Microsoft Admits Courier Exists, Scraps Project

RIP Microsoft Courier, we hardly knew ye.

Gizmodo, the gadget blog that first uncovered the Courier last year, reports that Microsoft has all but scraped the project. The two-screen tablet folder was intriguing based on conceptual videos also obtained by Gizmodo, but we’ll never know for sure if any of what we saw would have made it into the final product.

When asked for comment, Microsoft Corporate VP of Communications Frank Shaw had this to say, which happens to be the first time Microsoft has publicly acknowledged the Courier’s existence.

At any given time, we’re looking at new ideas, investigating, testing, incubating them. It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity. 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.

Related Topics: courier, oh well, RIP, tablet, Computers, Gadgets, Microsoft
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  • midpipps

    That is to bad if it was anything like the tech demo I would totally have bought one.

  • cydonos

    Microsoft must have their eyes closed and their fingers in their ears. They couldn’t possibly be paying attention to all the buzz this thing created.

    Otherwise they would see that not pursuing it is not an option.

  • richardsrussell

    Does anyone besides me find it irritating when computer execs torture the English language so consistently?

    form factor = shape
    price point = price
    is shipping = is being shipped
    foster productivity and creativity = make a boatload of money
    evaluated for future implementation = never see the light of day again

    and so on. Did these people sleep all the way thru middle school or something?

  • honewort

    I was looking forward to seeing the Courier and I am pretty sure I would have bought one.

  • bignumone

    Unbelievable!
    ” It’s in our DNA to develop new form factors and natural user interfaces to foster productivity and creativity.”
    He meant it is in their DNA to find it and kill it!
    What a shame, I think it was the most exciting thing MS has done in…well…ever!

  • bignumone

    I just read HP slate is dead as well.

    Here we go with a string of vaporware that is supposed to be “better than” but never makes it to production.
    It all sounds great, but I can’t use “supposed to be”.

  • asifspider

    That’s a shame. Not sure if I would have bought one…but man, it did look cool in the demos.

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