Mainframe modernization helps to port system use into screen-based devices, many of which are on the small side, especially with the rise of mobile use. Microsoft is also looking in the other direction by concentrating on producing large touchscreens.
This news comes from a presentation at a recent Australian conference, where Stephen Elop, the company's executive vice president of devices, explained the increased role that touchscreens are going to play in the future. It's been expected since the company absorbed Perceptive Pixel, a company that manufactures large interactive screens, two years ago.
As of now, these screens are reportedly 55 inches and costs more than $7,000 apiece, although ZDNet reports that Microsoft wants to make them more affordable. Writing for CITEWorld, Mary Branscombe described her own experience with these digital "white board" devices and a hint of what they will bring to the workplace as they become more common.
"It's a pressure sensitive touch screen that uses infrared (and some clever software) to sense where and how hard you're pressing," she writes. "But they really come into their own with lots of people in the room, so you're not the only person using the screen, and with PPI's own tools for working collaboratively."
Although much has been written about the pervasiveness of internet connection affecting smaller devices, the bigger ones also need to be compatible with the mainframe terminal emulator your company uses. Large touch screens aren't feasible in every office, but if Microsoft succeeds in making them more affordable and accessible, there's a chance that will change.