Waiting for the Surface Hub? Get ready to wait even longer.
If you’ve been waiting for the Surface Hub, grab another magazine in the waiting room. The expected January 2016 release is not happening — instead you can expect the wall-mounted all-in-one touchscreen to ship sometime “early next year.”
And it’s not just a delay: there’s going to be a price increase as well. The 55-inch Surface Hub, announced at $6,999 will now cost $8,999. The gargantuan 84-inch model will cost $21,999 instead of the previously announced $18,999.
While those who pre-ordered the device will also have to keep waiting, Microsoft says the original price they paid will be honored.
Why the increase in prices? Microsoft said it’s because the company is “finalizing our manufacturing plan with a view towards delivering the best product experience.”
“After evaluating the market opportunity and considering the unique collaboration scenarios Surface Hub offers, we believe these are the right prices to drive the business and the category forward,” a Microsoft representative told ZDNet.
As for the delay in shipment, it’s only the most recent. Last January the device was originally announced for a September 1 release, but that didn’t happen. Eventually a new date was announced: January of 2016. The new, more nebulous “early 2016” announcement doesn’t give Microsoft a hard deadline, though a company official did tell ZDNet the device will ship in the first quarter.
The idea behind the giant touch screen is collaboration: people can gather around the large screen and work on things together. It will feature 4th-generation Intel Core processors, a variety of sensors, and two built-in HD cameras. In addition to the touchscreen, there’s support for HDMI, USB, and Bluetooth devices. A specifically designed version of Windows 10 that’s “tailored for group use” will power the devices. Microsoft is still taking pre-orders, but at this point waiting might be prudent.
Mozilla is giving Firefox’s Smart Window two new tricks. If you haven’t tried it yet, Smart Window is an optional AI mode in Firefox with a built-in chat that helps you get things done while you browse. With this update, it can fill out online forms using details from your tabs and keep an eye on websites for you.
Tired of typing the same details into every form?
The absolutely absurd idea of putting a touchscreen display on a mouse isn't exactly new. Turtle Beach already did it with its Command Series MC7, which features a 2.25-inch control screen. But apparently, even that wasn't ridiculous enough for Arctic Fox Technologies. Its new Super Mouse looks like someone took the chunky old Atari ST mouse, slapped a touchscreen and scroll wheel on it, and called it an upgrade.
The result is a rather unusual-looking mouse that is now on Kickstarter, starting at $199. And as ridiculous as it looks, some of its features are genuinely intriguing.
Apple is less than a day away from launching its highly anticipated OLED MacBook Pro with a touch-sensitive screen. But it appears that the upgrade is going to cost a pretty penny. According to a report by Bloomberg, Apple is reportedly eyeing a starting price of $2,899 for the 14-inch MacBook Pro, while the 16-inch version could start at $3,399 in the US.
"At $2,899, the 14-inch model would mark the highest starting price for a new MacBook Pro model, surpassing the $2,799 Apple charged for a 17-inch version introduced in 2006," says the report. The report claims that Apple is targeting a minimum price hike of $400 for its upcoming redesigned 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pro models.