The Surface Hub is a brand of

interactive whiteboard An interactive whiteboard (IWB), also known as interactive board or smart board, is a large interactive display board in the form factor of a whiteboard. It can either be a standalone touchscreen computer used independently to perform task ...

developed and marketed by

Microsoft Microsoft Corporation is an American multinational technology corporation producing computer software, consumer electronics, personal computers, and related services headquartered at the Microsoft Redmond campus located in Redmond, Washi ...

, as part of the Microsoft Surface family. The Surface Hub is a wall-mounted or roller-stand-mounted device with either a 55-inch (140 cm)

1080p 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen ve ...

or an 84-inch (210 cm) 4K 120 Hz

touchscreen A touchscreen or touch screen is the assembly of both an input ('touch panel') and output ('display') device. The touch panel is normally layered on the top of an electronic visual display of an information processing system. The display is ofte ...

with

multi-touch In computing, multi-touch is technology that enables a surface (a touchpad or touchscreen) to recognize the presence of more than one point of contact with the surface at the same time. The origins of multitouch began at CERN, MIT, University ...

and multi-pen capabilities, running the

Windows 10 Windows 10 is a major release of Microsoft's Windows NT operating system. It is the direct successor to Windows 8.1, which was released nearly two years earlier. It was released to manufacturing on July 15, 2015, and later to retail on ...

operating system. The devices are targeted for businesses to use while collaborating and

videoconferencing Videotelephony, also known as videoconferencing and video teleconferencing, is the two-way or multipoint reception and transmission of audio signal, audio and video signals by people in different locations for Real-time, real time communication. ...

. On May 15, 2018, Microsoft announced that the second-generation

Surface Hub 2S The Surface Hub 2S is the second generation of the interactive whiteboard developed and marketed by Microsoft, as part of the Microsoft Surface family. Like the first-generation Surface Hub, the Hub 2S can be wall-mounted or roller-stand-mount ...

would be released in 2019.

History

In 2012, Microsoft acquired

Jeff Han Jefferson Y. "Jeff" Han (born 1975) is a computer scientist who worked for New York University's (NYU) Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences until 2006. He is one of the main developers of " multi-touch sensing", which, unlike older touch ...

Perceptive Pixel Perceptive Pixel is a division of Microsoft specializing in research, development and production of multi-touch interfaces. Its technology is used in fields including broadcast, defense, geo-intelligence, energy exploration, industrial design and ...

, which had previously developed large-screen multi-touch displays such as the CNN Magic Wall. Microsoft indicated in 2014 that it intended to mass-produce the devices as part of an effort to bring down cost. Microsoft first announced the Surface Hub at its Windows 10 Devices Event on January 21, 2015, at which the device was in use throughout the majority of the keynote. Microsoft began taking Surface Hub pre-orders on July 1, 2015 for both the 55-inch model and the 84-inch model, stating that they would begin shipping in September 2015. However, on July 13, 2015, it was announced on Microsoft's Surface Blog that pre-order demands had greatly exceeded predictions and that shipments would be delayed, with more details regarding the delays coming in mid-August. It was confirmed that Microsoft had delayed shipment to January 1, 2016. In December 2015, Microsoft announced another delay and that they would be raising the prices by $2,000, though they would honor the price agreements for pre-orders that had been placed. The Surface Hub began shipping to business customers on March 25, 2016.

Features

Hardware

Both Surface Hub models use the 4th-generation

Intel Core Intel Core is a line of streamlined midrange consumer, workstation and enthusiast computer central processing units (CPUs) marketed by Intel Corporation. These processors displaced the existing mid- to high-end Pentium processors at the time o ...

Haswell

processor Processor may refer to: Computing Hardware * Processor (computing) **Central processing unit (CPU), the hardware within a computer that executes a program *** Microprocessor, a central processing unit contained on a single integrated circuit (I ...

s (Core i5 for the 55-inch and Core i7 for the 84-inch) and run the

64-bit In computer architecture, 64-bit integers, memory addresses, or other data units are those that are 64 bits wide. Also, 64-bit CPUs and ALUs are those that are based on processor registers, address buses, or data buses of that size. A ...

version of

. The main differences between the two variants are screen size, resolution and graphics adapters. The 55-inch model supports 1920 × 1080

Full HD 1080p (1920×1080 progressively displayed pixels; also known as Full HD or FHD, and BT.709) is a set of HDTV high-definition video modes characterized by 1,920 pixels displayed across the screen horizontally and 1,080 pixels down the screen vert ...

and contains an

Intel HD Graphics Intel Graphics Technology (GT) is the collective name for a series of integrated graphics processors (IGPs) produced by Intel that are manufactured on the same package or die as the central processing unit (CPU). It was first introduced in 20 ...

