Google Jamboard will soon take on the Microsoft Surface Hub in a battle of digital whiteboards. Google just announced that the much-awaited Jamboard will finally be available in May re-sparking talk on whether it is the better smart whiteboard than the Surface Hub.
According to Hot Hardware, more than 2,000 units of the Surface Hub were reportedly sold by the end of last year which was more than Microsoft expected. Its popularity and dominance will certainly be challenged by the Google Jamboard. The price tag for Microsoft's collaborative whiteboard was initially pegged at $4,999 and $19,999 for its 55-inch and 84-inch variants, respectively, but growing demand at the time led the company to increase its introductory price to $8,999 and $21,999.
The Microsoft Surface Hub was unveiled in June 2015 while the Google Jamboard was introduced in October last year. During the announcement at the 2017 Cloud Next event, Google unveiled its May release date and its $5,000 price tag.
Since Google's Jamboard will be released almost two years after the Surface Hub, its features are expectedly more impressive, thanks to advancements in the industry. For one, the Jamboard's 55-inch 4K Ultra HD display has a higher pixel resolution (4,096 x 2,160) than the Surface Hub which sports a Full HD display with only 1,920 x 1,080-pixel resolution. Interestingly, the Jamboard only has 16 simultaneous touch points as compared to the Hub's 100 multi-touch points.
The 55- and 84-inch Surface Hubs run on Intel Core i5 and i7, respectively while Google has yet to reveal the Jamboard's processor. Both digital whiteboards come with built-in microphones, speakers, and wide-angle cameras. For connectivity, both utilize Wi-Fi and 1GB Ethernet.
Digital Trends mentioned that the Jamboard, which will not initially run apps natively, has integrated G Suite apps which will let users edit Docs, Sheets, and Slides among other capabilities. With Google Hangouts, the Jamboard also allows chatting with others. The Surface Hub, meanwhile, allows third-party apps to be installed.
The price and the new and more advanced features of the Google Jamboard make it the better choice than the Microsoft Surface Hub. However, a more thorough comparison between the two will come once consumers get to finally use the Jamboard.
