Microsoft announces Surface - Microsoft Tablet

[opendoor]

I just wonder how user friendly it'll be. Even in Windows 8, most programs (at least to start) are still going to run in the classic desktop interface which means you'll basically be forced to use the keyboard and trackpad as the interface for a lot of stuff given that you're working with a 10" screen.

I guess depending on peoples' perspective it'll either provide the best or worst of both worlds. On the one hand you'll get a tablet that can run full blown Windows programs and is more portable than a laptop. But on the other hand one might see it as getting a tablet with an interface that almost necessitates treating it like a laptop except you'll get stuck with an inferior keyboard and trackpad to a laptop.

Personally I'd fall into the second camp, as even using a screen as small as netbook to run a computer OS is testing the limits of my patience. If I'm running a full blown OS I prefer it in an environment with a larger screen and a proper keyboard. But when I'm using a smaller device I much prefer an OS designed for that interface like iOS or Android. Others will probably have a different opinion though. Maybe when (or if) the Metro interface gains traction Windows will bridge that gap.

[GGG]

Depending on form factor the PC version of the tablet looks like a pretty good device. Looks smaller and thinner than th asus tablets.

I would consider getting one for work an Ipad just doesnt quite have the interfac between it and my PC i need.

[I-Hate-Hulse]

Originally Posted by Hack&Lube

If this thing has a version that is x86/x64 compatible then boom, they have an instant market from the corporate sector. There are a lot of companies issuing tablets, etc. like Playbooks (lol) and iPads and running things off the Cloud. If x86/x64 works natively then all your business/scientific/engineering apps will possibly work as well.

Quoted for truth - we are finding that our deployed iPads are really only being used by the majority of users for answering emails (and status LOL). We are your typical non "tech" type of corporation, with an "average" level of technology usage. Editing of MS office documents is a need, and while this can be done with 3rd party apps, the real McCoy (and better keyboards) would be a nice plus.

Biggest possible wins? If this is able to access files on the network drive and possible have an genuine Outlook client versus some crappy 3rd party app that has BES like features (ie Good) than I suspect you'll see these get snapped up like hotcakes by Corporations. Again, people are using these for emails, and the crappy 3rd party Outlook apps required by most large corporations (above ActiveSync) are a real downer.

Especially since companies might be able to negotiate discounts on these, a concept unfamiliar to Apple. Priced right, and assuming the OS doesn't suck, this could be a decent platform for MS. (and crappy for RIM).

We'll see MS, we'll see.

[Rathji]

Assuming the hardware is up to task, and it is at most slightly more expensive than a comparable iPad, it will most certainly gain some market.

I can't see it being cheaper though.

[Azure]

I would guess its around $500.

Which is exactly why nobody will buy it.

[MRCboicgy]

I like the fact the RT one comes with Office Student and Home - For a poor college student, it would be idea because it would let them do something more than play games and check e-mail.

I need to replace my laptop, so the Pro might fit the bill

[bluejays]

I think it's a great idea by Microsoft. Simple but brilliant. I have little doubt this thing will sell like hotcakes because it's simply a more portable laptop. Think about all the people who love to bring their laptops on their trips, and do work while on the airplane, but can't because of the size. This is that perfect bridge. Maybe it can't compete against Apple with their app catalogue, but this thing if priced well, will definitely sell well with their full OS on it as opposed to the iOS interface on the iPad.

They definitely built a winner from the looks of it. The only thing I question is why announce it now, and say we'll release it in a few months? It really takes the buzz out of it. RIM did the same thing with the PB and we all know how that ended. They should have announced this in a few months and said it will be available in 2 weeks. Take a page out of Apple's marketing and do it right.

[QuadCityImages]

Originally Posted by Azure

I would guess its around $500.

Which is exactly why nobody will buy it.

$500 for the ARM-powered one I assume you mean?

If Microsoft admits that it will cost as much as "similar ultrabooks," which they have, there's no way the Intel-powered one will be less than $999.

[sclitheroe]

WTF, they soldered in the RAM!

[Azure]

Originally Posted by QuadCityImages

$500 for the ARM-powered one I assume you mean?

If Microsoft admits that it will cost as much as "similar ultrabooks," which they have, there's no way the Intel-powered one will be less than $999.

Yeah, sorry.

Either way, its way to costly considering the Google Tablet will probably come out soon, and it will probably cost less than $250, and will do everything that the Microsoft Tablet will do.

That being said, a while back I was looking for something similar to this. Ended up just going with a laptop instead which works just as well.

