Microsoft has finally out Appled Apple. Oh that I’ve lived to see this day.
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@ Mr. John Smith - Yes, rumor has it Steve Jobs did not die. He is secretly working at Microsoft.
Did you check out that Surface Dial? Wow.
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@ Terrence - That song has me sad and happy at the same time; and to think rumor is that Microsoft had the song built just for the ad
Just my opinion but…Both this and Apples new McBook are just too expensive. They are irrelivent to 99% of the people who are more interested in smartphones and big TVs.
That dial control is a pure gimmick. Notice how in the video she cant let go of the dial because it would slide off the screen. Pretty sure my arm would fall off after doing that for an hour or two.
Both companies need to find a way to make devices that appeal and are affordable to the masses and not just some mythical group of wealthy Latte swiggin hipsters.
Its very nice, in the same way that a Ferrari is, but I will never own one and its the Fords and VWs and the like that make the world tick.
You can let go of it. See 5:05 in this video. The dial will be available Nov 10 and works with the rest of the Surface line (3, 4, SurfaceBook) though it’s not clear to me how convenient that would be given it’s size relative to the screen size of those devices.
Microsoft's Surface Studio and Windows 10 Creator Update - YouTube
Not totally clear from that video that the screen is angled, but ill give them the benifit of the doubt.
I wonder how it works??
So its not a capacitive touch panel then.
That makes sense. And the pen can have a sharp tip rather than needing a big surface to bridge between two capacitor plates.
@ hagster - Sorry - deleted my post when I noticed that the consumer surface products were, in fact, using capacitive touch. I had wrongly believed that they were using the Perceptive Pixel technology and that perhaps that’s what was at work with the dial. The Surface Hub might, in fact, use the Perceptive Pixel tech, and all those big screens you see on network TV are Perceptive Pixel, but the Surface 3, 4, Book, etc are all capacitive, so, yeah, no clue how the dial really works.
That said, I will know soon enough as my ongoing gadget impulse-control issue is forcing me to get one.
@ mcalsyn - From what I read, the Surface Dial will work with SP3, SP4, and Surface Book, but not on-screen. That is, you’ll be able to pair it, and use it sitting on your desk, but if the reports I read are correct, it will not be able to be used on-screen.
Which makes sense, particularly on SP3/4, since the screens are WAY too small for the Surface Dial to be useful on-screen without occluding more of what you’re working on than makes sense.
I guess we’ll see. Sadly, as much as my gadget lust wants this, it’s just not in my budget, particularly given that I’m not the target market at all.
@ Mr. John Smith - John, I watched bits and pieces of the the live stream, but don’t watch TV, so have not seen or hear the song.
I’ve heard that the song was commissioned by Microsoft for the sold purpose of this ad. It’s a artful take on an old classic that nobody’s done before. Not only is the song relevant to the content of the ad, but it also inspires you to use the Surface to create wonderful things. #MindBlown!
Edit: And oh the controller prob has a sensor on the bottom that can detect the electrical noise from captive elements on the screen. Or a light sensor or something (like the Nintendo light gun of last century, used for duck hunting.)
Or it has a digitiser under the LCD similar to what Samsung did for the Note series. This would explain the pen working.
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@ Dave McLaughlin - That active digitizer technology was invented by Wacom. I wonder if the patent is still effective. As for the controller, well it looks a lot like the 3d connexion mouse. They are a Logitech company. I suppose they figured a way around that patent with a new design or something.
EDIT: I shouldn’t say invented. I should say the patent is held by.
This is the cover from the video. It was produced by a guy that works on a lot of the Microsoft games. So, it was definitely made for this release.
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@ ianlee74 - Thanks Ian! - Pure Imagination…
I knew I heard this song before. It’s not commissioned at all. It was from the original Charlie and the Chocolate Factory movie.
Lyrics here and they are same as the Microsoft video.
http://www.lyricsfreak.com/w/willy+wonka/pure+imagination_20807421.html
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@ Dave McLaughlin - Thanks for clearing that up - I knew I had heard that before and couldn’t place it.
Sorry, I assumed everyone knew where the original came from. Maybe its only my family that watches that movie several times a year… 
I said that the “cover” [of the original] was commissioned by Microsoft. Check the MS Surface Tweets from the day of or maybe the day after where they gave credit to Stephanie Tarling.
Sorry Ian, I was referring to the post by MrJohnSmith.