I think the real story will be how well the actual full Windows 8 versions of Surface (and windows 8 competitors) do as these will be looking to replace laptops. I think this is what Microsoft is truly targeting....a bit of reinvention of complete laptop computing A very light and very portable fully functional laptop with a fully functional operating system and software (i.e. office). It's in this incarnation that keyboard (which is fantastic from my brief time in the store with it) really comes into play.
I also don't put much stock into a blogger camping out for a bit at two stores. I can give the same type of analysis...when I was in San Diego a few weeks ago at the Fashion Valley mall the Microsoft store was seemingly doing brisk business (and certainly not all XBox) while the Apple store was empty. I was through the mall several times over the week on the way to lunch/dinner/movie and this held true every time I went by the stores.
It looks like Windows 8 is Microsoft's gamble on the future of computing employing touchscreens across all kinds of machine, from smartphones to desktop computers.
I'm looking at getting a new laptop, and it seems to me that if I'm going to get one with Windows 8, it would only make sense to have a touchscreen on it.
I had the chance to use an Acer Aspire touchscreen laptop a few days ago, and can see how Windows 8 works great for touchscreen interface, but would probably be annoying as sin if I was just stuck with a touchpad.
With that in mind, does anyone have a touchscreen laptop (as opposed to a tablet) with Windows 8, and if so, how has the experience been? I'm currently looking at this one as my most likely purchase, though may opt for something a bit less pricey in the end:
My laptop very annoyingly died a couple days ago so I'm in the market for a new one. The most process intensive thing I use it for is to play Civ 5, so I'm thinking I would at last like to be able to play the game on highest res etc to make the most out of it.
I'm thinking of a touchscreen Windows 8 Ultrapad since the latest Civ 5 patch enables touchscreen controls, but any advice from the more tech savvy in here would be much appreciated--thanks!
So is there not any place in Calgary that I can go see this thing? No wonder they haven't sold any.
I'm a bit surprised that we don't have at least one Microsoft store in Calgary yet. The West Edmonton has a 'Holiday Store', but that's about it. They should have gotten on top of this a long time ago.
I heard from one Microsoft vendor that retail space was too expensive in Calgary for Microsoft to open a store? What a joke.
I'd had the chance to place with the touch cover but I found it a bit like typing on a 1980s calculator/ZX Spectrum at first but it got a lot better once I got used to it.
I would definitely get the type keyboard though. I need real mechanical keys/
It's interesting to see Microsoft position the Windows 8 tablets as generally replacements for laptops - it's like they've taken Apple's "post-PC" stance and advanced the peg in the ground even further to (in my opinion) a really uncomfortable extreme. When they say "no compromises" they mean it - there is no compromise option in the ecosystem. You've got these tablet with keyboards and desktop GUI's or nothing.
What I want to see is an RT device positioned as the mid-point between phones and latops, much like any of the other tablet ecosystems out there.
Specifically, what I want (just for me..haha) is a 7" RT tablet that runs only Metro style apps - ditch the desktop and position the device as a pure Windows 8 experience. I don't need Office on a tablet, and the Metro apps would be cross-platform compatible and exist on both the tablet and my Win8 laptop. The OS footprint would be smaller, you'd be interacting only with true touch based apps for a better experience, and you could hopefully put the price down into the Nexus 7 range or slightly above.
At a lower price point, in a smaller form factor optimized for the new Metro environment, I'd bite and get one. But I can't afford (more than one) $600+ tablet, especially when it doesn't even have 3/4g mobility baked in. If I was interested in the Playbook or the Nexus, (or even the iPad Mini to a degree), they are affordable as adjunct devices. But the Surface tablets, as they stand, are too big an investment, for a feature set (Office and the desktop) that I don't want or need on a tablet device.
I spent Wednesday to Friday in Edmonton, and took the opportunity to pick up a Surface from the Microsoft kiosk, hoping it would bridge the gap between my iPad and my laptop running Windows 7.
Since my last vitriolic posts about Windows 8, I've learned to understand how it works, and I like it. So I was ready to give the tablet a try.
I was pretty excited to be able to use a real Word application on a tablet. I was also looking forward to a device which had USB and micro card support.
In all, it was a pretty slick device, but I returned it before coming back to Calgary.
These were the problems:
-Wifi kept dropping. Apparently this is a known bug, and will be fixed.
-I couldn't log in to Citrix. That's an arm processor issue, no fault of the Surface
-I haven't figured out how to use the new version of Internet Explorer, and didn't like having to take extra steps to use Google. I'm sure there's a way around that, but I was working even at night and didn't have a lot of time to play around
-I prefer the wider form factor of the ipad, I like to read vertically. The Surface makes you read with the tablet held horizontally
The good things:
-The screen looked great
-I like the tile interface a lot, way better than iPad's icons
-there was a familiar file structure which was accessible and easy to understand
-the snap keyboard is pure genius. I tried both, preferred the one with the raised keys, but the touch keyboard would work fine when needed
-the kickstand is great. Every tablet should have one.
In the end, I went back to my laptop for working, and then used my iPad for browsing, by Thursday. With more time I could have gotten more used to the Surface, but I just didn't find that it was worth it given I have an ultrabook running Windows 7 superbly, and an iPad 2.
I think I'll probably try the intel based Surface when it comes out though, and that will probably make me drop the ultrabook.
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-I haven't figured out how to use the new version of Internet Explorer, and didn't like having to take extra steps to use Google. I'm sure there's a way around that, but I was working even at night and didn't have a lot of time to play around
You need to type pretty hard for the touch version. I am a pretty hard typer to begin with so it isn't really an issue for me, but for some people it might be problematic. I have heard that the other version is better, but will cost you an extra $40 or so, if you compare the pricing with the touch cover that is bundled with the Surface.
The more I use the Surface, the more I realize that with the right app support it will be a good device, but I don't think that Windows RT will have that support for a long time, if ever.
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Gotta take this with a grain of salt. I also wonder if this is actual sales or more of the BS "shipped" numbers people always mistakenly take as sales to end customers. Either way, ouch.
