18 ms·

Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

• gooorack 14y ago
  The keyboard on the cover looks very cool. Definitely attacking iPad and Air at the same time.
• vivekl 14y ago
  Watched the video. It appears MS is making a magnetic keyboard! ...And you get some sort of a tablet with it.
• 2muchcoffeeman 14y ago
  'Coming soon' Doesn't count unless you ship.
• SpikeDad 14y ago
  Using the Surface name is a total sleazy Microsoft move. The table has nothing whatsoever to do with the "Surface" technology they developed unless the screen can magically detect the specially coded or shaped components that a Surface table can detect. And if Apple released a new product with the joke of a website and spec sheet that MS just did they'd be scorn of anyone that knows how to type.
  • UnoriginalGuy 14y ago
    The web-site is bad; but you have to give Microsoft credit where it is due: the new device is something new and does push what it means to be a tablet.
• sho_hn 14y ago
  So they're not just going after the iPad, they're also going after the MacBook Air: The Intel version + Touch Cover was repeatedly shown with the regular desktop and apps on it, and generally spun as a sort of light laptop. Ambitious, and finally makes sense of their Metro/desktop combo OS strategy to a degree. The hardware to go along with it was a missing puzzle piece, and I guess shows just how important it can be.
  • kulkarnic 14y ago
    Pen+touch+type seems like a great idea. It is something no other manufacturer has tried to do. I think the devil will be in the details, but this sure is interesting, because Apple's strategy is "people should buy multiple devices-- iPad, Macbook Air, Mac Pro...". MSFT wants one device that is a lot more versatile.
    • Samuel_Michon 14y ago
      Pen+touch+type seems like a great idea. It is something no other manufacturer has tried to do. Apple Newton MessagePad, 1993. It had a stylus, handwriting recognition, you could use it with just your fingertips, and you could connect an external keyboard. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/ http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/ That was almost twenty years a go. Newton was a very expensive experiment for Apple, and they have learned the hard way that styluses are not the way to go.
      • jrockway 14y ago
        On the other hand, nearly ever doctor or professional I've seen using a tablet was using a Thinkpad with a pen rather than an iPad with their finger. Screwing around with iTunes and doing work are two completely separate use cases, and it seems that Microsoft is more interested in "the Enterprise" than Apple is. So with that in mind, they're trying to accommodate all use cases. (I did have one doctor that insisted on using an iPad. It took him forever to type notes to the point of it being extremely irritating. Transcribe your notes later!)
        • greedo 14y ago
          My anectdata trumps yours. I took my daughter to the pediatrician yesterday, and the entire practice was equipped with iPads.
          • greedo 14y ago
            -tejaswiy No, I'm in the Midwest, far from the sea. Unless you consider cornfields a sea of sorts.
• aganek 14y ago
  I think the case is what is most interesting. Keyboard + trackpad. Good bet by Microsoft. They are trying to shift the tablet market away from "a bigger smartphone" and back into their bread & butter desktop environment. They hope to leverage their ecosystem of apps on Windows and couldn't really do that with just a touch interface. I'm excited to see what it feels like when it is released. I'll be honest, I'm not convinced that I'll be able to deal with the context switching between traditional and metro UI's (+ touch and trackpad input methods), but I'll certainly give it shot. Best of both worlds if Microsoft pulls it off.
• modarts 14y ago
  As a loyal Microsoft user/apologist for decades now, I have to say that i'm cringing pretty hard after watching the coverage of this. This falls into pretty much the same form factor as the failed netbook, with no discernible distinction. Watching Microsoft throw itself off a cliff with everything from Win 8 to this tablet is very difficult to watch.
• th5 14y ago
  is this a joke? their gallery page images link directly to the images in the most unprofessional way. could've at least lightboxed it.
  • Smudge 14y ago
    Whatever was serving their .js files seemed to be down.
• deleted 14y ago
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• prezjordan 14y ago
  I'm not sure how I feel about this. I feel like there's nothing "new" here. Can someone prove me wrong?
  • kennywinker 14y ago
    The smartcover-with-keyboard thing is pretty impressive.
    • yottabyte47 14y ago
      That's what I thought at first and then thought 'I bet that feels like typing on a microfiber cloth, and the keys can't have much travel, if any at all.
      • estel 14y ago
        They've announced two covers, one of which has a tactile keyboard.
      • jules 14y ago
        Can't imagine it being worse than typing on a glass plate where the virtual keyboard takes up screen real estate. However the real question is how well using the touchscreen works while in upright mode, perhaps it's not that stable and touching it will wobble/move it.
    • prezjordan 14y ago
      I feel like it would leave very odd patterns from the oil on the screen, and it honestly looks like something I'd find in the clearance bin at staples.
    • r00fus 14y ago
      I used to have a rollable keyboard - it was impossible to use, despite it's novelty factor. I hope this works well - lots of design/manufacturing issues here - How durable is it? Is it at least as good as an onscreen keyboard? How much does it cost to replace when it does wear out or take a coffee spill? Looks interesting - I'll be excited when I try it out.
• deleted 14y ago
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• speg 14y ago
  Nice, keyboard built into the cover (with trackpad).
• MrFoof 14y ago
  They have a video on the main page. The video is a minute long. They have asked for my attention for a minute. In that minute, they have not told me anything about what the Surface can do for me, and why I should care about it. I'm absolutely baffled by that. Yes, I might know what it is, and have some idea about what it can do, but if this was a television commercial, I'd bet money that such a campaign would be a quickly forgotten failure.
  • shashashasha 14y ago
    Really surprised by the really clashing tones of their website (Apple, consumer, colors): http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx And that minute long video, which screams Dudes, Droids, and ferrofluids: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo&feature=player_embedded http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo&feature=playe...
    • DeepDuh 14y ago
      Well, Microsoft's marketing was never really known for consistency, was it? Compare it to this IE9 ad for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFE4rkSaKOY http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFE4rkSaKOY. Imagine an average consumer seeing these ads and then he sees this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86LxStLXrf4&feature=relmfu http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=86LxStLXrf4&feature=relmf.... Which one do you think he will understand? To which can he relate more? (Btw. I don't say iCloud is good. Microsofts Skydrive on win8 (or whatever they're calling their cloud offerings now, I really don't have an overview anymore) seems quite compelling - but it seems to me like they can't really communicate well enough what it does.)
    • stusmith1977 14y ago
      It's a shame the website had a white background, and the video had a black background. The borderless, chromeless video could have looked awesome if it had the same background color as the webpage itself - it would have merged in nicely. Instead the video stood out as a black box - it looked a little incongrous just 'stuck there' in the middle of the page.
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• MatthewPhillips 14y ago
  Yes please.
• ebtalley 14y ago
  Is there some visual distortion going on or is that tablet really thick? Reminds me of the newton. http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/publishingimages/new/gallery_3_large.jpg http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/publishingimag...
  • yottabyte47 14y ago
    Well it's big enough for a USB port.
  • WrkInProgress 14y ago
    It's something like 9 mm "thick" for the Windows RT version.
  • prezjordan 14y ago
    I think the back face is smaller in area than the front face, so the angle is tricking your eyes.
  • rcgs 14y ago
    It's .2mm thinner than the iPad.
    • Turing_Machine 14y ago
      Only if you don't count all the important bits they've crammed into the "cover" (e.g., the accelerometer).
      • Elepsis 14y ago
        The fact that the cover has an accelerometer shouldn't be interpreted to assume that the tablet doesn't.
• drivebyacct2 14y ago
  http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingassets/surfacespecsheet.pdf http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingasset... WinRT (ARM) and a Intel version. Multitouch keyboard. Full HD on the Intel tablet on 10.6 inch screen (nearly the same density as the MBP Retina) Also, funny the comments here, the iPad edges are tapered, but the RT version is 9.3mm and Apple says the iPad is 9.4mm deep. Why oh why are they pushing Silverlight to show the video?
  • CamperBob2 14y ago
    Why oh why are they pushing Silverlight to show the video? It's as if they decided to rip off both Apple's and Sony's philophies in one presentation.
  • MBCook 14y ago
    WinRT (ARM) and a Intel version The dual CPU thing still worries me. I think it's going to cause a ton confusion for consumers when Windows 8 comes out. These two tablets look the same, they're named the same, they use the same accessories. One will cost more than the other. They look like a 13" MacBook Air vs 13" MacBook Pro. But it won't be, because they run completely different OSes. The ARM one won't run your old software. It won't run the windows desktop you're used to. Some big game comes out? I wonder if it will run on WinRT. Since all the devices will have lower specs, will AAA titles be available? You could buy the more expensive one. I bet it has lower battery life. It won't come with Office, so not only do you have to pay $200 more for the device (random guess), but you also have to pay $100-$500 for a copy of Office on top just to match what's on the ARM tablet. The tablets are clearly quite different. They should be positioned differently, they should look physically different. I really want to see how consumers take to Intel vs. ARM. I can't help but think it's going to be a disaster. As for these tablets? The cover looks great, and MS does know how to make hardware (I've loved my Natural keyboards since '95 or '96). It's great to know there will be one device on the market that (should be) well made and not crazily under-specced for cost reasons. But does all this make third parties very nervous. Are these "demo" units to start the market, or the first wave of MS competing directly?
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• laconian 14y ago
  Silverlight video. Ugh.
  • mediocregopher 14y ago
    The blue "Play video" link loaded youtube for me, which one are you talking about?
