Microsoft Surface Table PC

Microsoft today officially announced a product it had been previewing for many months, the Surface table PC. The Surface is basically a PC housed in a coffee table with a 30-inch touch screen monitor sealed behind acrylic. The touch screen can handle multiple inputs at once, and includes cameras placed under the unit to identify objects placed on its face, including bar codes on cell phones or larger objects like drinking glasses. The Surface is a very cool looking, futuristic gadget that seems to spring, literally, from a science fiction film. Though its cost may be prohibitive at the moment, Microsoft is claiming that within three to five years, the price will come down to consumer levels. We could imagine the technology everywhere. Too expensive for today? Though it may still be difficult for some to imagine shelling out $10,000 for another computer in the living room, in fact the cost is not so exorbitant. Between the cost of a 30-inch monitor, the PC driving it, the touch sensitive technology, and all the software, we could easily imagine spending close to $10K, so the price seems reasonable for what you're getting.