Surface Sightings

Q: If you’re working on a top secret, futuristic, game-changing development project, how can you whet the appetite of your customer base without actually leaking any details about the project, technology, or future products?

A: Ambiguous, futuristic product placement, of course!

Turns out, Microsoft did exactly that. The company apparently worked the technology behind its Surface computer into the 2005 Ewan McGregor thriller, The Island. Here’s the beauty - no one was the wiser until a set designer from the film who worked with advertisers recently spilled the beans - nearly two years later.

(watch the YouTube clip of the scene in question here)

Assuming it was a coordinated plan, the product (technology?) placement is a genius strategy for at least three reasons:

First - by pairing with a futuristic-themed movie, the placement defines the technology as futuristic. That’s true back then (when the movie was released), now (as people rent the movie and watch the Internet clips), and for the foreseeable future (until the technology becomes commonplace - likely a 10-20 year span).

Second - it shows people that Microsoft has a little Google and Apple in it, despite what critics say. Would you ever believe that Microsoft pulled this off? Not a chance. What if you heard that Google or Apple had done it — you wouldn’t be surprised at all, would you? Maybe Microsoft has a bit of that Silicon Valley magic in its DNA after all.

Third - it defines the path the technology will be taking over the next several years. Forget the silly 30-inch table top for splitting receipts and sharing music that stars in the Microsoft demo videos. Nope….The Island clip shows us exactly where Microsoft wants to take this technology - someday we’ll be ordering Pottery Barn desks with 4′ x 8′ surface computing monitors built into them. A computer desktop that truly is a desktop. What’s next? Entire wall surfaces?

Kudos to the Microsoft team for pulling this off. Genious!

Hat tip to Bink.nu for uncovering this great Microsoft Surface story.

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