  • jlarocco 14y ago
    The video played in Flash, via YouTube for me. I don't have Silverlight installed, maybe it fellback to Youtube?
• ThomPete 14y ago
  I think it's pretty safe to say that this is Microsoft going all in on the consumer market. 1. Video doesn't really show anything but it is admittedly well made. 2. You have to actually download the tech specs. 3. The tech specs have little meaning. (At first glance what is ClearType HD Display, some sort of Retina?) It's like they took the apple philosophy even further. Not sure how I feel about this but I guess now finally all the windows people have what the metro really is made for. Oh and a little detail. 2100 Likes so far and not a single tweet (which obviously can't be true for reasons I am not yet aware of.)
  • LockeWatts 14y ago
    >some sort of Retina? The power of Apple's marketing cannot be overstated here. You're referring to a Microsoft screen by an Apple trademark.
    • ThomPete 14y ago
      Heh yeah well. First mover advantage I guess. And apple of course had it right. If you want to bring something new to the table, call it something new. Don't mix unrelated terms in a monster called ClearType HD Display.
      • InclinedPlane 14y ago
        Something new, and meaningful too. Retina is a specific reference to the limits of the human eye, it tells you pretty directly what DPI a display should have at a given viewing distance.
    • robryan 14y ago
      What other terms are there to use appart from specifics like resolution of DPI. There was HD and Full HD, but what does it make these new screens?
    • mkr-hn 14y ago
      Just like how we used to call our computers IBM PC compatible.
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• forgetcolor 14y ago
  i can't believe they've got the windows logo on the front bezel. super ugly and distracting. even apple, who loves its logo as much as any corporation, kept the front of the ipad logo-free.
  • snprbob86 14y ago
    It looks to be some sort of "Home" button. I suspect the icon is intended to match the "Windows Key".
• plebu 14y ago
  Video requires Silverlight. Here is the Youtube version. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=dpzu3HM2CIo http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=d...
• cmcewen 14y ago
  I don't see a sticker telling me what kind of processor is in inside, nor do I see a sticker telling me which version of Windows this is. I'm a bit confused.
  • richardlblair 14y ago
    Windows 8, Ivy Bridge i5. They are just doing the conference now so that may be why the details aren't up yet.
    • edwinnathaniel 14y ago
      Someone doesn't get the joke... :D
    • Hytosys 14y ago
      Heh, I think he was referencing the fact that nearly all consumer Windows devices are plastered with silly stickers.
• wildmXranat 14y ago
  Why not offer video options, instead of shoving silverlight in our throat.
• ja27 14y ago
  The Win8Pro version has about the same 42 W-h battery size as in the new iPad. I doubt it can manage the same battery life, especially if it has to have vents.
  • ConstantineXVI 14y ago
    On the flip side, as it runs full Windows, it's also your laptop. For reference, I can get ~6hrs out of my 13" MBA, which packs a 50Wh battery. Going to guess the Surface Pro is running a lower-clocked part (as the 11" does, presumably for heat reasons), so with good power-management software at least 6-7hrs doing tablet-y things is definitely plausible. Obviously, opening Visual Studio or Photoshop will constrain that a bit, but these are things one can't do on an iPad.
    • mrdodge 14y ago
      Most consumers don't use Photoshop or Visual Studio. What do MOST consumers need full Windows for these days? Office? Most consumers could get by on iWork. I guess if they want to use their favorite virus scanner or anti-malware program they would now be able to do that. Windows dominates the market for consumer PCs because it's cheap and because of games. These same games will not work well on tablets. iOS already has enough games, Windows is at a severe disadvantage in terms of touch friendly games.
• heifetz 14y ago
  when you can't beat them, join them.
• mattiask 14y ago
  I'm actually a Windows user (although I own an iPad), but you have to be a bit humored by all this. As usual where Apple has used a feather Microsoft have used the whole chicken with keyboards, screws, different versions, the whole enchilada. I'm only surprised there's no stickers. "ClearType display"? really, you felt you had to brand it just to compete with "Retina display". Despite all this the tablet might actually be good, and seeing another quality tablet contender is always good for competition. I am however getting a bit worried by Microsofts "me too"-attitude and the reek of desperation these days. They could be making awesome stuff but they lack follow-through and the finer points of taste It's a pity they won't put their chips down on things that actually were original, like the courier or mainstreaming the surface (the table). In the end they didn't have any choice since they couldn't surrender their enterprise tablet/smartphone customers to Apple. The Courier was innovative but perhaps too niche so its not even sure that was a bad call. I guess I'm just arguing about the finer points about their attitude and execution, with Microsoft I'm always afraid that in-company bureaucracy will manifest itself into some stupid decision on the consumers behalf. Apple are fanatics (and splending assholes in some cases), but atleast you feel they pretty much set the consumer first and have some taste Having said all this I'm still kinda rooting for MS since they ironically enough seem to be the underdog nowadays, how the tables have turned...
  • photon137 14y ago
    All-in-all, it's a big, big play on Windows 8/RT. A kernel that can perform optimally on ARM/Intel on mobile devices and also support PC devices is a huge achievement - the entire thread-library would have to be one super-cool piece of software engineering. That and elsewhere within the OS, is where the innovation lies, in my opinion. And now you can see why JavaScript was made a first-class language for the WinRT (not Windows RT) API - content-consumption via touch is now going to be a big feature for Win 8 and nothing serves this better than HTML5/JavaScript. I'm kinda sad though, in a way, I always considered MS an engineering company - now it's gone the Apple way (which for all its merits is technologically ok-ish if not boring).
    • DeepDuh 14y ago
      DOES it perform well though? And by that I mean things like native hardware video decompression without having too much impact on the battery, real-timeyness of the touch UI and overall low power consumption. These are IMO the underlying technologies where Apple innovated the most with their iOS platform and these metrics are yet to beat by others. Do we already have hands on tests with windows 8 on ARM? I at least haven't seen any.
• xelipe 14y ago
  Does anyone know the estimated retail price for it?
  • jfoutz 14y ago
    Microsoft does :)
  • fishbacon 14y ago
    Probably in the iPad range, I can't imagine a successful tablet being more expensive than the iPad.
    • uvTwitch 14y ago
      I'd expect to see at least the pro variant in the ipad-laptop price range, since it fills the role of both a laptop and a tablet.
• andyl 14y ago
  The cover-with-keyboard looks like a great idea. Can't wait to give it a try.
• postfuturist 14y ago
  This device doesn't look like it will work well in my lap. I use a 5 year old laptop that I'm pretty happy with. I have a tablet that I never use but that's mostly because I don't like touchscreen interfaces, except on phones where they are lesser of 2 evils (the other evil being super-tiny keyboards).
  • endtime 14y ago
    Unless you have a very short lap, why can't you do this? + + |ta| |kb| ---- Where the +s are your knees, "ta" is tablet, "kb" is keyboard, and the ---- is your waist.
    • drivebyacct2 14y ago
      I have no idea what that diagram is trying to convey.
      • msg 14y ago
        It is a bird's eye view of a human holding a laptop in an armchair, said laptop composed of a touchscreen docked into a keyboard/case apparatus thusly.
    • ConstantineXVI 14y ago
      There's no solid hinge to keep the screen at a comfortable angle. Even with the kickstand, if you move your knees, the kickstand falls out of place.
      • glhaynes 14y ago
        It's astonishing to me how little discussion there has been of this. One of the primary places people use a laptop is, well, in their lap, and this doesn't look to be usable for that. I can't imagine that not being hugely frustrating.
• greedo 14y ago
  Good to see MS trying to compete with the iPad. Not sure that they'll have any more success than the Android based systems, but at least they're not ceding the market to Apple. I'll be very interested to see how the OEM partners view this. The key will be in pricing. If it's $499 for the base version, it might have a chance. Pricing it "on par with Ultrabook-class PCs" will leave it Zuned. I'm also surprised that Microsoft was able to keep this under wraps for this long.
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• jamesbowman 14y ago
  Zunepad
• ericdykstra 14y ago
  If this lives up to the promise, it will definitely replace my netbook. This looks like something that will perform well as a tablet for apps and light internet usage, and is an easy form-factor to take to a coffeeshop for some hacking or writing as a netbook replacement. EDIT: Why downvote ?? I don't care about the points, just curious if you are MS haters or something.
  • JennyKim 14y ago
    Don't worry, it's made by Microsoft, so it will suck.
    • flyt 14y ago
      Xbox is a good product.
      • grecy 14y ago
        If you ignore the RROD
        • freehunter 14y ago
          In which the return was handled pretty well. It was a fairly painless procedure when I turned mine in, call them up, spend 5 minutes on the phone, they send you a box with free shipping and another one is dispatched to you as soon as they receive the one you sent. They then redesigned it to prevent the issue happening again.
      • rb2k_ 14y ago
        The Xbox 360 was one of the worst user interfaces I've used in a long time. They forced me to register an account and enter information in about 20 text fields using my xbox controller before I could do anything with the device. After being pissed at that, it started spinning up its fans and sounded like a small airport. That was the point when I first thought about returning it to the store (which I later did). I know that it has been a while since they released it, but the missing attention to detail was always one of Microsofts biggest Problems. They usually seemed to strive for "good enough" rather then perfection. I really hope they are able to change that with their new line of products.
