Robbie Bach: Project Natal a 'midlife kicker' for Xbox 360, 'absolutely confident' Courier innovations will appear elsewhere
By Ross Miller 
posted May 25th 2010 4:14PM
posted May 25th 2010 4:14PM
But enough business talk, what about some of the projects Bach oversaw? There were a couple choice quotes we noted from the report. First up is Natal, a motion-sensing project that he views as a "midlife kicker for the [Xbox] 360." For those watching a calendar, that would give the console an approximately nine-year perceived lifespan on the corporate side -- from November 2005 to 2014. Of course, we could be reading too much into that, but we could certainly believe it. On the subject of Courier, Microsoft's now-cancelled internal tablet project, Bach is "absolutely confident... a bunch of that innovation will show up in Microsoft products." It's a stronger wording that what we originally read, and given just how excited we were watching that leaked video, we can only hope his prophecy is foretold. Do yourself a favor and take 15 minutes to read through the interview -- hey, you're welcome.
Gonna miss this guy. Hope MSFT keeps the same pace with him out of the picture.
I hope so, for your sake Microsoft, that the Courier will live on in different iterations and that the 360 will get it's golden bullet. The Engadget commenters are not as forgiving as I am
@Lord Vader
+1 Lord, you always have the best comments :D
@BecauseItsNotGoogle i dont care who gets fired as long as it means i get an infinite journal sometime soon... do whatever they have to do to get a courier like device to the market
@Lord Vader
Different iterations = Nintendo DS XL
@abedinthehouse Like how they failed to make a dent in the Universe with the Zune, and lost the phone market to Android? The only way your comment makes sense is if it's sarcasm.
@abedinthehouse Hopefully, these guys will be absorb again. I mean, what MS needs now are visionary people. We'll miss that courier device always. http://j.mp/micrsoft-courier-tablet-experience
@Lord Vader
I'll admit, I'll never forget the day I started reading Engadget and scrolled to the comments of the Courier death.
All my co-workers give me odd glances since.
Courier innovations belonged in the Courier and no where else.
@MishkaGreen, agreed, all that innovation should be in the Courier; not separate devices.
@MishkaGreen
indeed +1
What innovations ? Except for a few videos we saw nothing in the real world working. This is like saying "innovations from the time machine will show up in other products".
@MishkaGreen Agreed. Maybe we'll get lucky, and Jay will start a new company that makes Couriers and media players.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle
Dude. It's hardly a feature people are crying out for. The internet campaigns for many things The ability to copy some text by pressing randomly isn't one of them.
@Brad Hubbard that company wouldnt last long if they started by stealing microsoft's IP...
@MishkaGreen
courier was a marketing/tactical ploy designed to stunt initial demand of the iPad. Poor ipad launch = doomed product (see Palm Pre). Not to say the whole courier thing was fake, but it was nowhere any sort of production - i'm talkin' YEARS.
Get over it, people! At least we (you all) can realistically expect a WebOS tablet at some point. I'll be enjoying my iPad until then, though.
@pavelbure What this guy says. The videos seem too complicated to be done at this point in time just like the power consumption of a double screen device. You can even ask MSi what they think on double screen device and batteries...
Guys, be realistic. There's a reason why the Courier was killed/put on hold.
@MishkaGreen
We can't be so picky. The Courier featured some UI elements that would have been impossible to get so smoothly with current portable hardware. To force them to push it out would lead to a buggy tablet.
I think it's the right move that they use what they've learned from the Courier (what people want in a device, UI, etc.) and use it for continuing MS products.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle You're talking about "features" in a product that doesn't exist except in some mocked up clips online. I hardly consider marketing materials innovation.
@MishkaGreen
I'm still trying to get my head around that I now might actually have to buy an iPad despite already having Macbook, iPod, iPad, iPod Touch... is there anything Microsoft can persuade me to buy other than their OS and XBox?
@TomSawyer
The ipad isn't the center of the universe. MS didn't do r&d and all this mess with courier to stab at the ipads launch. Grow up and get past fanboy dreams.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle ha, you've obviously never used OS X (option+ctrl+shift+4) http://guides.macrumors.com/Taking_Screenshots_in_Mac_OS_X
@Brad Hubbard I don't think a Courier like device will work outside of MS. MS should make a device like Courier, but integrate a store, and be based on XNA and Silverlight like their phone to make it easy for developers to develop across the devisions. It will take this with an XBox hub and Zune services for it to be really successful. I'd love to see that happen with a dual screen device for true multitasking. It's what is wrong with the 1 screen models we've seen for tablet and iPad like devices. Its pseudo multi-tasking and more like app switching.
@MishkaGreen
Exactly, the good thing about about the courier was it had so many innovations in one device. If we do see inspiration in other devices they will have maybe 1 or 2 of these ideas per device.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle
Gizmodo and engadget are largely responsible for the courier delusion you and others live by.
It always was a concept render, not proof of concept nor an engineering blueprint.
