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So these new Surface Pro things are going to be like a current ipad-style tablet, but with a keyboard, heavier, have shorter battery life and be more expensive.

So these new Surface Pro things are going to be like a current ipad-style tablet, but with a keyboard, heavier, have shorter battery life and be more expensive. That sounds very much like a device I already have, which is called a laptop. It runs Eclipse pretty well on the rare occasions I want it to. Less than $100 is still a pretty hefty tag in this market too; that's half the price of a Nexus 7! I think Microsoft are going to have to learn that this market isn't going to allow them the huge margins they've traditionally enjoyed on PCs.

cooldeal 14y ago
>So these new Surface Pro things are going to be like a current ipad-style tablet, but with a keyboard, heavier, have shorter battery life and be more expensive. That sounds very much like a device I already have, which is called a laptop. It runs Eclipse pretty well on the rare occasions I want it to. This reminds me of the folks that discounted the iPad because it was not good as a smartphone for portability(oversized iPod Touch) and much less powerful than a laptop. Predictions based on personal anectodes in a billion plus device market are a dangerous thing. I agree that the Surface Pro is trying to create a new market here(spaced between iPad style tablets and the laptops/MB Air/Ultrabooks which is an uphill task, but I do think there are a lot of people who want a no-compromises powerful portable tablet for on-the-go use.
- seanmcdirmid 14y ago
  The tablet market, at this moment, is going the other way, to include devices that are cheaper, a bit smaller, and more oriented toward pure consumption (Nexus 7, Fire HD, iPad Mini). This market has lower margins but the potential for lots of sales even beyond the iPad today. Now Microsoft comes with Surface (Pro and non-Pro), sounds like they are going after niche high-end tablet markets (those who want Office + a keyboard), and higher-end tablet markets (though who want to run Visual Studio). Completely opposite direction that at best will be a successful ultra-book. I'm not seeing mass appeal, but a lot of that will come down to pricing.
  - cooldeal 14y ago
    New products can and do disrupt market trends, especially in such a huge market. > sounds like they are going after niche high-end tablet markets (those who want Office + a keyboard), , and higher-end tablet markets (though who want to run Visual Studio).Completely opposite direction that at best will be a successful ultra-book. Niche in this market mean at least tens of millions of people. Not to say that the Surface Pro will succeed(pricing is important as you say) but the laptop/ultrabook market is still much bigger than the tablet, both the install base and sales.
    - deleted 14y ago
      [deleted]
    - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
      The PC market is not growing at any significant level, while the tablet market is exploding. Many analysts out there believe the tablet <$400 tablet market will be bigger than the PC market in just a few years. The PC market might remain at its current size, tablets won't replace PCs, but there will just be a lot of tablets out there. Of course, you could be right, people could be looking for fuller PC experiences in their tablets, and then Microsoft will win big (and my stock as a MS employee will go up, yeh!). But this trend of going lower price/smaller screen doesn't really indicate that this is happening, although we really have to wait for the iPad mini to see how that really plays out.
- archangel_one 14y ago
  I hope I'm not falling into the same trap as people discounting the ipad; FWIW, I'm not trying to say that this new product won't catch on because it won't be useful to people. I'm trying to understand why it is a new product at all and not just a laptop; on paper most of the specs sound the same, except for maybe the keyboard being removable.

cooldeal 14y ago

>So these new Surface Pro things are going to be like a current ipad-style tablet, but with a keyboard, heavier, have shorter battery life and be more expensive. That sounds very much like a device I already have, which is called a laptop. It runs Eclipse pretty well on the rare occasions I want it to. This reminds me of the folks that discounted the iPad because it was not good as a smartphone for portability(oversized iPod Touch) and much less powerful than a laptop. Predictions based on personal anectodes in a billion plus device market are a dangerous thing. I agree that the Surface Pro is trying to create a new market here(spaced between iPad style tablets and the laptops/MB Air/Ultrabooks which is an uphill task, but I do think there are a lot of people who want a no-compromises powerful portable tablet for on-the-go use.

seanmcdirmid 14y ago
The tablet market, at this moment, is going the other way, to include devices that are cheaper, a bit smaller, and more oriented toward pure consumption (Nexus 7, Fire HD, iPad Mini). This market has lower margins but the potential for lots of sales even beyond the iPad today. Now Microsoft comes with Surface (Pro and non-Pro), sounds like they are going after niche high-end tablet markets (those who want Office + a keyboard), and higher-end tablet markets (though who want to run Visual Studio). Completely opposite direction that at best will be a successful ultra-book. I'm not seeing mass appeal, but a lot of that will come down to pricing.
- cooldeal 14y ago
  New products can and do disrupt market trends, especially in such a huge market. > sounds like they are going after niche high-end tablet markets (those who want Office + a keyboard), , and higher-end tablet markets (though who want to run Visual Studio).Completely opposite direction that at best will be a successful ultra-book. Niche in this market mean at least tens of millions of people. Not to say that the Surface Pro will succeed(pricing is important as you say) but the laptop/ultrabook market is still much bigger than the tablet, both the install base and sales.
  - deleted 14y ago
    [deleted]
  - seanmcdirmid 14y ago
    The PC market is not growing at any significant level, while the tablet market is exploding. Many analysts out there believe the tablet <$400 tablet market will be bigger than the PC market in just a few years. The PC market might remain at its current size, tablets won't replace PCs, but there will just be a lot of tablets out there. Of course, you could be right, people could be looking for fuller PC experiences in their tablets, and then Microsoft will win big (and my stock as a MS employee will go up, yeh!). But this trend of going lower price/smaller screen doesn't really indicate that this is happening, although we really have to wait for the iPad mini to see how that really plays out.
archangel_one 14y ago
I hope I'm not falling into the same trap as people discounting the ipad; FWIW, I'm not trying to say that this new product won't catch on because it won't be useful to people. I'm trying to understand why it is a new product at all and not just a laptop; on paper most of the specs sound the same, except for maybe the keyboard being removable.