• da_n 14y ago
  As a happy iPad owner, and with knowing next to nothing just from first impressions, I can say this genuinely looks like a very intriguing effort by Microsoft. I love the smart cover with keyboard and it looks to be a perfect platform to showcase Win8 on. Hope this gets some real success, would be great to have some decent competition in the tablet space to keep Apple on their toes (I know there are other tablets, but they suck or are just trying to be ultra cheap etc).
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• ja27 14y ago
  I just flashed back to Ballmer mocking the MacBook Air 4 years ago. I guess he did want one after all. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYcxvEfUikg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYcxvEfUikg
  • kumarm 14y ago
    Don't forget Steve Jobs mocked tablets before iPad (and iPhone) was launched.
    • lostlogin 14y ago
      In fairness, they did need mocking at that stage.
      • untog 14y ago
        As did the Air.
  • rodh257 14y ago
    I'm not sure his shareholders would have loved it if he had of said that he thinks the MacBook Air is amazing and would love one of his own...
  • saurik 14y ago
    As someone who considers the current MacBook Air to be "the computer", enough to have made it my primary and only machine, the MacBook Air from four years ago was horrible: I laughed at my friends that got it, and I laughed all the harder when they didn't use it for months and then got a usable laptop. The 2010 Air is honestly barely the same device as the one from 2008. My point: pulling statements from four years ago and attempting to claim that they were wrong because the same words said today are silly or hypocritical is a little dishonest. (The classic example of this: the original iPhone running the original iPhone OS was actually not very good. Yet, people now make fun of people who claimed that, as some newer iPhone running the latest iOS is finally amazing.)
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• jsz0 14y ago
  2012 is the year third party OEMs start to go extinct. First (and always) Apple, now Microsoft, soon Google/Motorola. There may be some niche markets left over for third party OEMs but otherwise I think they're done. No wonder HP wanted out of the PC industry. Maybe they knew something we didn't?
  • bicknergseng 14y ago
    HP went through 4 CEOs, bought and dismantled Palm for no reason and at great capital loss, announced and then rescinded their departure from the PC industry. It's well known HP doesn't know anything about anything. Agreed that OEMs should go away.
    • pcwalton 14y ago
      Why do you want them to go away? I think generally industry consolidation is a bad thing for consumers.
      • notatoad 14y ago
        Industry consolidation is only a good thing when the competition it provides drives innovation. When all the players in an industry wallow around at the same level of mediocrity, that isn't really market diversity. The current tablet market is not a healthy one. It has apple at one end, and a theoretical other end that doesnt really matter. Squeezing out 15 companies that don't matter to make room for one competitor which has a chance is not a bad thing.
      • greedo 14y ago
        It's a narrow consolidation however, that's been ongoing for quite a while. Do you really miss Packard Bell, or any of the other interchangeable Windows OEMs? Sony, for all it's eclectic design decisions is the only memorable one out of the bunch and it typically delivers overpriced junk that has more lock in than anyone wants to remember.
      • bicknergseng 14y ago
        I don't think of it as consolidation... I think of it sorta in the way Joel describes consumer routers in his last post http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/06/because-everyone-still-needs-a-router.html http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2012/06/because-everyone-st.... There's a lot I'm working out in my head about this, so let me spit out some points for you to consider: - the increasing move to *aaS (look at OnLive, for example) - the reports that MS wants to charge >$60 for Windows RT licenses even on <$500 devices - the difficulty companies like Google and MS have competing toe to toe with Apple's vertically integrated devices - the existence of bloatware.
• aswanson 14y ago
  Microsoft had the touch-surface interface back like a year before the iphone came out. But they rolled it out as a $10000 restuarant/menu interface instead of a computing/consumer device one. Classic good tech/bad customer targeting failure. http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2007/may07/05-29mssurfacepr.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2007/may07/05-29ms...
  • msbarnett 14y ago
    That Surface, the table thing, was based on multiple IR cameras tracking finger interactions. It was never miniaturizable to a portable device. Not good tech, wrong market -- totally different tech, niche market. (also it debuted 5 months after the original iPhone, for whatever that's worth)
    • ConstantineXVI 14y ago
      I believe the current round of e-readers actually use IR-based touch sensors. Still wouldn't compete on a phone for marketing reasons (thanks to the need for a sunken-in screen), but definitely shrinkable.
      • msbarnett 14y ago
        They do! But those IR touch screens are actually different technology again from the quite literally cameras that the Surface used. IR touch screens like the ones the Sony reader and Kindle use have been around for ages in POS machines and the like. On the other hand the Surface (table) was using computer vision algorithms on realtime near-IR images of the table surface to recognize multiple touches and gestures.
  • chao- 14y ago
    I got to play with a Surface some time in 2008 and, surprisingly, found myself a little more enchanted than I was upon using the iPhone, which had come out the year before. At the same time I remember doing the weighing of utility: "Well, they've got some really nifty tech underneath and cool demo apps to show it off, but what would I truly use it for?" Cue thoughts about doing anything productive without a keyboard, etc. Then again, I'm one of those no-nonsense people whose smartphone is just used 90% for Email & Web Browser.
• runako 14y ago
  "Unexpected error occurred." at http://www.microsoft.com/surface/ http://www.microsoft.com/surface/ Not a good omen. (Edit: they fixed it.) Without having seen the product, I'd say that its fortunes will be based largely on its price point. They need to have a compelling offering in the $499 range, or this is going to be a blip on the iPad/Kindle Fire market.
  • mediocregopher 14y ago
    Their site seems to be having problems right now, especially a certain iframe they have in the bottom left corner which times out every page load.
  • mrtron 14y ago
    I am getting the "Unexpected error occured." still.
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  • stcredzero 14y ago
    They would still have a chance in the business market.
    • runako 14y ago
      That's what RIM thought. It's not clear that there's a "business tablet" market separate from the "consumer tablet" market. Similarly, there was at one point a vibrant "business mobile phone" market as distinct from the "consumer mobile phone" market. That distinction has been erased, killing RIM in the process. The jury is out as to whether there will be a viable business tablet market. My money says no, that at a significantly higher price point than the iPad, business users will continue to buy laptops.
      • stcredzero 14y ago
        Execution is the thing.
• evo_9 14y ago
  This is seriously one of the most heavy handed, almost laughable attempts at being hip and cool I've ever seen. I thought it was a parody for a second. Honestly could they scream any louder 'We are absolutely terrified of Apple. Please love us again.'
  • dekz 14y ago
    I hope the tablet is more usable than the image gallery (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/gallery.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/gallery.aspx). Maybe I'm just used to slide shows, but I cannot see a case where navigating to the jpg file and then back to the page creates a better user experience.
  • prezjordan 14y ago
    The fields on their specs page are killer. ‎"OS, Light, Thin, Clear, Energized, Connected, Productive, Practical, Configurable" Fire your marketing department. All of it.
    • nas 14y ago
      I thought you were kidding. Talk about cheesy.
  • yread 14y ago
    You mean something like "Apple changes everything. Again." ? I actually read it with a sigh at the end...
• ashbrahma 14y ago
  Microsoft has a big event, announces new hardware and doesn’t announce price or availability?
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  • mattiask 14y ago
    I'd be very surprised if Microsoft sold these under their own brand. Perhaps they're more like the Intel proof of concepts and "the real thing" will be announced by Nokia?
  • dm8 14y ago
    I was surprised. Did they forget to mention about price and availability? Poor PR from MSFT.
    • mgkimsal 14y ago
      From what I can recall, that's how many tech product launches go. Sometimes you get "3rd quarter" estimates, but I don't recall too many vendors outside of Apple giving exact shipping dates.
      • dm8 14y ago
        I understand that. All the cool tech/UI aside, most of the people want to know price and availability. When iPhone was first released, it launched with $299. Price alone created so much buzz like "all this awesome things at just $299, I'm getting one". Now I'm definitely interested in this product but if they price it $1000 I may or may not buy. Why not declare price right away? I'm sure they have nailed down the price. So whats the point in holding onto that.
        • lazerwalker 14y ago
          That's factually untrue. The iPhone launched at $499/$599 for 4gb/8gb models, and then a few months later had the 4gb discontinued and the 8gb dropped to $399, arguably due in no small part to people complaining how expensive it was. [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_iPhone#U.S._release http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_iPhone#U.S._rele...]
• SpikeDad 14y ago
  How'd this get to #1 post so fast?
  • aik 14y ago
    Are you suggesting this isn't newsworthy? The company behind the most used OS by the mass market on the planet is announcing their own hardware for the next version of their OS. Their own hardware for their own OS is something they haven't done in their ~30 year history. How is this not major news?
    • jimster01 14y ago
      Because "Their own hardware" is still just the same crap that all the other manufacturers would have come up with, (and did come up with) for Microsoft to put their badge on. It's not a technological leap forward nor does it drastically alter the user interface paradigm. Worth seeing, Yes, but definitely not a top of the list worthy post.
      • ioanpopovici 14y ago
        I disagree with you, it is their customized hardware, I cant see them fitting standard computer components into a enclosure that thin. Almost everything is custom an for Microsoft it's a big technolohical leap because they've never done this before.
        • nosse 14y ago
          Before I read this I thought it was just some design and people going "WHOA" or "wtf" about it. But your comment made me understand. Sad that it's bottom of the list. There should have been something about the thickness consideration in the link description.
• kjhughes 14y ago
  After 5 minutes of scanning their site, I still cannot find the display resolution of their offering, but I have found: "Coming Soon." "Images are design renderings and not photographs." "1, 2 Actual size and weight of the device may vary due to configuration and manufacturing process" Anyone find a better spec sheet than this one? http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingassets/surfacespecsheet.pdf http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingasset... Why can't Microsoft present normal details in an accessible manner?
