The Microsoft Courier is dead. The snazzy iPad rival that wowed us in concept videos has been canned by Microsoft executives. Does Microsoft have other plans or did it just think the Microsoft Courier was doomed to play second fiddle to the iPad?
Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications, Frank Shaw, confirmed the demise of the Microsoft Courier: “It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and user interfaces…the Courier project is an example of this type of effort. It will be evaluated for use in future offerings but we have no plans to build such a device at this time.”
The Microsoft Courier didn’t always seem to be just a dream project. When it first broke cover in September 2009, sources whispered that the dual screen tablet was a late stage prototype and soon we were expecting a Microsoft Courier launch this year. We even got our hopes up at CES 2010 only to be greeted by an early glimpse of the HP Slate instead.
The Microsoft Courier concept art and videos promised the kind of combination of touch and stylus input that Bill Gates has been pushing for years and there was a camera which would have given it one up on the iPad.
Loads of details on the Microsoft Courier interface were also leaked promising multitouch gesture control, a seriously smart stylus and a visual file system. Will all that work now reside in Microsoft’s recycling bin or could we see it carried over into a Windows 7 tablet or Windows Phone 7 devices?
Shaw’s words certainly seem to suggest that some of the work from the Microsoft Courier will filter into other products. We still have to wonder: was the Microsoft Courier leaked to try and spoil the build up to the iPad launch? And did Microsoft think better of going head-to-head with the Apple tablet?
