Microsoft Uses Tech Blog to Confirm Courier

March 28th, 2010 · · News 7 comments - Tags: , ,

Microsoft’s normal response to most inquiries about new or rumored products is usually succinct: “No comment.” So it’s noteworthy when the tight-lipped company offers more than its typical two-word answer, let alone when they farm out the publicity to a tech blog.

That’s what happened on JobsBlog, Microsoft’s version of Monster.com. In a post championing the Redmond company’s general kickassedness, it accidentally showed its slip, which I’ve handily highlighted for you in bold:

Do you already know everything about Project Natal and the Cloud? Is Blaise Aguera y Arcas’ jaw-dropping TED talk on augmented-reality Bing Maps and Photosynth last month’s news? Then check out some of the online chatter surrounding new releases of Window Phone 7 series handsets, Internet Explorer 9 and the upcoming Courier digital journal.

As MediaMemo first pointed out, that last line came with a hyperlink to this Engadget post that featured “exclusive photos” of the product Microsoft is still not willing to admit it’s making. So does this mean the Courier, which some think is meant to compete with Apple’s upcoming iPad, is real?

As MediaMemo says, this two-step between tech companies and the blogs that cover them is nothing new. One has an interest in building hype for a new product while the other uses said hype to feed their reader’s ever-growing hunger for info.

As for Microsoft’s response to the maybe accidental, maybe intentional sleight of hand, its since edited the job search post and removed the part where it talked about Courier. And to no one’s surprise, in response to follow-up questions it’s offered the its familiar (and terse) reply.

March 24, 2010
source: blogs.seattleweekly.com