  • dredmorbius 14y ago
    Vaporware. They're trying to pre-empt anyone for capturing the tablet/mobile space by rushing their design concept out before anyone else has a chance to produce product, and force everyone to ape Microsoft's claimed, rather than actual, featureset. Oh, wait, that was NT, 1992. Scratch all of that.
    • jbigelow76 14y ago
      Just "who" is it you think they are trying to rush? Certainly not Apple, and aside from the Fire/Nook Tablet is their an Android tablet that hasn't been dead on arrival (800 dollar Xoom anyone)? If this was vaporware they were pushing in an attempt to get ahead of the market instead of playing catch up they would have put this out in 2010 instead of halfway through 2012. If they can price the thing realistically (again, 800 dollar Xoom anyone?) it will have a shot otherwise it will fail (I'd really prefer it to succeed) and they'll try and spin it by saying it's targeting "the enterprise".
      • lotharbot 14y ago
        > "aside from the Fire/Nook Tablet is their an Android tablet that hasn't been dead on arrival" The ASUS Transformer line.
      • huggyface 14y ago
        is their an Android tablet that hasn't been dead on arrival There have been millions of Android tablets sold. In most product spaces that is an incredible success, and it's only relative to the astonishing success of the iPad could that be called "dead on arrival". And that was the rather terrible phase one. The incomplete Honeycomb, the rather terrible Tegra 2, and toothing pain hardware. I've noticed my online electronic store absolutely pushing the next wave - the A700, 7" tablets of all sorts, etc. All of them finally featuring price advantages over the iPad.' Anyone who buys the Android failed on tablets thing has been misled. It has been an ugly adventure but they're actually doing okay, and have set a pretty good foundation for success going forward.
• mey 14y ago
  While a horrible launch approach (no price, no availability, no info on cpu or ram) I will be keeping my eye on this, and looking for a chance to test drive in a brick/mortar. This could become an amazing travel device, but not holding my breath.
  • galenward 14y ago
    I don't buy the complaint about CPU or RAM - featuring specs is not the way things are done anymore.
    • CamperBob2 14y ago
      Waving shiny gadgets in the air without announcing price and (imminent) availabiilty is also not the way things are done anymore. And we do have Apple to thank for that.
      • objclxt 14y ago
        Exactly - I'm trying to think of a recent Apple product launch where they didn't give the price up-front. Both the iPad and the iPhone, which were announced several months before they were launched, were given prices at the keynotes.
    • mey 14y ago
      If I am going to replace my on the go coding environment (which a Win 8 Intel tablet could be) I care about ram/cpu. Especially in a multi-tasking environment. It may not matter for applications designed for a constrained environment (Apple/Android), but if I'm going to load up a big honking IDE on a Windows/Intel box, it starts mattering.
    • InclinedPlane 14y ago
      Who said? Assuming that Apple and the iPad is "the way things are done these days", then there's plenty of in depth specs available: http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/ Exact pixel resolution and ppi of the screen. Number of CPU cores and the precise CPU model. Exact listing of wireless protocols and bands supported. Megapixel counts of the cameras and video recording format limits. It would be nice to have even this data for the Surface.
• Samuel_Michon 14y ago
  So, let me see if I got this right. From the live blog: Surface for Windows RT coming in 32GB and 64GB models. Priced "like comparable tablets based on ARM." This is the one that won't run Windows programs. Right now, there are little to no apps that are made for it. It's also the one without full HD screen. And they'll still try to sell them for $400-$600. Pro coming in 64GB and 128GB models, will be priced on par with Ultrabook-class PCs. That's the Intel Core tablet, which needs vents. Priced at $900-1100. More expensive than any other tablet on the market. Needs the thicker keyboard cover, but will run Windows programs.
  • deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  • greedo 14y ago
    If the enterprise market is happy with the functionality, they won't care about the price differential since it's not too far off a decent notebook. But the consumer market will not buy this if it's priced the same as an iPad. Look at the dismal sales of the Lumia phones.
• dhughes 14y ago
  At first glance I thought it was a dual screen (MS Courier's big brother) with the lower screen as the keyboard. I liked the Courier concept I wish Microsoft released it, the Courier would have be a perfect match with Windows 8.
• kenrikm 14y ago
  Wow that thing looks almost exactly like a iPad with a smartcover. I thought they would have at least tried something different.
• aymeric 14y ago
  On the homepage: "Images are design renderings and not photographs." they are far from releasing it.
  • InclinedPlane 14y ago
    They demoed a working one at the press conference. I would be shocked if this didn't release the same day as Windows 8.
    • aymeric 14y ago
      Oh ok, what did you think of it?
      • InclinedPlane 14y ago
        I was pretty impressed. It's a huge indication that MS is taking the evolution of the computer very seriously and are making a very strong response. For myself, I'm interested in the device and I may end up buying one, it looks like it could suit my needs very well. However, what's good for me may not be good for MS. I fear that Windows 8 may not be enough of a seamless, hassle-free experience for the average user as the iPad seems to be. If MS only gets the high-end power users in the tablet and PC market I think they have a very real risk of get squeezed out of the market between android, apple, and linux. This is a strong move, and they're still at the top of the market, but the market has been disrupted and they need several strong moves to keep on the top of the game.
• obilgic 14y ago
  "Unexpected error occured." ?
• bootload 14y ago
  Just noticed from the Win8Pro version, "Pen with Palm Block" a nice innovation Apple hasn't bothered with yet. Question I want to know is, "can you develop" applications for the tablet, on the tablet?
  • InclinedPlane 14y ago
    The answer has to be yes, at least for the intel version. It runs full Windows 8 Pro on an x64 cpu. There's no reason you won't be able to fire up Visual Studio on that sucker (other than perhaps performance considerations).
    • bootload 14y ago
      beaut, I see the distinction b/w RT & 8 Pro here ~ http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/microsoft-surface-tablets-the-differences-between-rt-and-window/ http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/microsoft-surface-tablets...
  • recoiledsnake 14y ago
    >Question I want to know is, "can you develop" applications for the tablet, on the tablet? Yes, on the Intel version, no on the RT tablet.
    • takluyver 14y ago
      So they're releasing two versions that look much the same, but one of them can run all of your existing (x86) applications, and one of them can't? That sounds like confusion waiting to happen.
• drcube 14y ago
  Can I install Linux?
  • drivebyacct2 14y ago
    On the x86 one, sure. On the ARM one, no. OEMs are not allowed to enable user key enrollment on ARM devices.
    • smlacy 14y ago
      Um, not necessarily with UFEI and firmware locking. I'd say until someone gets their hands on one, that it's a big unknown.
      • drivebyacct2 14y ago
        The UEFI spec calls for allowing user enrollment of keys, or at the very least disabling the checks. It can be done, this has been discussed to death here already. http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/12368.html http://mjg59.dreamwidth.org/12368.html edit: recoiledsnake makes an interesting point above.
    • recoiledsnake 14y ago
      >On the x86 one, sure
    • recoiledsnake 14y ago
      >On the x86 one, sure I wouldn't be so sure about that. The certification process for Windows 8 sticker needs that. But.. that certification is done by.....guess who? Microsoft. So they could easily lock down their own hardware.
      • drivebyacct2 14y ago
        Doh! This completely slipped my mind. I guess I would hope and assume they wouldn't do something like that, but you're right, it's certainly a possibility. Thanks for pointing it out.
• drivebyacct2 14y ago
  I'm intensely curious how one sits on the couch and uses this with the keyboard. I'm afraid it's not going to work...
  • glhaynes 14y ago
    Yep. There will be people buying them to replace laptops only to find that they can't use them in their laps.
• malachismith 14y ago
  Honestly... as much as this might sound interesting, I don't understand Microsoft's decision to not announce availability OR pricing.
• cryptozeus 14y ago
  Does the color of the windows and background changes to the color of the keyboard as soon as we attach it ?
• forgotAgain 14y ago
  Can anyone explain the timing and placement for this announcement? Why now and why outside of a major conference and on such short notice? Is it supposed to be a hip marketing ploy or is there something else happening they wanted to announce ahead of?
  • deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  • spiralpolitik 14y ago
    I'm wondering this as well. The only thing I can come up with is Google IO is next week. Maybe Microsoft got wind of something and wanted to get this out ahead as a spoiler.
• IanDrake 14y ago
  My client has started outfitting their sales reps with ipads complete with covers that double as a stand. After a few weeks, they wanted keyboards, after keyboards they wanted a stylus. Personally, I think MS nailed it. This could be just a tablet to some people, but it can be a whole lot more to the enterprise. Now to see the pricing...
  • balloot 14y ago
    So your client gave its its sales reps iPads when they needed laptops? :)
    • IanDrake 14y ago
      No, they had laptops. The problem that Microsoft will solve is that people want to have a low powered device that can be a laptop sometimes and a tablet other times.
      • greedo 14y ago
        So these people want to have a low powered laptop? A Netbook? With a confusing split-brain interface? It's not about how powerful the hardware is, but how powerful and responsive the applications are. If they try to emulate a full blown Windows desktop on a low powered device, then the buyer has the worst of both worlds.
