4 ms·

Surface is available only through Microsoft, and the limited distribution is going to make it a nonplayer this holiday season. The more powerful Surface Pro --

by gvb 14y ago

Surface is available only through Microsoft, and the limited distribution is going to make it a nonplayer this holiday season. The more powerful Surface Pro -- fueled by Windows 8 Pro to give a more complete PC-like experience than today's Surface -- will be out next month, all but killing demand for the less powerful Surface that's available now. Bingo! Surface-RT made it in time for the holiday season... but Surface-Pro did not. Cue the Osborne Effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_Computer_Corporation#The_Osborne_Effect http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Osborne_Computer_Corporation#Th....

sami36 14y ago
Surface Pro will sell even less than Surface RT. rumored price & battery life are already seriously hampering any lust people might have had for it. If I have 1k to spend, I'd rather get a proper ultra-book.
- gvb 14y ago
  Which is doubly ironic... the broken promise of the Pro is likely to kill both the RT and the Pro.
- WrkInProgress 14y ago
  It has the same battery life as the 11 inch Macbook Air and very similar specs across the board. In what way is it not a proper ultra-book ?
  - rayiner 14y ago
    If the Surface is basically the same as a MBA 11", why not just get the MBA 11" with a proper keyboard and bigger screen? OT: Just today on Metro North I had occasion to open up my 13.3" MBP and do a bit of work in one of the cramped jumper seats. Even balancing on one knee, it worked reasonably. Would have been a cinch on an 11" MBA. Would have been impossible on the Surface Pro.
  - astrodust 14y ago
    The keyboard isn't glued on, it's held by magnets and flops off, provides no structural support. You can't prop it up in your lap like you can a MacBook Air or any notebook for that matter. It's a tablet with a keyboard that's only useful if you have a desk. It runs Windows 8 and only Windows 8, so unlike a MacBook or even a small Dell notebook, Linux isn't an option. It's locked down in the worst possible way, more like an iPad than an Air. I'm not even sure what the market for this is. People who want a computer with a relatively terrible keyboard? People who want a bulky alternative to the iPad? My only hope is the pen is actually useful as this would be less expensive than the equivalent Wacom Cintiq.
    - ja27 14y ago
      Right. I'd much rather have an Asus Transformer style Windows 8 tablet + keyboard dock / second battery. Hopefully they'll come with more storage and battery time than the Surface Pro. Plus they'll likely be in the major retailers rather than just Microsoft's stores.
    - damian2000 14y ago
      Surface Pro can run classic Windows apps in desktop mode remember - hardly locked down.
      - astrodust 14y ago
        I'm not talking about apps, I'm talking about the entire OS. This is not intended to be a general purpose computing device. It is not a traditional notebook or a replacement for one.
    - recoiledsnake 14y ago
      > It runs Windows 8 and only Windows 8, so unlike a MacBook or even a small Dell notebook, Linux isn't an option. It's locked down in the worst possible way, more like an iPad than an Air. Is that speculation or do you have a reference for that?
      - astrodust 14y ago
- recoiledsnake 14y ago
  Wish to bet on that? I'll take you up on it. We can use http://longbets.org/ http://longbets.org/
- damian2000 14y ago
  Surface Pro may yet be an unlikely hit - the reason - the Windows ecosystem is still king in business. Some classes of existing applications will be improved by just running them on a tablet, without any modifications required.
kvb 14y ago
I don't really see them as competing with each other that directly... The Pro has more powerful hardware (and compatibility with legacy x86 applications), but is way pricier, heavier, and with less battery life. It seems pretty clearly aimed at businesses (as the name itself implies), whereas the RT is aimed at consumers. Certainly some people will choose one over the other, but there seems to me to be room for both in the marketplace.
jsz0 14y ago
Even if they had launched at the same time who is really going to buy a 2 pound tablet when you can get a $199 (soon $99) 7" tablet that weighs so much less? A regular laptop + cheap tablet killed the Surface Pro long before it had a chance to even go on sale. Microsoft was competing with the iPad 1 / MacBook Air -2 generations.
- gambiting 14y ago
  If you can find me a $99 tablet with an x86 processor then I am more than willing to buy a million of them, with cash. I don't think you really understand the premise of Surface Pro.

