The killer app for Microsoft Surface is collaboration

People brought PCs into the office because PCs let people become more effective. The early days were difficult, as we struggled with them. We didn't know how to use PCs well, and software was difficult to use.

Eventually, we found the right mix of hardware and software. Windows XP was powerful enough to be useful for corporations and individuals, and it was successful. (And still is.)

Now, people are struggling with tablets. We don't know how to use them well -- especially in business. But our transition from PC to tablet will be more difficult than the transition from typewriter to PC.

Apple and Google built a new experience, one oriented for consumers, into the iPad and Android tablet. They left the desktop experience behind and started fresh.

Microsoft, in targeting the commercial market, delivered word processing and spreadsheets. But the tablet versions of Word and Excel are poor cousins to their desktop versions. Microsoft has an uphill battle to convince people to switch -- even for short periods -- from the desktop to the tablet for word processing and spreadsheets.

In short, Apple and Google have green fields, and Microsoft is competing with its own applications. For the tablet, Microsoft has to go beyond the desktop experience. Word processing and spreadsheets are not enough; it has to deliver something more. It needs a "killer app", a compelling use for tablets.

I have a few ideas for compelling office applications:

• calendars and scheduling 
• conference calls and video calls
• presentations not just on projectors but device-to-device
• multi-author documents and spreadsheets

The shift is a one from individual work to collaborative work. Develop apps to help not individuals but teams become more effective.

If Microsoft can let people use tablets to work with other people, they will have something.