| Company type | Division ofMicrosoft |
|---|---|
| Industry | Large-scalemulti-touch display technology,education,broadcast,meetings andcollaboration |
| Founded | 2006; 20 years ago (2006) |
| Defunct | 2012 (2012) |
| Headquarters | Redmond,Washington |
Number of locations | 2 offices (2014) |
Key people | Jefferson Han(founder, general manager) |
| Parent | Microsoft |
| Website | www |
Perceptive Pixel was a developer and producer ofmulti-touchinterfaces. It was purchased byMicrosoft in 2012. Its technology is now used in fields includingbroadcast,defense,geo-intelligence,energy exploration,industrial design andmedical imaging.
The company begain in 2006 asPerceptive Pixel, Inc., headquartered inNew York City and maintaining offices inMountain View,Portland, andWashington, D.C.[1] Prior to the company's establishment, founderJeff Han[2] publicly demonstrated multitouch hardware and software technology at aTED conference in February 2006.[3] The company was founded later in the same year.[4] Subsequently, it shipped its first Multi-Touch Workstation and largerMulti-Touch Collaboration Wall in 2007.[5][6] The latter gained widespread recognition for transforming the wayCNN covered the2008 US Presidential elections.[7][8][9] In 2009, theSmithsonian awarded Perceptive Pixel theNational Design Award in the inaugural category ofInteraction Design.[10] Throughout its history as a startup company, Perceptive Pixel had focused on ultra-high-end touch displays that were sold to large businesses in key niches.[11]
On July 9, 2012, Microsoft CEOSteve Ballmer announced that they wouldacquire Perceptive Pixel Inc. in a transaction that closed three weeks later on July 31.[12][better source needed] At that year'sWPC conference, Ballmer stated the company hoped to use its newly acquired technology to enhance itsWindows 8 operating system.[13] Han also stated that the sale could allow their products to be more broadly available.[11]
On January 21, 2015, Microsoft announced theSurface Hub during its Windows 10 launch.[14] The new product was described as a next-generation device under theSurface brand and was developed by members of the Perceptive Pixel team.[15]
