While editing Brad's book Beneath a Surface, I was inspired to go back and re-watch Surface press events from the past and research my notes from those days. Doing so was an interesting exercise. And a reminder of how much this product line has evolved over time.

I don't want to undermine what Brad is doing with his book. Instead, I'd like to provide some surrounding context around the stories he tells in Beneath a Surface, and do so using some interesting information from my own archives. Here, I'll examine what was happening in and around the industry at the time Microsoft decided to go forward with Surface.