Surface Studio is a defining a new category in the desktop market with the use of dial and very specific touch-based functions. The second player in this category will be Dell, the company aired a teaser of its upcoming all-in-one machine at Adobe’s Max Conference.
The video shows off a traditionally styled all-in-one except that it sports some kind of sensors or speakers below the screen. More importantly, in place of keyboard and mouse, there is a secondary display for input. It also shows support for Surface Dial styled input. We can’t confirm if the secondary display will come as a standard input method replacing keyboard and mouse or will be available as an add-on.
The Dial created for Studio by Microsoft is used for creative purposes but the software giant is not limiting its use only to Surface. Windows chief, Terry Myerson said that the company will allow its partners to use Dial’s technologies to create similar devices. Dell is going to take the place of numero uno in delivering them if no other manufacturer releases any other product before Dell’s AIO *.
Having a secondary display for input appears to be a better idea, it allows for a better interaction without covering the screen and especially in laptops, without wobbling the screen. We haven’t seen any laptop with a full secondary display yet but the closest one is the Lenovo Yoga Book which uses a touch-based keyboard in place of the traditional keys. Apple’s arguments are just the same on using the primary display as a touch screen – “covering the screen and using fingers on the display feels unnatural”. The recently released MacBook Pro sports a tiny strip of touch controls but going forward we might be seeing a full touch based keyboard system. The idea of a secondary display for input is indeed pretty cool.
Well, Dell is going to be delivering it soon. The teaser doesn’t mention the release date or any specs except saying that it’s coming soon.