Microsoft Celebrates 10 Years of Innovation in the Home

September 28, 2004 - (HostReview.com) -  Microsoft Corp. today celebrated 10 years of changing the way people think about technology in the home by displaying new technologies that may shape the way people live, work and play in their homes. Microsoft has equipped its concept facility, called the Microsoft® Home, with new technologies and real-world scenarios that demonstrate how software might help people better manage their busy lives, stay in touch with friends and family, and enjoy more of each day.

Launched in 1994, the Microsoft Home was one of the first facilities dedicated to exploring how people experience technology in their daily lives. The Microsoft Home simulates environments such as the kitchen, family room, entertainment room and bedroom, collecting a broad range of technologies, products and services in each space to examine how software can improve people's lives.

New additions to the foyer, entertainment room, home office and bedroom showcase Microsoft's commitment to developing software that meets people's needs today and is engineered for their dreams tomorrow.

Over the past 10 years, several ideas that were first tested as prototypes in the Microsoft Home have found their way into people's homes around the world. Some examples of technologies that began in the Home and have been embodied in consumer products are the Tablet PC, Windows® XP Media Center Edition and digital music.

"From digital picture frames and distributed digital media to the Tablet PC, the immersive demonstrations of future lifestyles developed at the Microsoft Home have proved to be an effective way to communicate our vision and drive the industry forward. I am proud to see the impact of the work I started 10 years ago," said Craig Mundie, senior vice president and chief technical officer of Advanced Strategies and Policy at Microsoft.