If you’re in the market for a giant 84-inch 4K touchscreen computer, now is a good day. After numerous delays, Microsoft started shipping its Surface Hub to business customers today.
Surface Hub comes in both the giant 84-inch version and a smaller 55-inch HD edition for a relatively affordable $8,999. You’ll still need a stand for them, too, which will set you back another $3,699 for the rolling stand for the 84-inch model and $2,350 for the 55-inch version.
Microsoft had primitively set the prices for the Windows 10-based Surface Hubs at $19,999 and $6,999, but later increased them. It goes without saying that Microsoft is marketing the Surface Hub, which is dependent on the technology it acquired when it bought Perceptive Pixel in 2012, as a new tool for collaboration — both in person and through video conferences.
“Our early Surface Hub business partners can tell you confidently that they work together better with Surface Hub,” Microsoft devices marketing GM Brian Hall writes today. “This is why we built Surface Hub. […] We are excited to see how Surface Hub will bring people together to work, create and learn in new ways.”
The company says lots of companies are already using Surface Hub to see how it “will improve how people work together and engage customers.”
Thanks to $20,000 is apparently a big investment for any company, Microsoft worked with Forrester to commission a Total Economic Impact study. This study showed that using Surface Hub in a business environment resulted in benefits ” of more than $850,000 in terms of savings in device deployment and management costs, avoided printing and device purchase costs, and improved sales.” You should clearly take that with a grain of salt. Microsoft commissioned this study, after all. If you need to make an argument to management why you need to buy one of these, although, you should maybe bring a copy of this study to your meeting.
