Just weeks after Steve Job’s return to the Apple keynote address in San Francisco, Microsoft saw an opening. The surprisingly lackluster response to the introduction of the iPod Nano with video recording capabilities was more of a reaction to the Apple obsessed crowd’s desire to see the same technology put on the increasingly popular and significantly more powerful iPod touch.
Meanwhile, Microsoft has been waiting for an Apple slip up. While the stylish designs and usability of Apple’s products has given it market share that borders on dominance, Microsoft sees an opportunity to bring the same conceptual designs of pieces like the iPod and bring them to another sector of the retail market.
At this morning’s press conference, Microsoft will be introducing the first ever 64 deck playing card shuffler. This is a severe upgrade over the latest incarnation (a 32 deck playing card shuffler – which many thought was the apex of card shuffling technology).
Only three years ago the thought of shuffling more than 3-4 decks in a single shuffling machine seemed impossible. “When I was growing up,” says Microsoft Chief Execution Executive, Paul Randal, “we had to cut the deck in half, flop them all together and make a huge mess of things. And that was ONLY one deck! Now, shuffling 64 decks is as easy as a flip of a button, a turn of a crank and the simple loading of 64 decks into this multi-slotted loading panel.”
Could this be the new Macro Shaft?
Many in the industry are impressed, including electronics editor of Dimples magazine, Harry Barnstorm. “Microsoft has often been accused of being a follower, but this clearly shows that they can play the role of innovator. Hewlett Packard has been working on a 40 deck shuffler for the past several years, but product development deemed the technology impossible.”
While Microsoft likes hearing their praise sung throughout the industry, what the consumer thinks is what matters most. In a teaser campaign on its website, Microsoft had a video showing 2 second clips of the falls at Niagara with an end message saying, “There’s got to be an easier way.”
Rumors surrounding the product’s design have been flooding the Internet. The most popular design among tech heads is a vertical design that has detachable straps and a waist centered brace for easy portability. Microsoft is being tight lipped about which design is real. Says Randal, “I can promise you this – it’s going to be much smaller than you think as long as you think it’s going to be roughly 10 – 12 feet tall.”
Tentatively named the Microsoft Macro Shaft (named after it’s tall multi-slotted loading panels) the revolutionary shuffler comes in 4 different colors or “skins” and is expecting to be priced only slightly higher than the previous version at $799. “Technology has come such a long way,” says Barnstorm. “It’s a true testament to Microsoft’s genius that we are pushing the outer limits of card shuffling.”
As to what’s next in the card shuffling industry? Only brave chat room participants can guess. Says one poster, “The ultimate card shuffling technology may not be here today, but we are seeing glimpses of it with the introduction of the Macro Shaft. One day the thought of being able to quickly shuffle 100 decks of cards in a single device that not only looks great, but can fit easily in most passenger cars’ back seat will become fully realized.”
The entire tech industry will be watching the live webcast of Microsoft’s announcement this morning and as most analysts predict, the Microsoft Macro Shaft with 4 skins promises to be on almost every tech head’s Christmas list.