      • jiggy2011 14y ago
        The place where this could do well is people who want tablet computers but also need something that integrates nicely with active directory and the rest of the corporate Windows infrastructure. The problem I have with all in one type devices is that they are competing with just buying one of each, at a time when hardware prices seem to be tumbling. If your top sales guys ask for a tablet and a laptop maybe you just give them one of each, rather than worrying about whether you can save a couple of hundred $ with some all in one device that does neither especially well. Also a lot of corporate workers do their work primarily using one or two bespoke corporate apps which may be either web apps or some .Net (or even VB6) app. In this case they want to roll out a lot of cheap devices but they may not really care about portability because they don't want the devices taken out of the building. The other thing I wonder about is how good the paradigm of a keyboard plus a touchscreen really is without a mouse, especially considering how cheap a basic mouse is. One of the companies I do a lot of work for uses PCs that have touch screens in addition to mice, but in reality the touch screen is almost never used. I imagine this is mainly because the amount of arm movement required to move your right hand over to the mouse is significantly less than it is to raise it to a screen.
• mikeevans 14y ago
  I'm impressed. Good looking hardware, and you can do actual work on it. I hope it's priced competitively too.
• cyanbane 14y ago
  Xbox Live integration is still the trojan horse on this device.
  • uvTwitch 14y ago
    It's really been more of a trojan donkey on Windows Phone.
• makecheck 14y ago
  Apple was smart to release the iPad 2 with a design that practically "had to have" a special cover. This allowed them to legally advertise the iPad's price at one amount even though the majority of their customers would really be paying more (i.e. $549 after shelling out for a $50 cover, instead of only the base $499 amount). Microsoft probably has the same plan here. A cover that contains a keyboard can be even more expensive (say, $100 each instead of $50) and they can use profits from covers to mask the true cost of tablets. Then again, they've said nothing about the price...
  • mwilliamsgvsu 14y ago
    This is from the about page (http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx): "Surface comes with an integrated kickstand and a revolutionary, 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover that doubles as a fully functioning keyboard and trackpad". If I had to guess they will probably charge somewhere around the $50-$100 amount for the "Type cover" which will probably be more preferable to use over the "Touch cover".
  • hollerith 14y ago
    >the iPad 2 with a design that practically "had to have" a special cover Friend of mine has an iPad 2 and never bought a cover for it.
• mromanuk 14y ago
  Microsoft invented the iPad!
• liamondrop 14y ago
  "Hands off entertainme"? Who designed the mobile version of the ‪Surface‬ website? https://twitter.com/designdaisuki/status/214878299669790720/photo/1 https://twitter.com/designdaisuki/status/214878299669790720/...
• bitsoda 14y ago
  So, to recap, no price, no demo of what it can actually do or why I would want one, two models with different processor architectures and significantly varying weights (1.5 and 2 lbs), awkward portrait 16:9 aspect ratio, no mention of battery life or availability, vents and cooling fans, two keyboards that look miserable to type on, but I'll reserve judgement until I've used one myself, and an admittedly useful kickstand. This strikes me as a reactionary announcement from Microsoft. The surface is trying to be all things to all people. An iPad killer it is not. Still, I can't fault them for trying; their future rests on sales of Office and Windows.
  • freehunter 14y ago
    why I would want one I think that should be obvious. It's a computer. two models with different processor architectures and significantly varying weights God forbid they release models for the two processors they support. You'd never see Apple making different models with different processor architectures and different weights. awkward portrait 16:9 aspect ratio Sort of like every laptop on the market right now. They're all really awkward. no mention of... vents and cooling fans Perimeter venting. See [1] and search for "venting". They did mention this. This strikes me as a reactionary announcement Reactionary announcements tend not to be well-planned or thought out months or years ahead of time. A product with this tight of tolerances can't be rushed in a defensive move. Is it a reaction to the changing world of computing? Yes. It is a reactionary move as in immediately defensive? No. The surface is trying to be all things to all people. That's been Microsoft's mantra since day one. A computer in every home, on every desk. Running Windows. [1] http://www.trustedreviews.com/microsoft-surface-tablet-for-windows-8_Tablet_review http://www.trustedreviews.com/microsoft-surface-tablet-for-w...
    • bitsoda 14y ago
      But is it a computer? Take a look at these press shots: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx While it may look like a handy tablet that's able to convert into a thin and light laptop computer through the use of one of their keyboard covers, it's not by any means. A kickstand doesn't rest on someone's thighs with any acceptable measure of stability. So what does that make the Surface then if it's not a notebook computer, a desktop? Okay, let's run with that. Prop this thing on your desk with this case maneuver every time you'd want to use it as a desktop computer. Is a 10.7 inch display really acceptable when you're sitting at a desk and farther away from the display than you would be if it were on your lap? I don't know about you, but this seems like a nonstarter for anything but a Metro app. Would anyone want to use either one of those keyboards? Microsoft hasn't even made any mention of their size. Are they full-sized keyboards like the one found on the 11.6" MacBook Air, or is it scaled down like those finger-hating netbook keyboards? This is the crux of the problem with the Surface: it's a mediocre computer, and a mediocre tablet. Microsoft should have shot for making a great tablet, or a great notebook. I'm taking the liberty of calling it a mediocre tablet based on the heft and size of the thing. You mention 16:9 being on every laptop in the market, which is fine, since nobody turns their laptop on their side and views anything in portrait mode like they do on a tablet. 16:9 tablets in portrait look insanely tall. Also, by having two different architectures, consumers will run into the problem of not being able to run apps that work on the Surface for Microsoft Windows 8 on Intel on their Surface for Microsoft Windows RT (these names roll off the tongue, for people who browse HN and Reddit I'm sure we can handle it, but someone like my sister, girlfriend, dad? Not a chance). Why no pricing or availability? By announcing something 4-5 months in advance, Microsoft risks the public forgetting and/or not caring about Surface tablet when it's actually released. It has a vaporware vibe to it when there isn't a hard release date or window. Say what you will about Apple but when they announce a new product, they almost always give it price and release date so you can actually walk into a store and buy their product. Microsoft isn't showing a lot of confidence by saying it will be priced competitively with other tablets and having no availability. I'm still not sure if it includes cooling fans, if it's just a vent then that's a non-issue. You're right about Microsoft's mantra, but that was before they made their own hardware. When they just licensed software, they wanted Windows everywhere. On your desktop, notebook, smartphone, kiosk, etc. Now that they're in the computer hardware game, they need to sell these Surface tablets at a profit (obviously), and I don't see them doing that when the Surface doesn't excel at any one function as well as a full-blown desktop computer or an iPad. One last thing, Microsoft making PC hardware puts their OEM partners in a really awkward position. Think of it, they have to pay Microsoft a license fee to run Windows on their hardware in order to compete with Microsoft? That blows my mind, I can only guess some of these partners will move to Android which is (kind of) free.
• prawn 14y ago
  Some future popularity could come down to how flexible they are with that USB port. Can you plug in a thumbdrive and watch videos or play music? Extract or back-up photos?
  • noveltyaccount 14y ago
    It's Windows. Of course you can plug in a thumb drive. Everything you can do on Windows, you'll still be able to do on Windows.
• a_macgregor 14y ago
  Seems really interesting, I'm just hoping we can get at least a little bit of the 'spirit' of the courier on the design of the Microsoft "surface"
• twelvechairs 14y ago
  I'm really hopeful for a tablet (read: something light with a decent interface) where I can do general-purpose computing (read: install my own stuff and have reasonable processing power) so I really hope this succeeds on these levels. Some of the ideas at least are very worthy. Having said that, there is nowhere near enough detail to make an informed judgement on anything yet (except the PR strategy - which is [pretty laughably] a poor imitation of what Apple does). Still. We live in hope.
• w33ble 14y ago
  The Windows button is oriented horizontally. That's an interesting choice. Is metro not really designed to be used on vertical orientation?
  • noveltyaccount 14y ago
    Both http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/windows/apps/hh465427#decide_how_to_layout_your_app http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-US/library/windows/apps/hh46542... > Decide how to lay out your app in each view. Windows 8 supports landscape, portrait, snapped, and fill views. Users can put your app in any of these views at any time, and you want your app to look and work great in each one.
    • w33ble 14y ago
      Yeah, I thought I read that it works both ways. This device is clearly meant to be used in a horizontal orientation though based on the ports, the cameras and the Windows button. I guess it's positioned as more of a laptop replacement than a tablet, so it kinda makes sense. It's an interesting choice though. I don't own any tablets, but I was under the impression that most people use them in a vertical orientation.
• thought_alarm 14y ago
  I occasionally use a Bluetooth keyboard with my iPad when I feel like firing off a bunch of email from my recliner. The keyboard is on my lap and the iPad is off to the side. It's nice because it's literally the exact same keyboard I use with my laptop and my desktop. The Surface's attached, floppy keyboard wouldn't work for me at all. If I need to set up at a desk then I'll just pull out my laptop. The concept of a screen-cover/keyboard is interesting, but I'm not sure how practical it is in real life. Virtually 100% of the time I use my iPad it (or its BT keyboard) is on my lap. (As I type this I'm sitting on a lawn chair on my patio). And if it's not a full stroke keyboard then I don't see it as being very comfortable to use. I also dislike the 16:9 screen. On a tablet, 16:9 is useless for everything but movies: Too wide to thumb-type in landscape, too narrow and tall in portrait. I also suppose they'll be able to severely undercut OEM manufacturers on price, especially of this thing stumbles out of the gate. If I were Dell or HP I would seriously question how to move forward. But ultimately success will depend on the software. Microsoft is going to be ramming Metro down the throats of faithful Windows users in a few short months. If users love it, they'll surely flock to Metro tablets where they can use the apps they've already collected on their desktops, and Surface becomes the quick number 2 tablet. If they hate it, Metro and Surface will be about as popular as Vista and Zune.