4600 controller integrated in the CPU, while the more-expensive 84-inch model has 3840 × 2160 4K resolution powered by a Nvidia Quadro K2200 discrete graphics adapter. The screen of both models has a high-definition display with 120 Hz

refresh rate The refresh rate (or "vertical refresh rate", "vertical scan rate", terminology originating with the cathode ray tubes) is the number of times per second that a raster-based display device displays a new image. This is independent from frame rate ...

, though it is not intended for use in film or TV screening. The screen is capable of achieving high levels of brightness (up to 424.38 cd/m²), and can reach a minimum of 1.58 cd/m². The screen has a touch sensor which allows it to detect whether a

stylus A stylus (plural styli or styluses) is a writing utensil or a small tool for some other form of marking or shaping, for example, in pottery. It can also be a computer accessory that is used to assist in navigating or providing more precision ...

is being used. Surface Hub models have a wide-angle HD camera on either side of the device. The cameras produce video at

and 30 fps, and are enabled with a four-element microphone array. The cameras have sensors for ambient light and infrared presence, allowing the hub to react to light levels or heat in the room (e.g.: activating a presentation program when someone enters the room). When used for videoconferencing, the cameras are intended to automatically track a person moving from one side of the display to the other. According to Microsoft, the four-element microphone array can detect a whisper from away, but in ''

PC Magazine ''PC Magazine'' (shortened as ''PCMag'') is an American computer magazine published by Ziff Davis. A print edition was published from 1982 to January 2009. Publication of online editions started in late 1994 and have continued to the presen ...

''s tests of the Hub, a more realistic estimation is about .

Software

The Surface Hub runs Windows 10 Team, a customized version of Windows 10 Enterprise. Users can disable the restrictive access by opening the Settings app and select the option to reinstall Windows 10 Enterprise. Software product JT2GO (developed by

Siemens Siemens AG ( ) is a German multinational conglomerate corporation and the largest industrial manufacturing company in Europe headquartered in Munich with branch offices abroad. The principal divisions of the corporation are ''Industry'', ''E ...

) allows users of the Surface Hub to interact with a 3D model. The models can be displayed from any angle and be enlarged or reduced in real time. The application can be used on all

devices but is particularly useful on the Surface Hub. Skype for Business video conferencing will be included with the Surface Hub.

Microsoft Office Microsoft Office, or simply Office, is the former name of a family of client software, server software, and services developed by Microsoft. It was first announced by Bill Gates on August 1, 1988, at COMDEX in Las Vegas. Initially a marketin ...

applications can also be used, including

Word A word is a basic element of language that carries an objective or practical meaning, can be used on its own, and is uninterruptible. Despite the fact that language speakers often have an intuitive grasp of what a word is, there is no conse ...

PowerPoint Microsoft PowerPoint is a presentation program, created by Robert Gaskins and Dennis Austin at a software company named Forethought, Inc. It was released on April 20, 1987, initially for Macintosh computers only. Microsoft acquired Powe ...

and Excel.

Microsoft OneNote Microsoft OneNote is a note-taking software developed by Microsoft. It is available as part of the Microsoft Office suite and since 2014 has been free on all platforms outside the suite. OneNote is designed for free-form information gathering ...

allows users to draw on the screen. The Hub's welcome screen has three buttons call, whiteboard and connect corresponding to the promoted themes of talking, drawing and sharing. These functions can be used individually or simultaneously.

Manufacture

The Surface Hub was originally manufactured at a plant in

Wilsonville, Oregon Wilsonville is a city primarily in Clackamas County, Oregon, United States. A portion of the northern section of the city is in Washington County. It was founded as Boones Landing because of the Boones Ferry which crossed the Willamette River at ...

. In July 2017, however, Microsoft announced that it would be moving production to China and closing the plant in the following months, resulting in the loss of jobs for 124 workers.Microsoft's Wilsonville jobs are going to China, underscoring travails of domestic tech manufacturing
Mike Rogoway, ''

The Oregonian ''The Oregonian'' is a daily newspaper based in Portland, Oregon, United States, owned by Advance Publications. It is the oldest continuously published newspaper on the U.S. west coast, founded as a weekly by Thomas J. Dryer on December 4, 18 ...

'', 2017-07-19

Issues

The Microsoft Surface Hub Keyboard has insufficient protection against replay attacks, so an attacker could control the Surface Hub remotely under certain scenarios.Microsoft Surface Hub Keyboard - Cryptographic Issues (CWE-310), Insufficient Protection against Replay Attacks
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References

{{Interactive whiteboard Microsoft Surface Windows 10 Products introduced in 2015 Microsoft