What he means is that with the up-coming spring release of their ‘software development kit’ they have found a way to release yet another product to consumers. This product (since it is a tool to make even more products) is therefore increasing economic wealth even more as new software engineers that don’t necessarily work for Microsoft are creating goods for their open-platform, and they themselves are therefore entitled to the wealth their new software is sold for.
The quote, “Microsoft is hoping that an army of smarter developers will now find more ways to take Kinect to the next level.” shows just this, and is a great move on Microsoft’s part to increase their wealth in an easy and popular way. Not only does Microsoft profit from the release of their new SDK, but they also gain popularity as a non-monopolizing company; they even increase demand for their Kinect system since a whole new group of consumers is now targeted—people wanting to buy 3rd party Kinect software for their personal use.
One point left out in the article however, was that with the release of this new wave of software, the issue of piracy is also present and as such could decrease economic wealth if unchecked. This is the case with nearly all software, but the issue could be greater and more threatening to the Kinect’s open-source market, as the consumer group is likely more familiar with computer programming and therefore could have a majority of users pirating Microsoft’s SDK with ease.
21 February 2011 Last updated at 20:04 GMT
Microsoft welcomes Xbox Kinect 'hackers'
By Rory Cellan-JonesTechnology correspondent, BBC News, Seattle
Microsoft says a new world of possibilities for computing may open up.
Microsoft is to open up its Xbox Kinect technology to allow amateur software developers to experiment with it.
The company is to release a software development kit in the spring, which will give developers access to the secrets behind the technology.
For now it will only be for personal use, but Microsoft says it will release a commercial version in due course.
Kinect, which turns the player's body into a game controller, has been a big hit since it launched last November.
It has already captured the imagination of the hacker community, which has been demonstrating various uses for the technology, including 3D photography.
Microsoft is hoping that an army of smarter developers will now find more ways to take Kinect to the next level.
"As breakthrough technologies like these reach scale, the resulting creativity and invention will open up a whole new world of possibilities for computing," said Craig Mundie, Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer.
The announcement was made during an open day at Microsoft's research centre near Seattle.
The company is hoping that the success of Kinect, developed by its own scientists, can give it a greater presence in the home entertainment field.
