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I couldn't agree more: Microsoft is trying to target a demographic that doesn't exist. I was the target, and I wanted one, but it never made sense once I looked

I couldn't agree more: Microsoft is trying to target a demographic that doesn't exist. I was the target, and I wanted one, but it never made sense once I looked into it. The high-end model's price was way too high for a tablet alone, but it was similar in price to my higher-performing laptop, and nowhere close to replacing my 3-year-old gaming desktop. It can't be the "do anything" device - if I still need 2 devices to get my stuff done, I might as well buy one that's less expensive and will give me the same function I need. I do think Ben built a bit of a straw man out of Nadella's comment, though. > "Nadella is basically saying Microsoft needs to make Surface because Microsoft makes Surface." That's a very selective interpretation of what Nadella said. He said he wanted to integrate the company's products into a single experience. He didn't say that's why the Surface exists, nor did he say the reason behind building hardware and products is for the sake of integration. He's just saying the vision is to integrate the experience. Ben makes it sound like there's no other reason behind it, but Nadella may very well see reasons for integration that he didn't go into (there).

dworin 12y ago
Are you sure it doesn't exist? I've seen a lot of them in a corporate setting, and in increasing numbers. When I ask what people like, the answer is almost universally that an iPad is good for watching movies, but they can actually get work done on their surface so they don't need to bring a laptop along anymore.
nivla 12y ago
>Microsoft is trying to target a demographic that doesn't exist Well it does exists, its just a small niche for now and the price does play a huge role into it. I am one of the target because I travel a lot and can't be bothered to carry my 9.5pound laptop with me. Waiting at the airport? Just connect to the nearest Wifi, turn on VPN, start up your regular work environment (x86 apps - VM/Vagrant,VS etc) and get that work completed. When it gets too much, switch to the start screen (tablet mode) and play some video, angry birds or 2048 or whatever silly thing. Once I get back home, its automatically syncs the changes to my regular laptop (using BitSync) and I can continue where I left off. Its the convenience I payed the price for. I am still on my Surface Pro 1 and its going good, although it does irk me to see two new versions even before my original warranty is over. Had the Surface Pro been sold for < $399, it be easily become a top selling tabletPC. Well why not its a full fledged i7 PC capable of dual booting to other OS (secure boot can be turned off) and it runs all your favorite x86 apps. However, the processor itself its too expensive to make that happen. Although I am crossing fingers for AMD's skybridge that mashes up both x86 and ARM in one CPU.[1] [1] http://www.anandtech.com/show/7989/amd-announces-project-skybridge-pincompatible-arm-and-x86-socs-in-2015 http://www.anandtech.com/show/7989/amd-announces-project-sky...
debaserab2 12y ago
I think it does exist but the surface just isn't there yet. The concept of being able to use one machine to sit down and do heavy work and then grab just my screen to head off to a meeting is very appealing to me personally. It almost seems like the inevitable evolution of laptop computing. I think they got the hardware down right (although I cannot attest to that since I don't own one) but where they are really coming up short is software. If I'm going to drop that much cash to buy a portable device, it better have apps/programs on it that have a better experience than what Windows offers.

dworin 12y ago

Are you sure it doesn't exist? I've seen a lot of them in a corporate setting, and in increasing numbers. When I ask what people like, the answer is almost universally that an iPad is good for watching movies, but they can actually get work done on their surface so they don't need to bring a laptop along anymore.

nivla 12y ago

>Microsoft is trying to target a demographic that doesn't exist Well it does exists, its just a small niche for now and the price does play a huge role into it. I am one of the target because I travel a lot and can't be bothered to carry my 9.5pound laptop with me. Waiting at the airport? Just connect to the nearest Wifi, turn on VPN, start up your regular work environment (x86 apps - VM/Vagrant,VS etc) and get that work completed. When it gets too much, switch to the start screen (tablet mode) and play some video, angry birds or 2048 or whatever silly thing. Once I get back home, its automatically syncs the changes to my regular laptop (using BitSync) and I can continue where I left off. Its the convenience I payed the price for. I am still on my Surface Pro 1 and its going good, although it does irk me to see two new versions even before my original warranty is over. Had the Surface Pro been sold for < $399, it be easily become a top selling tabletPC. Well why not its a full fledged i7 PC capable of dual booting to other OS (secure boot can be turned off) and it runs all your favorite x86 apps. However, the processor itself its too expensive to make that happen. Although I am crossing fingers for AMD's skybridge that mashes up both x86 and ARM in one CPU.[1] [1] http://www.anandtech.com/show/7989/amd-announces-project-skybridge-pincompatible-arm-and-x86-socs-in-2015 http://www.anandtech.com/show/7989/amd-announces-project-sky...

debaserab2 12y ago

I think it does exist but the surface just isn't there yet. The concept of being able to use one machine to sit down and do heavy work and then grab just my screen to head off to a meeting is very appealing to me personally. It almost seems like the inevitable evolution of laptop computing. I think they got the hardware down right (although I cannot attest to that since I don't own one) but where they are really coming up short is software. If I'm going to drop that much cash to buy a portable device, it better have apps/programs on it that have a better experience than what Windows offers.