Microsoft’s Distinguished Scientist of Windows Hardware talks about the Surface

The Surface device has been available (at least in the United States and Canada) for a little while now, but do you know who was behind some of the underlying technology used in the Surface tablet and its accessories?

Meet Stevie Bathiche, his role at Microsoft is “Distinguished Scientist of Windows Hardware”. Bathiche has been with Microsoft since 1999 and his job is simple, tinker with stuff for a living. He also has the ability to hire other tinkerers and manage them in a team.

In the Applied Sciences Group, consisting of 20 people managed by Bathiche, the underlying technology of the Surface tablet and its accessories were born. The idea was to create a tablet to rival the Apple iPad. Microsoft faced one big concern with that idea, because they wanted to create something unique too.

In an interview, Bathiche spoke about the ultra-thin pressure-sensitive keyboard that can be used as a cover. “That’s when the killer application for pressure popped. It was like, ‘My God, this is why we have pressure.’”

Bathiche also makes reference to the timing of an idea. “The timing of an idea is just as important” as the idea itself, says Bathiche. “You can have the right idea, but at the wrong time. It has to be the right idea at the right time. For us, the key is learning the intuition of when the right time is,” he adds.

Hit the source link to read more about Bathiche and his role at Microsoft.