iT CRASHES during the demonstrtation!!Its been a mantra ever since Microsoft first launched Windows: Your computer will always fail you at the time you need it most.

And many of us will have led presentations when Powerpoint suddenly crashes or your computer forces a restart, leading to a litany of four-letter words.


But spare a thought for Steven Sinofsky, the President of Windows and Windows Live Division.


He introduced Microsoft's latest weapon in the technology war - the Surface tablet - to an excited crowd in Hollywood yesterday.

But - right in the middle of his talk - the tablet appeared to crash, leading to an excruciating 20 seconds as he talked around the hiccup, before popping behind the podium to grab a luckily-prepared backup.




The embarrassing technical glitch brings back memories of Bill Gates in April 1995, who was presenting a pre-launch version of Windows 98 live on national TV.

As his colleague plugged in a scanner - showing how Windows could automatically install the drivers for the device - the computer suddenly collapsed, revealing the dreaded 'Blue Screen of Death' to the world.





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As audiences watched at home, the crowd in the studio started clapping, to which Gates replied 'That must be... er... that must be why we're not shipping Windows 98 yet!'

Despite the public disaster, Windows 98 went on to be a very successful operating system, so maybe this is a good omen for the Surface.

Indeed the device has already had a good reception, receiving plaudits for its design, the detachable keyboard, the 'Metro UI', which replaces the familiar desktop of previous Microsoft systems, and the inclusion of a USB port - which is sorely lacking on the iPad.

No details on pricing were mentioned, except that it would be 'comparable' with current ARM tablets and Intel-powered Ultrabooks.



Microsoft has been making software for tablets since 2002, when it shipped the Windows XP Tablet PC Edition.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162027/Microsofts-Surface-tablet-crashes-stage--repeat-Bill-Gates-Windows-98-blue-screen-death-moment.html#ixzz1yHp51oJY







Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2162027/Microsofts-Surface-tablet-crashes-stage--repeat-Bill-Gates-Windows-98-blue-screen-death-moment.html#ixzz1yHoiPeV0