by gvb 14y ago

sami36 14y ago

Surface Pro will sell even less than Surface RT. rumored price & battery life are already seriously hampering any lust people might have had for it. If I have 1k to spend, I'd rather get a proper ultra-book.

gvb 14y ago
Which is doubly ironic... the broken promise of the Pro is likely to kill both the RT and the Pro.
WrkInProgress 14y ago
It has the same battery life as the 11 inch Macbook Air and very similar specs across the board. In what way is it not a proper ultra-book ?
- rayiner 14y ago
  If the Surface is basically the same as a MBA 11", why not just get the MBA 11" with a proper keyboard and bigger screen? OT: Just today on Metro North I had occasion to open up my 13.3" MBP and do a bit of work in one of the cramped jumper seats. Even balancing on one knee, it worked reasonably. Would have been a cinch on an 11" MBA. Would have been impossible on the Surface Pro.
- astrodust 14y ago
  The keyboard isn't glued on, it's held by magnets and flops off, provides no structural support. You can't prop it up in your lap like you can a MacBook Air or any notebook for that matter. It's a tablet with a keyboard that's only useful if you have a desk. It runs Windows 8 and only Windows 8, so unlike a MacBook or even a small Dell notebook, Linux isn't an option. It's locked down in the worst possible way, more like an iPad than an Air. I'm not even sure what the market for this is. People who want a computer with a relatively terrible keyboard? People who want a bulky alternative to the iPad? My only hope is the pen is actually useful as this would be less expensive than the equivalent Wacom Cintiq.
  - ja27 14y ago
    Right. I'd much rather have an Asus Transformer style Windows 8 tablet + keyboard dock / second battery. Hopefully they'll come with more storage and battery time than the Surface Pro. Plus they'll likely be in the major retailers rather than just Microsoft's stores.
  - damian2000 14y ago
    Surface Pro can run classic Windows apps in desktop mode remember - hardly locked down.
    - astrodust 14y ago
      I'm not talking about apps, I'm talking about the entire OS. This is not intended to be a general purpose computing device. It is not a traditional notebook or a replacement for one.
  - recoiledsnake 14y ago
    > It runs Windows 8 and only Windows 8, so unlike a MacBook or even a small Dell notebook, Linux isn't an option. It's locked down in the worst possible way, more like an iPad than an Air. Is that speculation or do you have a reference for that?
    - astrodust 14y ago
recoiledsnake 14y ago
Wish to bet on that? I'll take you up on it. We can use http://longbets.org/ http://longbets.org/
damian2000 14y ago
Surface Pro may yet be an unlikely hit - the reason - the Windows ecosystem is still king in business. Some classes of existing applications will be improved by just running them on a tablet, without any modifications required.

kvb 14y ago

I don't really see them as competing with each other that directly... The Pro has more powerful hardware (and compatibility with legacy x86 applications), but is way pricier, heavier, and with less battery life. It seems pretty clearly aimed at businesses (as the name itself implies), whereas the RT is aimed at consumers. Certainly some people will choose one over the other, but there seems to me to be room for both in the marketplace.

jsz0 14y ago

Even if they had launched at the same time who is really going to buy a 2 pound tablet when you can get a $199 (soon $99) 7" tablet that weighs so much less? A regular laptop + cheap tablet killed the Surface Pro long before it had a chance to even go on sale. Microsoft was competing with the iPad 1 / MacBook Air -2 generations.

gambiting 14y ago
If you can find me a $99 tablet with an x86 processor then I am more than willing to buy a million of them, with cash. I don't think you really understand the premise of Surface Pro.