MS Smart Display: What Redmond did wrong
ZDNet | at | by Mike
From the start, the device formerly known as Mira seemed to be on a collision course with Microsoft's Tablet PC, which will debut on Nov. 7. While a Tablet PC is actually a fully functional PC, a Smart Display is just an add-on flat-panel monitor that wirelessly connects to an existing PC. TROUBLE IS, Smart Displays look just like the slate-styled tablets. Had both products hit the market within weeks of one another, that similarity would almost certainly have caused mass confusion among consumers. In fact, Microsoft partner ViewSonic is expected to launch both a Smart Display and a Tablet PC--a marketing train wreck just waiting to happen.
Microsoft is publicly insisting that not only does the Smart Display delay have nothing to do with the Tablet PC launch, but the extra time is not being used to address any of the other problems with Smart Displays--and there are several.