Microsoft has come up with another way to market its 7-foot tablet, the Surface Hub 2S: it's perfect for practicing social distancing.
On Tuesday, Microsoft talked up the benefit as it kicked off pre-orders in the US for the 85-inch version of the Surface Hub 2S, which will go on sale in January for $21,999. (The 50-inch version began shipping in June.)
The 85-inch product is designed to be an interactive whiteboard that companies can buy for their employees. Thanks to the touch screen and Windows 10 OS onboard, the large display can double as a tablet to run your favorite office programs.
(Credit: Microsoft)
Whether a company really needs to buy a giant tablet is another matter. Due to the pandemic many employees continue to work from home. But for companies preparing to bring workers back to the office, Microsoft thinks the 85-inch Surface Hub 2S is suited for today’s COVID-19 environment.
“One benefit to a larger screen that Hub provides is that it can help implement social distancing for people to stay six feet apart while working together,” the company wrote in a blog post today.
Indeed, the product’s massive size does mean it contains plenty of room for multiple people to work on Surface Hub 2S at the same time. But we wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. To prevent COVID-19 transmission, It’s better to simply have workers remain far apart, rather than breathing the same air.
Still, Microsoft thinks the product can still function as an important collaboration tool, even for remote workers. For instance, the Surface Hub 2S can also be used for video conferencing, thanks to Microsoft Teams.
“With the changes in our work landscape and more people working remotely, now more than ever businesses are looking for technology that helps recreate the energy and connection we feel when we’re in a room together,” the company said.
The pre-orders for the Surface Hub 2S will only be available to commercial businesses via select resellers. The company plans on kicking off the presale reservations in other markets later this year. However, it doesn't appear Microsoft has released technical specs for the product yet.
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