  • modarts 14y ago
    I think Microsoft was really smart to cut the legs out from under the OEM manufacturing market: no device sales == no licensing revenue. OEM's haven't proven themselves as viable producers of tablet hardware that gets people into stores.
  • freehunter 14y ago
    If I need to set up at a desk then I'll just pull out my laptop. Then you're not in the target audience. And if it's not a full stroke keyboard then I don't see it as being very comfortable to use. Then you're not in the target audience. I also dislike the 16:9 screen. Then you're not in the target audience. Remember when Apple went on about the "post-pc world"? This is that. And that is successful. People like it. They can watch a movie in its native aspect ratio at full screen, and also put this at a desk and type, wherever that desk may be. I was in a meeting with a division of IBM this morning, and one of their engineers pulled out his iPad, propped it up on the folding cover, and proceeded to peck away on the virtual keyboard while taking notes. I asked him to look up specs and pricing for a bit of hardware. He looked at the iPad, then reached down to pull out his Thinkpad to look up the information. Even if you don't accept that the general market will buy this, you have to admit that a full-featured desktop Windows x86 OS running smoothly on a 10" tablet with an integrated full laptop-style keyboard that also will keep you entertained watching 16:9 movies on the flight back is a pretty appealing concept. I could see something like this replacing my corporate Thinkpad just for the sheer convenience of being able to pick it up and move it to someone else's desk while still working. With HDMI-out, I can drive a second monitor as well. That's pretty spectacular.
• senthilnayagam 14y ago
  Have seen a pre-production device in Bangalore manufactured by Samsung. I expect Pricing and distribution would be announced by Samsung in a seperate event . The tablet app I saw looked good but it had touch responsiveness issue, and internet access was slow, saw the app crash and restart , but not sure if that was hardware related as it was a beta app.
  • noamsml 14y ago
    Are you sure you're not thinking of the BUILD tablet, running the Developer Preview (roughly akin to an alpha)? Unless I'm mistaken, the Surface is a Microsoft Hardware product, distributed by Microsoft under the Microsoft brand.
• thfc06 14y ago
  that video was hilarious. Microsoft really outdid themselves this time. And what was with the weird dimensions of the video player?
  • joezydeco 14y ago
    Who cares!?! It's world's first dubstep tablet!
    • nosse 14y ago
      nah, I'm wating for the drum and bass remix... edit: googled "dubstep tablet", first link http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-surface-tablet-on-video-complete-with-dubstep http://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-surface-tablet-on-video...
• anaheim 14y ago
  I generally hate Microsoft stuff (including Windows 8), but this is a refreshingly original and good design (personal opinion, of course.) Since Zune and XBox, Microsoft seem to have sharpened their game to the point where they are capable of delivering small, compact, and useful hardware which functions well. Some people mocked the Microsoft Mouse in the initial stages of the presentation, but come to think of it, most people I know prefer Microsoft's ergonomic laptop mice to Apple's Mighty Mouse, which, quite frankly, is rubbish. Priced at the right point, this could take aim at a number of different devices, which it seems to fit at the smooth spot between: - Stylus-capable tablets you can actually write on (IBM x series) - Small media-capable tablets like the iPad/Kindle Fire (for consuming eBooks, media and the Web). - eBook readers like the standard Kindle. I don't know what digital Ink capable means, but if it goes any way towards making eBooks more readable than they are on the Fire/iPad, consumers will buy this device just so they don't have to buy different things for watching videos and reading books with lesser eyestrain. I bet that both this and the Lumia and other Windows phones are going to be massive in markets like India, which know Microsoft and Nokia well, and have never seen much of Apple tech.
• el-mapache 14y ago
  Did they run out of money to design the back or something? They can't have Jony Ive but was there no one else they could hire to approximate 60s era Braun? Like a 4th year design student?
  • marquis 14y ago
    I know - I opened the site and my first thought was, oh it looks quite nice. Then went to gallery and my heart sank that no-one had bothered to look at the thing side-on.
• ameyamk 14y ago
  After reading several reviews, and looking at MS Surface website, I am still not clear what this is. Is it going to run full featured Windows OS? Whats the price point going to be? Is 10.2 inch keyboard really going to make it possible for me to type things fast? (Remember those notebook keyboards? I could not really type on it). Is Microsoft going to build hardware for this? If no, who is building it? When is it going to be available on the market? Oh common give me something. All I get it, is Microsoft now has a tablet, which has a keyboard. thats it... cmon. I need bit more details than that.
  • Maascamp 14y ago
    If you read "several reviews" and still don't know that it will run Windows 8 then you have issues beyond what tablet to buy next.
• deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
• cryodesign 14y ago
  As the price point is a deciding factor, do you think Microsoft will subsidize the Surface as they did with the XBox?
• rglover 14y ago
  How you can tell they don't get it in one sentence (tucked in the bottom right corner): "Images are design renderings and not photographs."
  • noamsml 14y ago
    Oh come on. That is possibly the most absurd criticism I've ever heard. They "don't get it" because their marketing team used a design rendering instead of a photograph? Clearly, a product shouldn't be judged on features, user experience, price, reliability, performance, or potential for changing the market. It should be judged on whether the little glossy pictures on the website were photos that were 'shopped until they might as well be faked or CGI renderings that are pretty much good enough to be real.
    • rglover 14y ago
      It's not absurd. It's premature on their behalf. What was preventing them from waiting until they had a physical prototype to show off? Nothing. In this light, it looks like an idea that may exist, not something consumers can actually get their hands on. Further, no, it should be judged on more than just the pictures. I fully agree with all of the others comments that elicit disappointment for a lack of feature/spec lists and pricing. The whole thing is botched.
      • noamsml 14y ago
        They showed off a working physical prototype at the press conference.
• greedo 14y ago
  Microsoft is trying to straddle two models and risks failing at both. The Surface will apparently be both a touch based device but also a more traditional desktop. The problem will be when buyers expect desktop performance out of a lower power device. For applications that are designed for a touch interface from the start, it's comparatively easy to optimize for performance, or at least the appearance of performance and responsiveness. But load up something huge with a heavy footprint (Office/Outlook etc) and it's a different kettle of fish. If MS can pull this off, while still hitting battery life and price points, hats off to them.
• pmorici 14y ago
  Yuck, it looks like you can't use it w/o a table top so it's useless on a plane, or train , or couch. It's like a half ass competitor to both iPad and MacBook Air.
  • mediocregopher 14y ago
    I don't think it was meant to be a competitor to the Air, although we'll have to wait on the pricing to see what Microsoft is actually trying to do here. But in all probability this is an iPad competitor, and iPads fall short in the exact same way in all those situations as well. Also, planes generally have trays, and reclining in a couch puts your waist at about hands level, so both of those aren't really that gimped by this setup. Living in America I can't speak much for train travel but I would think they'd have some kind of tray, but I could be wrong.
• antidoh 14y ago
  Twitt? Do people say that? (On the right, in the grey, between the two Microsofts.)
• riobard 14y ago
  Funny that the spec sheet is a PDF, which none of Microsoft's shipping operating systems or browsers have native support for.
• stcredzero 14y ago
  Compare and contrast the the top thread here with the one on reddit. Obviously two different perspectives. http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/v8yrl/microsoft_announces_surface_tablet/ http://www.reddit.com/r/technology/comments/v8yrl/microsoft_... The questions are: - Is the keyboard any good? - Is the stylus any good? - Is the integration any good? - Is the experience any good? If Microsoft can get to yes for all 4 of those in a timely fashion, then they will at least have a business niche machine. Price will be less of a factor for machines that come out of the company budget. Even if the app ecosystem doesn't take off immediately, Microsoft could strategically pick the right dozen apps to hold things down until then.
  • ceol 14y ago
    The technology discussion on reddit is almost always anti-Apple to the point where I would consider them obsessed. Coupled with the memes and jokes, there's just no comparison to HN discussion when new tech is announced.
    • hackinthebochs 14y ago
      Compared to the anti-MS sentiment thats oozing out of these comments?
      • ceol 14y ago
        The top comment is pro-MS.
• leothekim 14y ago
  From a marketing perspective, the video on the site is terrible compared to Apple's iPad site. If you go here: http://www.apple.com/ipad/ http://www.apple.com/ipad/ You see someone using an iPad, how big it is, how simple it is to use, what it's capable of doing, and you can immediately think the possibilities. Microsoft's video shows some dark crumbling rocks and dust, and this strange tablet device with different colored keyboards. There is some shaking and wind blowing and hammering. It barely scratches the surface (ha ha) of what the device can do. I can't impute any desirable value here except from what I can derive from other Windows devices, which is that the thing will probably require Norton AntiVirus and will blue screen on occasion.
  • gvnonor 14y ago
    I think they just wanted to get some excitement going, and it looks like they've met that goal.
    • leothekim 14y ago
      Yeah I can see that. The Surface might even be a superior product, but my point is the marketing fails to demonstrate that.
      • jps359 14y ago
        I think it's a little early in the game to be making statements like that.
