Microsoft has announced that the company has acquired Perceptive Pixel, a company that specializes in making multi-touch displays in large scale.
Microsoft is making some announcements at today’s Worldwide Partners Conference, and the company’s CEO, Steve Ballmer announced that they are acquiring Perceptive Pixels. Let’s now take a quick look at what Perceptive Pixel is, and what Microsoft is expected to do with the acquisition!
Perceptive Pixel
If you are not aware of what and who Perceptive Pixel is, let me take sometime in explaining the company’s profile and also, what they are good at.
Perceptive Pixel has been making some amazing large scale multi-touch displays, and the company recently produced a large 82-inches multi-touch display. The company also specializes in making these kind of powerful displays using their own proprietary technology and this is what makes the company stand out of other display makers in the world.
It is also worth to note that the company displayed a very huge 82-inch touch enabled screen at today’s Worldwide Partners Conference.
What Microsoft is planning with Perceptive Pixel?
Talking about this new acquisition, Mr. Kurt DelBene, President, Office Division for Microsoft said:
“The acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we’re excited to accelerate this market evolution. PPI’s large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration.”
Microsoft’s CEO, Steve Ballmer also revealed that the company will be utilizing the Perceptive Pixel’s research, development and their proprietary production technologies to improve their upcoming hardware devices as well as software counterparts for these hardware.
The entire team working at Perceptive Pixel will now join Microsoft and will continue their development of new technologies for Microsoft’s Office and Windows division.
May be, the company will start working on their ambitious Office 2019 project concept pretty soon? Also, this is a very open secret that Microsoft’s next tablet device will start competing with Apple’s iPad displays!
REDMOND, Wash., and NEW YORK — July 9, 2012 — Microsoft Corp. and Perceptive Pixel Inc. (PPI) today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire PPI, a recognized leader in research, development and production of large-scale, multi-touch display solutions.
“The acquisition of PPI allows us to draw on our complementary strengths, and we’re excited to accelerate this market evolution,” said Kurt DelBene, president, Office Division for Microsoft. “PPI’s large touch displays, when combined with hardware from our OEMs, will become powerful Windows 8-based PCs and open new possibilities for productivity and collaboration.”
Founded in 2006 by Jeff Han, a renowned pioneer in multi-touch technology, PPI shipped its first multi-touch workstation and large wall solutions in early 2007. In 2008 its technology gained widespread recognition for transforming the way CNN and other broadcasters covered the 2008 U.S. presidential election. In 2009 the Smithsonian awarded the company the National Design Award in the inaugural category of Interaction Design. PPI’s patented technologies are used across a wide variety of industries such as government, defense, broadcast, energy exploration, engineering and higher education, and its expertise in both software and hardware will contribute to success in broad scenarios such as collaboration, meetings and presentations.
“We are incredibly excited to be working together on our mutual passion to build technologies that enable people to collaborate and communicate,” Han said. “By joining Microsoft, we will be able to take advantage of the tremendous momentum of the Microsoft Office Division, tightly interoperate with its products, and deliver this technology to a very broad set of customers.”
Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.