Apple had their Shot at Kinect

I didn’t realize how much of a demand there was for Microsoft’s Kinect until I spent all day Thursday, Friday and Saturday running from store to store trying to find one. I figured that the Kinect’s ability to track the user and movement was more of a “game changer” to the future of computing than Xbox gaming, but I was wrong. Here I sit and I still cannot find a retailer who is currently carrying the device. At my local BestBuy, there sits an empty pallet where Kinect used to be displayed next to a cage full of locked up iPads.

Another company who may be feeling regret with regards to Kinect is Apple. You know, the company in Cupertino that seems to be churning out great-selling products left and right.
Leander Kahney from Cult of Mac is reporting that he had a demo of the motion-sensing technology back when PrimeSense was first demoing it and Apple was their first choice. Unfortunately for Apple, as the story goes, “Apple is a pain in the ass” said the man (PrimeSense CEO, Inon Beracha) demoing the technology. Apple apparently, “…had already asked Beracha (PrimeSense) to sign a stack of crippling legal agreements and NDAs.

Years later, Microsoft has the most exciting new technology in their hands and if early reviews are to be believed, this thing is a hit. PCWorld notes that Microsoft expects to move at least 5 million units by the end of this quarter.
As for me, I’ll learn from this mistake and preorder next time. I’ve had a chance to play with the device multiple times already, but I am interested in what other users think, so let us know what your experiences have been like in the comments below.