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Azure

Either way, its way to costly considering the Google Tablet will probably come out soon, and it will probably cost less than $250, and will do everything that the Microsoft Tablet will do.

What an odd thing to say - we have almost zero information on the Google Tablet, its feature set, or its price. I could just as easily say you know what? Microsoft Surface 2.0 is going to cost less than $200, and do everything Google Tablet does. And I hear iPad 7" is going to cost $149, and do everything all three do. And the Samsung Galaxy Bob, coming in the fall, will pay you to use it!

I can tell you two things Google Tablet won't do - run "real" Office, nor run the same Metro apps as your MS phone and desktop/laptop OS.

I can also tell you that there is not a single sub-$400 tablet (that isn't being fire-saled to get them out of warehouses) that is competitive in this generation and can reasonably expect to win market share. Not from RIM, Asus, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Apple, or Samsung. Nobody is making anything of note at the $250 price point, and to expect Google to do it flies in the face of this evidence.

I hope Google comes out of the gate with a killer product - having three high end tablet offerings will do wonders for both pricing and innovation. But to think they can undercut the current market by almost 50% and retain the quality and features of the current generation is a specious claim.

[sun]

So this will run Lightroom, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc? If so... sold!

[freedogger]

Tablets in the enterprise are for people that are in meetings all day. Managers and the executive. Most of the ones I know at this level prefer paper. They didn't grow up with tech. These types won't be flocking to windows 8, they would like to stumble through it all in the privacy of their own offices, not in front of others in a meeting fer gawds sakes!

[Sr. Mints]

I'm interested. Of course, Windows 8 is a big question mark.

I'm sick to death of ####ing around with Windows for the last 15 years. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but y'know, I've not once had to screw with OSX and the settings on my Macs to get them to work.

" . . . pricing will be announced closer to availability and is expected to be competitive with a comparable ARM tablet or Intel Ultrabook-class PC."

So, what? $300-700?

[psyang]

Simple usability question regarding the cover/keyboard:

If you want to use the Surface with its stand, but not the keyboard, where does the cover go? Does it have to be laid flat in front like a keyboard? It can't be folded to the back since the stand is in the way. Maybe it can be hinged at the top as well, so it folds back over the top of the tablet?

[Tinordi]

If they basically provide laptop functionality and allow the user to access the Windows back end behind metro then this will be a huge offering.

It basically turns a tablet into something useful beyond being a toy. I've held off buying a tablet because of the fundamental lack of productivity and integration with work that I do on a computer.

We will see how MS proceeds but the keys to the gate are in allowing surface to exist within a home and corporate windows environment with all of the features of a windows laptop.

[Rathji]

Originally Posted by sun

So this will run Lightroom, Photoshop, AutoCAD, etc? If so... sold!

If it runs lightroom, it should run the other 2 (min system specs are fairly close) but I wouldn't be thinking it would do it well.

[photon]

The Windows 8 one has a Core i5 processor, but the RAM will probably be the limiting factor with those kinds of apps, I don't think I read how much RAM they'll have yet.

[Muffins]

Originally Posted by psyang

Simple usability question regarding the cover/keyboard:

If you want to use the Surface with its stand, but not the keyboard, where does the cover go? Does it have to be laid flat in front like a keyboard? It can't be folded to the back since the stand is in the way. Maybe it can be hinged at the top as well, so it folds back over the top of the tablet?

I believe the cover can be detached

[sclitheroe]

Originally Posted by Sr. Mints

I'm sick to death of ####ing around with Windows for the last 15 years. I'm not an Apple fanboy, but y'know, I've not once had to screw with OSX and the settings on my Macs to get them to work.

Change is afoot on this front though - the Metro apps are fully sandboxed, not unlike what you see on iOS devices - app installation and removal is simply adding or deleting the app. They can't munge up the guts of the OS.

I'm sure the legacy side (on desktop and the Intel tablet version) will have its usual quirks and foibles.

That being said, OS X has its fair share of problems - I'd say Windows 7 is on par with OS X for stability, and there are definitely sick OS X systems out there. I've run into a number of weird edge cases with issues you should never have to think about, like a machine that persistently has problems with the boot time dynamic linker cache that leads to slow memory leaks and eventual hangs - troubleshooting stuff like that on the Mac is just as vexing as on Windows, and maybe more so because a far smaller percentage of the user base knows how to delve into the logs or understands the underlying architecture well enough to contribute to the online conversations.