Microsoft to Manufacture Hardware for the Courier

Several Courier prototypes are said to exist, although the exact number is unknown. The device is rumored to be at a stage in product development where user interface concepts are being circulated to outside agencies. What about the hardware?

According to Mary Jo Foley at ZDNet, the product is an "incubation" project, which puts it one step ahead of a "research" project. Her sources have also indicated that when it hits the commercial pipeline Microsoft will manufacture the device itself.

The Entertainment and Devices division took a similar route with the Xbox. J Allard, the head of the division, is said to be spearheading the development of Courier.

Microsoft has also posted this job ad for a Senior Program Manager in the same division:

Division: Entertainment & Devices Division
Excited by Xbox 360? Fascinated by the technology that powers the Surface? Ever wonder how your Zune HD got built? Bring your talent and passion for building great products to the Manufacturing Test Engineering team! Our team is where all these cool products and more come together. We are a small, high-energy engineering team that builds all the systems that make sure these great products work perfectly as they leave our factories. We literally design and build all the test system used to check our products from the beginning to the end of the manufacturing line and are literally responsible for billions of dollars of products being delivered at the highest quality to our customers.

As a Senior Program Manager, you will own a broad set of feature areas and products, working with our mechanical, electrical, firmware, software, design verification and reliability engineers along with Manufacturing to bring a product from concept into mass production. You will also develop partnerships with internal and external organizations to ensure that our products deliver a superior customer experience.

Considering that Microsoft is getting ready to leave the Zune manufacturing business, maybe the person who gets this job will be building Couriers.