Microsoft has reportedly delayed the release of its Surface Hub giant videoconferencing systems, and has also raised the price.
The Surface Hub family was unveiled at Microsoft’s January 21 launch event. These are huge 84-inch or 55-inch 4K all-in-one PCs with multi-touch functionality.
The idea is to fix them to an office wall for videoconferencing and presentation purposes.
These Surface Hubs were supposed to ship in September, with the launch date later pushed back to January 1. Now Microsoft’s official line, according to ZDNet, is that the Surface Hub will ship in the first quarter of 2016.
That could potentially mean a six month delay from the original release date.
The bad news doesn’t end there. Microsoft has also hiked the price of the Surface Hub duo.
Originally, the 55-inch model was supposed to be $6,999. That has now been increased to $8,999.
The 84-inch model, meanwhile, was originally supposed to cost $19,999. It will now set you back $21,999.
So what’s behind this significant price hikes of $2,000? Microsoft had this to say: “After evaluating the market opportunity and considering the unique collaboration scenarios Surface Hub offers, we believe these are the right prices to drive the business and the category forward.”
Related: Microsoft Surface Pro 4 review
So Microsoft is saying that the Surface Hub is even better than it initially realised, and it was effectively selling the original concept short.
However, Microsoft has provided reassurances that those who pre-ordered a Surface Hub at the original price will not have to pay the inflated amount. Which is good of them.
Next, check out the main features of Windows 10:
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
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We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