      • leothekim 14y ago
        Here's an article describing hands-on use: http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/18/technology/microsoft-surface-tablet/index.htm http://money.cnn.com/2012/06/18/technology/microsoft-surface... FTFA: Microsoft on Monday unveiled one of the most imaginative and intelligently designed PCs the world has ever seen. Or: Microsoft unveiled yet another iPad copycat, only with fewer apps and a lower screen resolution. Which one is it? It's impossible to know. That's because it's not clear yet what Surface, Microsoft's self-designed tablet PC, truly wants to be. This is problematic from a marketing and a product perspective. If you can't project the value of the device even when someone's using it, then it's hard to generate desire for it, and that spells trouble.
• esolyt 14y ago
  Simply having a full-sized keyboard gives this product the edge over Asus Transformer series.
• DigitalSea 14y ago
  People will bitch and whine, but you've got to hand it to Microsoft the Surface tablet is pretty appealing and I say that without any bias or affiliation with Microsoft. The video was a bit cheesy and very motion graphics oriented which is completely different to their regular style of low-budget looking ameteur product videos. I won't contribute to the Microsoft is trying to compete with the Apple iPad debate but I will say you'd have to be an idiot to not at least try and challenge Apple's dominance in the tablet market which Microsoft is doing and is probably one of the only company that has the potential to succeed in doing so. If the price is right, I'll definitely buy one of these. Using my heavy laptop on the train just isn't viable any more and I can't code on an iPad because it doesn't have a keyboard.
• phaus 14y ago
  The tablet looks nice, but the keyboard looks as if it will be one of the worst keyboards in the history of the universe. As someone who loves the idea of a convertible tablet, I really do hope that I'm wrong.
• dennisgorelik 14y ago
  I just see how ad designers for that picture/video prepare their creatives on their macs and fill dirty for selling their souls to M$. That also brought me another memory: Zune. So much hype and so poor results. Microsoft should stick with desktop/business software and keep milking it. MS is not capable of doing anything else profitably anymore.
  • someperson 14y ago
    Keep in mind they've sold a lot of Xbox 360s and Kinects. Not sure how much profit they've made, but it shows MS can make commercially successful, desirable hardware.
    • dennisgorelik 14y ago
      Microsoft invested way more in gaming division than it made. I doubt Microsoft would ever recover that investment.
  • deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
• capex 14y ago
  All well and good. But the UI divide between Metro and Win 7 is just there.. I see no attempt to change any aspects of the traditional windows UI. Metro still seems to be a shell unable to hide the real UI underneath.
• phmagic 14y ago
  I was pretty excited about this device as well. Until I downloaded and played with Windows 8. Windows 8's inconsistent and confusing UI blows. The Metro integration into Windows 8 looked like a last minute decision because most apps still have the Aero interface. Microsoft has realized that the hardware to software integration is crucial to a great user experience. However, they spent so much time on the hardware of this tablet that I'm wondering if the Windows 8 software can match. That said if this tablet is under $600, it will sell like hotcakes.
• pud 14y ago
  It looks cool but what is with Microsoft's naming conventions. Apparently the official name for this product is "Surface for Windows RT," as it is referenced here: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx
  • vena 14y ago
    i just don't understand why they named the OS after the API it's restricted to, something consumers will never encounter. the end result of WinRT is just Metro, something marketable and relatable. why the hell don't you just call it Windows Metro, Microsoft?
• greedo 14y ago
  Can't wait to see how well the Pro version runs with Norton or McAfee burning up cpu cycles. Hope that's not the "desktop" experience they're aiming for.
  • kenjackson 14y ago
    Win8 comes with built-in antivirus. But of course you can buy Norton or McAfee if you like. In which case you have bigger problems than your CPU cycles.
    • greedo 14y ago
      And if the corporate world is a large target for the Surface, then it'll be expected to run with A/V software from the big vendors, regardless of what MS bundles with it. I have to run McAfee on each and everyone of my RHEL servers, despite the majority of them not having unfettered access to the Internet nor an email client.
• greedo 14y ago
  Does anyone know if Windows 8 (or whatever is powering the Pro version) is resolution independent? Or will developers have to compile a version for the Surface Pro, and a different version for the x86 desktop market?
• CHsurfer 14y ago
  My wife has a bad back, and even carrying a 13" laptop around for and extended time causes her a lot of pain. She would kill for a tablet with a keyboard that she could use for work while traveling (mostly, power point, word and a bit of Excel). Now, if only her company (60k+ employees) would upgrade from XP...
• riobard 14y ago
  Actually the ”ClearType Display” makes sense if they cannot provide Retina-like screens at reasonable price and have to settle for subpixel rendering…
  • glhaynes 14y ago
    If so, then either you can't use it in portrait mode or text looks significantly worse when you do.
• deleted 14y ago
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• visa 14y ago
  guys checkout how much microsoft pays to its employees http://www.visasquare.com/visa-greencard/salary/microsoft-corp-295368.html http://www.visasquare.com/visa-greencard/salary/microsoft-co...
• shuaib 14y ago
  Does it do landscape only? I can't find an image displaying the device in portrait.
• ioanpopovici 14y ago
  I think this is a step forward for Microsoft, and besides, end-users will benefit form the Microsoft-Apple competition. They innovate and we get better devices :) Im an Apple user, but earn my living as a system admin for windows and linux servers. I get all my work done from my hackintosh , and if nothing changes probably will not go back on using windows anytime soon. I truly hate windows, especially Vista which made me turn to Mac OS and never look back. Despite all this I will never become so narrow minded as most apple fanboys and dismiss everything new. I'm tired of reading/hearing: "Apple has already done this, Microsoft stoled their ideea", "Apple knows the right way to make a product", "This will never work for Microsoft", "Microsoft failed again", "OMG look at the product page, Its crap so the product must be a pile of dong too!" Common people, what is wrong with you? I say good job Microsoft, finaly something promising. How well it would do in the real world remains to be seen, but I think there is a huge market for this device.
• demoo 14y ago
  Is the OS for this Windows 8 or modified Windows Phone?
  • andyjohnson0 14y ago
    Windows 8. They plan to ship two models: one to run full Win 8 Pro on Intel with Metro and traditional UI, and another ARM-based with Windows 8 RT.
• jpxxx 14y ago
  Shit website, shit marketing, and shit video aside, I'm seriously intrigued. Microsoft has five cards to play here: - REAL Windows (TM) and Massive Microsoft Developer Mindshare - Ports, ports, ports! - REAL Microsoft Office (TM) INCLUDED FREE on the low-end model - PEN AND KEYBOARD! - Billions of dollars in cash to burn making this happen And they have three huge challenges in front of them: - Windows 8 critical reception - Their ability to execute - They will be shipping these, at best, about two months before iPad 4 ships Execution is going to be everything. Make this a work-friendly wonderbox that effortlessly supports Exchange, remote management, SharePoint, SkyDrive, SMB, OneNote, and Communicator/Lync? The iPad will blow off conference tables like crepe paper. Make a fussy little piece of shit that takes the same amount of work to set up as a laptop or otherwise scares off IT? Doom.
  • Gustomaximus 14y ago
    > Shit website, shit marketing, and shit video aside, I'm seriously intrigued Given the last statement, it appears the marketing has done something right. It is a 'coming soon' product. All it is a tab running windows 8 so making someone seriously intrigued is a marketing win. At this point they don't want to give you all the facts to make your purchase decision. They want to build interest and excitement. Personally I think they will have messed up if this is not for sale very soon as interest and excitement are quickly lost.
    • jpxxx 14y ago
      I'm not quite that charitable. Any marketing firm worth their salt can put 60 seconds of good sizzle in a tape. This is classical vapor without pricing, models, specifics, premiere launch titles, retailing partnerships, or even a launch quarter. I'm interested because Windows has an avalanche of great software, and I think it might be great having Windows In Glass With A Pen And A Keyboard. The biggest problem with everything presented today is that it's going to spend its first product cycle competing against iPad 4 running iOS 6. And I'll bet you dollars to doughnuts that Apple has an equivalent Keyboard Cover all ready to go if the winds start blowing that direction.
    • cubicle67 14y ago
• EternalFury 14y ago
  The problem is that you never know how long Microsoft will stand behind any of their hardware products. They held firm with Xbox, they surrendered with everything else. Last year, they canned their tablet plans. This year, they come back with a new tablet plan. Etc. Hysterical or desperate? I do not know.
• tylermenezes 14y ago
  I don't understand the "OMG MICROSOFT MADE A TABLET IT IS CLEARLY COPYING THE IPAD" reaction Microsoft's getting here. They're absolutely ahead of the curve with the blending of mobile and desktop operating systems, something which I am extremely happy they are doing, and this is absolutely the logical design choices someone in that position would make. Yes, it's very similar to the iPad in many ways. But other than some of the marketing, it doesn't seem to fall any closer to Apple than any of the Android tablets we've been seeing for the last year. In fact, the metro UI (extreme minimalism) is pretty drastically different from Apple's style (extreme detail). Apple phased out the bold color designs years ago. (And don't feed me the "Microsoft is just really slow at copying" nonsense - it's clearly as much an original design as any.) A lot of the arguments against it are the sort of arguments Samsung fought against in its lawsuit with Apple. The result of that was a totally unique product, and an awful one. (http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/04/the-samsung-galaxy-s-iii-the-first-smartphone-designed-entirely-by-lawyers/ http://www.androidpolice.com/2012/05/04/the-samsung-galaxy-s...)
