Can't we just admire the simplicity of this without starting all the MS-bashing? PLEASE?
Seriously, this is ridiculous. Whatever this is, it is an improvement over the current style. Hell, you know what, label the battery slots with an arbitrary direction if you're so worried about "confusing the user" - and then work in other ways, too.
But all this hating is completely out-of-line with the hacker/engineer spirit. How hard is it to just appreciate a nifty hack when you see it? No matter who it comes from?
While this is great design in isolation from the rest of the world, it will only add more confusion unless it is ubiquitous.
Currently you just have to look for labels like + and - in the battery slot, and with such devices there may be no such labels at all, or instead some text that says "put batteries any way you want", or, even worse, some cryptic graphic that attempts to say it. More processing power required != good.
Disclaimer: not a Microsoft hater, just my thoughts.
My point is, go ahead and put in the current +/- sign. On the box, packaging, site, manual, whatever you can talk about how it'll actually work in any way.
Those that look for the +/- will find it. Those that misread it or are too thick to understand it will put them in wrong and your device will still work. And those that saw the cool picture on your device's package will play around with it and test different ways then say "waaaaay cool!"
Seriously, this is ridiculous. Whatever this is, it is an improvement over the current style. Hell, you know what, label the battery slots with an arbitrary direction if you're so worried about "confusing the user" - and then work in other ways, too.
But all this hating is completely out-of-line with the hacker/engineer spirit. How hard is it to just appreciate a nifty hack when you see it? No matter who it comes from?