I'm just happy to see MS is thinking about pen input devices, because they are invaluable for professionals/students. I use a motion computing medical tablet daily and it is a phenomenal bit of kit for work purposes. I have a HPTC1100 slate for home, windows 7 pen integration is great when you have a digitiser.
@BecauseItsNotGoogle OSX since about 3 years ago.
Yeah, the courier innovations will show up in crappier products that no one wants. Good job M$
@DoctarPeppar
Dude, you're cool. You used "M$" instead of "MS".
@DoctarPeppar I wouldn't be suprised to see a WP7 version created for tablets. If they can knock it out of the park it would integrate nicely inside that platform. Also, sorry but you get a -1 for using M$ instead of MS or Microsoft.
@Saad
Ur even cooler by commenting on it.
@djt
$uck my ballz.
@HighestRanked2 how can you say it cant get off the ground and compete with a 2008 iPhone? the product isnt even out yet... and functionality wise the two are pretty evenly matched where the only difference is in gaming and interface... for me WP7 wins both of those
@HighestRanked2 I am just saying that it could be very interesting. I know you are a huge Apple fan and thats OK by me. But I am a huge ALL OF TECHNOLOGY fanboy so I wouldn't mind seeing a creation like that come out in the near future. To each their own I guess but I think you would even benefit from MS (oh wait M$, because I'm cool like that) really trying to push into the tablet market hard. Competition is king.
@HighestRanked2 youre off your rocker with this whole 2008 iPhone comparison, it exceeds features of the 2008/9/10 iPhone, i have absolutely no clue where you get your facts from man.
Lowest common denominator software dev tools? XNA is an incredible gaming development tool and you only need to develop it once and it spans across all microsofts platforms...
MSFT doesnt know how to compete? they own the OS market and dethroned playstation which no one ever imagined possible... they know how to compete, they just need to market the zune better. its actually a superior PMP to the ipod
The 720 isnt even being considered now, the 360 has a very long life span ahead of it, thats where project natal comes in... they will eventually recoup their losses, the initial losses were part of a greater scheme to gain ground on playstation and nintendo and that worked better than anyone could possibly imagine...
5 bucks this guy's "retirement" won't last more than 6 months...
@kapanak
Agreed. Innovators may take breaks but they want to help steer the course of new technology. Its nothing that you can really retire from.
@kapanak .. I'll take that bet because Robbie Bach was a giant failure and deserved to go. Some failures he presided over:
- The destruction of the Windows Mobile business from being the market leader in smartphones to being the last one to release a major update. WM7 should have been released years ago.
- The failure to have any position in the new Tablet PC market. The iPad has sold over a million units in a market Microsoft practically invented.
- The complete waste of money that was XBox. Around 8 billions dollars lost so far. His deceptive behaviour (moving liabilities from FY08 to FY07 to appear profitable) during the RROD debacle. All that effort just to come 2nd and possibly last.
- The inability of Zune to really compete in the marketplace despite having a great product.
- The inability to get Windows Media Center into the loungerooms of ordinary consumers. Nobody other than MS geeks really took it up. Meanwhile you have Google TV getting all the attention.
Seeing the trend ? .. ALL of these problems lie at the hands of Robbie Bach. At least the E&D have a nice campus I guess.
@taligent i agree with everything but the Xbox line, while of course console creation requires a lot of r&d money its not a failure in any way, its the most popular next gen console on the market with the largest online community profitable? not yet, but it will be
Zune could definitely use some better marketing for sure...
@taligent: Well spoken. Not sure why people are holding Bach and Allard up on a pedestal when all they really left in their wake is a gaping multi-billion-dollar hole.
@SteveyAyo: Xbox is *never* going to recoup all its losses. By the time the 360 starts paying back the debt in earnest, it will be time for the 720, and the bleeding starts all over again. What a dead-end business to be in.
I think I'll keep my 15 minutes.
@WeirdHero
But you wasted 30 seconds letting us know....
@djt. It took you 30 seconds to read that? I am most disappointed
@Lord Vader My apologies Lord Vadar. ....I am slow.
@Lord Vader. It seems the Rebels changed my comment to make me look like bantha fodder. It should have said
@WeirdHero "It you 30 seconds to write that? I am most disappointed"
p.s. Grammar Nazis will be force choked on sight
@Lord Vader Shut up already.
@WeirdHero. Hmmmm. It is apparent my replies are causing you unbearable pain. That is good....It brings you to the Dark Side of the Force
@WeirdHero
Pwned!
J Allard and Robbie Bach were behind all the things I liked about Microsoft. Let's hope this new direction Microsoft is taking is the right one.
@kwiiiq .. Except that everything they did was either years too late or poorly executed. Robbie should go. Allard needs to stay but under a tight leash.
I give the 360 3 years more max from this christmas season, which would be pretty damn impressive. It's amazing to think this box is 5 years old now, as much as I love the games I kind of want something new. Makes me want to be a PC gamer.