surface_hub_ap.JPG
Initially set to launch in September, and then on January 1, Microsoft announced last week that the Surface Hub is now due "early next year."
(AP photo)
Microsoft has again delayed the launch of its giant new touch-screen, the Surface Hub, and raised prices for the new device.
Initially set to launch in September, and then on January 1, Microsoft announced last week that the Surface Hub is now due "early next year."
The company did not set an exact release date or elaborate on the reasons behind the newest delay other than to say it is "finalizing our manufacturing plan towards delivering the best product experience."
Microsoft also raised Surface Hub's price by $2,000 on each of its two models: The 55-inch version is now $8,999; the 84-inch model is $21,999. Microsoft did not explain why it's raising the price, but says it will honor the original price for customers who have already ordered it.
Microsoft designs and assembles the Surface Hub in Wilsonville, at a site it acquired in 2012 when it bought a startup called Perceptive Pixel. Some of the company's engineers come from Oregon's nearly defunct cluster of electronic display companies, including InFocus Corp., whose former headquarters were also in Wilsonville.
Designed to replace the digital projector in boardrooms and classrooms, Microsoft hopes its high-end device will encourage collaboration and interaction.
-- Mike Rogoway
mrogoway@oregonian.com
503-294-7699
@rogoway