You’ll find Surfaces everywhere these days; in schools, jails, airplanes, TV shows, and in sports. Aside from the consumer space, Microsoft has been pushing their range of hybrid tablet computers in several industries, and they’ve been very well received.
On the (American) football pitch, the Surface has replaced paper-based solutions on the NFL sidelines. Microsoft is now providing the hardware and software in a solution called the Surface Sideline Viewing System that allows teams to quickly analyze pictures of previous offensive and defensive series in order to plot their next moves. The devices come in a rigid protective case just in case someone mistakes one for a football.
Along with improving the ways things are done on the sidelines, the company is also working on enhancing the experiences of the fans watching the games. According to James Bernstrom, Microsoft’s Product Marketing Director for Devices and Studios, “we have a passion for innovating and improving the quality of our devices and services, and are especially excited about this opportunity to improve the productivity for coaches and players on the sidelines not to mention the ability to bring a whole new experience to the NFL fans from the comfort of their living rooms”. Additionally, using Microsoft’s NFL app for Xbox One, fans of the game can fulfill their fantasy football needs with in-game highlights, real-time updates, news, scores and stats.
Microsoft is fully invested in improving the tech used in the NFL, and you wouldn’t expect less considering the software giant is the maker of “The Official Tablet of the NFL” and “The Official Game Console of the NFL”. It wouldn’t be too surprising to see the company push forward in sports as there is still Basketball, Baseball, Football (Soccer), Tennis, and Golf that each attract a significant level of attention and interest from fans around the world.
