Maybe this has been demoed/documented somewhere that I just haven't seen... but how is the usability of windows 8 when switching between input (mouse VS touch) methods?
I'm seeing both a touch screen & a track pad in these photos and I'm just not sure how you'd handle switching between the two? The mouse and touch screen are pretty different beast, so I'm not sure how you can optimize for both without sacrificing the user experience.
Maybe this has been demoed/documented somewhere that I just haven't seen... but how is the usability of windows 8 when switching between input (mouse VS touch) methods?
I'm seeing both a touch screen & a track pad in these photos and I'm just not sure how you'd handle switching between the two? The mouse and touch screen are pretty different beast, so I'm not sure how you can optimize for both without sacrificing the user experience.
I can't imagine it would be much of a problem.
At the driver level, both a mouse and trackpad alter the coordinates of the mouse by a degree specified by the sensitivity of the mouse. Ie +5 to y, -5 to x. To change that to allow a full replacement of those x and y values by the touch interface would be fairly trivial.
Are you implying that someone would be confused by this happening? or is your concern that someone might be wanting to use the mouse in one hand and the touch screen to move the pointer with the other hand?
Its really no different than a mouse and a trackpad existing at the same time on any laptop. People don't use both at the same time (on purpose at least).
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At the driver level, both a mouse and trackpad alter the coordinates of the mouse by a degree specified by the sensitivity of the mouse. Ie +5 to y, -5 to x. To change that to allow a full replacement of those x and y values by the touch interface would be fairly trivial.
Are you implying that someone would be confused by this happening? or is your concern that someone might be wanting to use the mouse in one hand and the touch screen with the other hand?
I'm more concerned about the behavior & feedback from the system. It's not just a matter of "track the cursor to where the finger touches" because in truth it's dealing with multi-touch (all those pinch, zoom, swipe gestures) vs a single curser location & a click.
Did you ever get a chance to try out a first generation BlackBerry Storm? It was essentially what you suggested "replace the 'click' with a 'tap' instead" and it was terrible. Of even if you ever used windows XP on a smart board, it's just not a great experience.
A mouse cursor always has a position on the screen, even if you don't touch the mouse for 10 minutes the cursor has a position, wherever you left it. But with a touch screen that's not the case.
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?
Maybe this will help you
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Yeah, I just watched the full keynote as well. I guess my main point in my question is that you either have to detach the keyboard/cover, or you have it laid out in front in the typing position.
That seems like a design flaw to me - if you are forced to detach it, you will forget it/leave it somewhere by accident. If you have it in the typing position, the screen must be 10 inches farther away on the table to accomodate the keyboard.
Obviously being nitpicky, as I like the overall design. And a core i5-based tablet is very intriguing. It just seemed strange to me that the cover could so easily be in the way when it shouldn't be.
I don't understand what you are saying here. Every laptop's screen must be further away on the table to accommodate the keyboard.
It won't be 10 inches either, it's a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 10" diagonal screen.
Sorry I wasn't clear (and my "10 inches" figure I just pulled out of thin air - not to be taken literally). I only meant to say that a normal tablet (which has no keyboard, but maybe a cover) can rest at the very front edge of a table. The Surface with the keyboard cover either needs the cover detached to do this, or must be pushed back further from the front edge of the table to accomodate the keyboard.
This can be an issue where space is a premium (maybe a seatback table on an airplane?), or where you physically want the screen closer to your face for better viewing.
Anyways, as i said, it's a nitpicky thing, but I found it strange.
Damn, I didn't have a chance to defend my nerd-honour. Ah well. Another time then.
I actually don't dislike MS and think this tablet looks pretty cool. Much like the phone realm if I couldn't get an iPhone I'd go to a Microsoft phone before an Android.
As mentioned here the brilliance in this product is the integration with office solutions. Yes Apple and Android have office apps, but they aren't true Office, and that introduces a host of problems.
I love my iPad, but for me it's more of an entertainment device than a content creation device. I love garageband and Paper (drawing/painting app), but beyond that anything that needs creating is harder to do on a tablet. I love looking at photos, videos or books on it, but beyond that usage gets slim.
I know the price is a sticking point for many, but we've seen what a $200 tablet is like, and frankly I don't think anybody wants that.
I'll be interested to see where this goes. I thought the phone would do better then it has been doing, so I won't make any predictions.
Sorry I wasn't clear (and my "10 inches" figure I just pulled out of thin air - not to be taken literally). I only meant to say that a normal tablet (which has no keyboard, but maybe a cover) can rest at the very front edge of a table. The Surface with the keyboard cover either needs the cover detached to do this, or must be pushed back further from the front edge of the table to accomodate the keyboard.
Ah ok I see what you mean, because the cover doesn't fold up and become part of the stand like some iPad covers, or can't flip all the way around like others. Maybe it can flip all the way around (so the Surface sits on the cover), or maybe you can attach the keyboard the other way.
I guess it depends on what your primary use for it is, but yeah I see what you mean now.
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Yeah, I thought maybe you could hinge the cover from the top so that it could flip the other way and rest on the back of the stand, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Having the surface rest on the keyboard/cover seems wrong too - the surface won't be as stable as it won't rest on a solid surface, and may be more upright.
I'm also curious about the heat vents on the Pro version. I like the concept of a vent that goes around the entire tablet perimeter so you can't block them by holding the tablet, but MS also claimed in the keynote that you wouldn't feel the dissipation of heat from the vents. Is an IvyBridge core i5 able to run on passive cooling alone, or are they directing airflow based on the tablet's orientation, or some other magic?
^ And that's why it needs a stand. I still think the "ideal" design is the tablet laptop (you could even stick a stand on the bottom for tablet mode)... make them lighter, thinner, better and it's tough to see any drawbacks.
Maybe you could make the keyboard part a touchscreen too or one of those shapeshifting touchscreens.
I'm thinking this has the potential to kill off the Ultrabook category (as well as the also ran tablets)
Many analysts seem to be talking about how this is aiming for corporate America, but if you look at their marketing, it's pretty clear they're aiming to win back everyday consumers.
Am I the only one that saw this title on the Off Topic board started as "Microsoft announces surface" and thought that once I got into the tech forum the rest would say "to air missiles"?
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.
Or bundle with Enterprise software to make more attractive to big business who are already in bed with MS, I can see this doing well in that sector.
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!
Our CEO doesn't even use his desktop computer and it collects dust. He uses an iPad for almost everything. Why do you expect Windows 8 to be a platform that people will "stumble through"? User friendliness was the main point of radical change in Windows 8. There's no reason why you can't drive real MS Office and touch-focused Sharepoint sites through a Metro oriented interface while having all the functionality of the real application behind Metro available if you want.
This looks brilliant. Depending on what kind of horsepower the Intel version comes with, I may very well use this to replace my aging Dell Precision M2400.
I have one question, is the charger a micro USB cable? or some proprietary money gouge that will force me to buy from Microsoft every-time I want to plug it into a new place without moving the plug.
if yes, I don't need to look at it any farther its a Motorola Xoom as far as I care.
if no, and any old usb cable can be used to charge it, then I'm still curious.
I have one question, is the charger a micro USB cable? or some proprietary money gouge that will force me to buy from Microsoft every-time I want to plug it into a new place without moving the plug.
You mean like every other notebook PC ever made?
That said, it would be incredibly smart of Microsoft to make it charge using a MicroUSB cable.
