dassault. But you don’t see any high profile property managers on the user roster, probably due to the high up-front cost of these devices.<\/p>\n

Is there a place for tabletop computing within the real estate\/property management sector? Absolutely. Large screen size and optimized interactivity allows clients to efficiently survey multiple properties, compare and contrast, manipulate views, call up several pages of related data on a single screen, and more. The capabilities of PixelSense are only beginning to be explored. If nothing else, tabletops have proven effective at grabbing and maintaining viewers’ attention \u2013 worse comes to worst, bored clients can be entertained with a game of super-sized Angry Birds<\/em>.<\/p>\n

Does tabletop computing still have that gee-whiz-let’s-take-a-trip-into-the-future cache, or has its initial failure to catch fire dimmed its appeal? Can we find new applications to make the technology relevant to property management?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Has it really already been two years since Microsoft debuted their innovative Surface tabletop computer? That’s a trick question \u2013 it’s actually been five years, a veritable eternity in the lifetime of any consumer computing product. 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