  • josephcooney 14y ago
    To say nothing of the fact that Microsoft have been doing tablet PCs since circa 2002.
    • mtkd 14y ago
      I worked on a Fujitsu tablet running Microsoft Windows 3.1 in 1994
    • dsirijus 14y ago
      I'm using TabletPC as swiss knife for 3 years now and couldn't be happier with it. Native unobfuscated desktop experience? Check. Pro drawing with stylus? Check. Multi-touch for slacking around? Check. Power for development? Check. Personally, I'll just check the specs and price on this one and compare them to my needs, as I always do with any device I own.
  • jl6 14y ago
    Those early reports of the Galaxy S3 being lawyer-ugly were overhyped. I'm typing on one now and I find it quite sleek.
• gyros23 14y ago
  I'm curious what J. Allard (MS Courier) is thinking about this piece of technology. Especially about the one with the pen. Hello enterprise ready tablets!
• rkwz 14y ago
  [OT] 40K likes and 0 tweets? Something seems wrong here.
• dutchbrit 14y ago
  Pros: Keyboard as cover USB Cons: Thicker (and probably heavier) than the iPad I have to say, Windows 8 is looking pretty good for touchscreen devices.
  • dpark 14y ago
    The RT (ARM) version is slightly thinner than the iPad. 9.3mm vs the iPad's 9.4mm. It is about 25g heavier, though.
• anonymoushn 14y ago
  I wonder if Microsoft's new keyboard will work with my iPad.
  • hollerith 14y ago
    It is easier to carry two flat objects around when they have the same dimensions and can be "stacked up" against each other, but this cover cannot have anything close to the same dimensions as an iPad because they have drastically different aspect ratios (what looks like 16:9 versus the 4:3 of the iPad).
• codex 14y ago
  Microsoft couldn't choose between ARM and x86 and this will be a huge problem for them. It's emblematic of the terrible position that they're in, trying not to be left behind while trying to refresh and extend their aging desktop OS monopoly. These products do nothing well. A stylus? That's a bullet on a PowerPoint, not a compelling feature. I felt sad watching them retell their passionless internal talking points while giving a more pathetic version of an Apple launch.
  • freehunter 14y ago
    Why choose? Apple doesn't choose, they use both. The two architectures are used for completely different purposes; they both have significant advantages and significant disadvantages. The consumer can choose which one has the better featureset for their use case. An active digitizer stylus which allows graphic designers and note takers to write on the screen while rejecting finger input is a compelling feature.
• malkia 14y ago
  I didn't see anywhere a way to adjust the angle of the stand. I constantly change the angle of my laptop monitor, and sometimes even the one at work. Now this device would want me to adjust myself to stand at the right angle looking it. Hopefully it would be still readable from other angles, but then how would you touch it?
• jimparkins 14y ago
  Watched the video - what struck me most is that it felt just like TopGear - when they introduce a new supercar and they have a minute or so intro.
• dsirijus 14y ago
  Let's talk a little about 'kickstand'. Am I wrong in believing this hasn't got adjustable angle and is useless if the device isn't on an actual desk? Seems like the Achilles' heel of the entire device to me.
  • nudded 14y ago
    That seems to be true. It also seems to lack the ability to lay flat on a slightly elevated angle.
• Mordor 14y ago
  Touchscreen MacBook Air anyone?
• discordance 14y ago
  Their launch video is almost as tacky as the Asus Padphone's... where's the taste these days? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqjoRMHyYQc http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sqjoRMHyYQc
• deleted 14y ago
  [deleted]
• shriphani 14y ago
  Ignoring all the judgement we're passing on this product, a good engineering effort deserves praise. Looking at this segment of the presentation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozTK-MqEXQ#t=41m32s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jozTK-MqEXQ#t=41m32s), with my extremely limited understanding of manufacturing and physics, I am truly surprised how they managed to fit so much functionality into 3mm.
• jcfrei 14y ago
  thinking as an average consumer I can only look at this as a marginally uglier (looks like it's lower quality) and thicker tablet. if isn't significantly cheaper than the ipad why should i buy it?
• nadam 14y ago
  Quite promising from someone who has bean dead* for at least 5 years. :) * http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html
• rnadna 14y ago
  The keynote talk (http://cdn-smooth.ms-studiosmedia.com/news/mp4_mq/06182012_Surface_750k.mp4 http://cdn-smooth.ms-studiosmedia.com/news/mp4_mq/06182012_S...) is informative. At about minute 14, the demonstrator tries to show how IExplorer works on the tablet. It fails. He keeps clicking here and there to try to restart it, then he clues in that folks can see him doing this and he points it to his chest, card-player style. Then he sprints to the podium to get another machine. I felt for the poor guy.
• Shivetya 14y ago
  One word : Fail. They have gotten better at presentation, but they missed one key point of Apple presentations. Apple has learned that "Ships Today" is as important as the technology being sold. So who cares what it CAN do, its not available now. Its not even available tomorrow, its available soon. All they did was give Apple a bigger opportunity to undercut their buzz.
  • s_henry_paulson 14y ago
    If you're marketing only to consumers. Corporations who tend to purchase this sort of thing typically plan their purchasing months in advance. I can almost guarantee many companies who might have been thinking about laptop purchases are going to wait a few months. Also the release date for the device is tied to Windows 8, which is looking like October, and then the pro version will follow 3 months after. Since product lifecycles are somewhat lengthy, this doesn't really give any competitor an advantage aside from using the products they already had in their pipeline.
    • spiralpolitik 14y ago
      Two issues: Firstly most corporations are just finishing up their multi-year Windows 7 rollouts so will probably be sitting out Windows 8. Given that corporate IT likes to do evaluations, certifications and such you are probably looking at least 12-18 months from now before any of these tablets are deployed on a large scale. Secondly a lot of corporations are scaling back from providing anything more than the basic desktop or laptop and embracing BYOD for everything else. Even if its a knock out product its going to be difficult to justify spending money to roll it out especially given the other potential upgrades required (new monitors etc). If they had announced and launched this 2 years ago I think a lot of corporations would have sat up and taken note. Announcing it now and with it not shipping for up to six months it's too little too late.
  • henrikeh 14y ago
    I've noticed the same with many recent Apple releases. They have gone almost completely away from "Ships in x" and instead it's now almost always "Ships today". I'd like to see some data to confirm this however.
• agumonkey 14y ago
  Anyone knows how the cover keyboard is built ? is this a 'fake' dumb plastic molded keyboard using a capacitive layer underneath ? I wish it is, so that the whole keyboard could be an analog sensing surface if needed.
• politician 14y ago
  off-topic, meta In my brief survey of the home page, this is the only article with more comments than points. I wonder how often that happens.
• sageikosa 14y ago
  Microsoft Surface == enterprise manageable tablets. IT organizations familiar with managing fleets of ubiquitous Windows workstations (desktop or notebook) will be able to now manage cheaper Windows convertibles. Similar to how Apple (and Microsoft, and Google) would drop machines in schools to indoctrinate the next generation, Microsoft is going after users where they use computers the most: in the office. Those that do not get "Surface" per se, will at least be familiar with it in a few years, after they have been exposed to other Windows 8 profiles at work (or on new home computers).
• dcat247 14y ago
  The good: 1. the magnesium body is tough and very weather resistant. Similar to Nikons current camera line. 2. stand and keyboard built in make this a machine you can do very serious work on 3. 600 dpi sample rate for drawing means serious design work can be done as well. 4. Like the Xbox, Zune HD, natural keyboard, arc mouse, and their live cams: When Microsoft decides to design it usually is awesome. the bad: 1. They said how much they believe in their partners yet only one application was shown off (lightroom). No special hardware or software partnerships. 2. No discussion on ports, actual cpu speed, ram, bus speed, or video capability. 3. no discussion of pricing. 4. The names are confusing for consumers: windows rt, surface, etc. they should have just said its all windows 8. Windows 8 for arm and windows 8 for intel. easy. 5. It was not available the day of the anouncement. The BIGGEST problem: They did not show how this device is worth buying as part of your Micosoft ecosystem of experience and devices. How does it work with windows phone? they did not show it doing tricks with xbox and smartglass. They did not show how this device should be important to you.
• dharma1 14y ago
  The only reason to announce hardware more than 6 months prior to availability is to deter people from buying iPads and Macbook Airs in the meanwhile. I've played with Win8 running on an Atom tablet and while the hardware sucked, the idea of being able to do real work on legacy apps (Photoshop, 3DS Max, video editing etc) on it is nice. The x86 Surface is definitely a laptop replacement. Not convinced about Metro yet though - depends on the apps we'll see on it I guess. I also have an iPad with the Logitech Ultra Thin BT keyboard cover and I really like it. If only iOS had CMD/TAB keyboard shortcut for swapping between apps and more open file system I could do a fair bit of web dev work on it. My 13" Macbook Pro feels like a brick compared to the iPad+keyboard cover. Still can't do Photoshop/3D/etc work on the iPad though.
• KeyBoardG 14y ago
  I think what is great about the Surface line is that now other OEMs will have to design and produce even better hardware to compete. This is very good news for the consumer.
• nemo1618 14y ago
  Anyone happen to know if it uses their new ultra-responsive (1ms) touchscreen technology? I remember being pretty excited about that when they demoed it, but it seemed like it wouldn't be rolled out for a while. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOvQCPLkPt4
• timinman 14y ago
  'Looks nice. I bet it's expensive. If price were a feature, they would have mentioned it.