Microsoft announced today that it will acquire touchscreen display maker Perceptive Pixel. Bloomberg reports that the acquisition is aimed at improving the affordability of Microsoft’s PixelSense large displays. The company has not revealed how much it will pay for Perceptive Pixel.
Perceptive Pixel produces 82-inch multi-touch screens capable of responding both to stylus and finger inputs. The displays are intended for corporate and educational use, and are priced around $80,000.
The deal will increase Microsoft’s ability to manufacture its own PixelSense displays, large touchscreen devices often taking the form of tables. Those devices were initially known as Surface, but found their new name when Microsoft announced its line of Surface tablets. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said today that the acquisition is part of an effort to make the large touchscreen technology more affordable and thereby increase the reach of Windows 8.
