I'm reminded of all the tablet PCs that came before it. They had a stylus.
What's different today versus the decade of tablet PCs before?
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First Reviews of Microsoft Surface Pro: Good Display, Full Windows 8, Compromised Experience
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I'm reminded of all the tablet PCs that came before it. They had a stylus.
What's different today versus the decade of tablet PCs before?
I think one of the biggest problems this tablet will have is with battery life in the real world. It has a battery smaller than the iPad's, a fairly demanding processor in terms of power consumption (for a tablet with this battery), a 1080p 10.6" display, 2 fans, 2 touch sub-systems, 64 bit pathways, DDR3 RAM, full desktop-style multitasking, and many other laptop-style components, all on a smallish battery. And its running full windows 8, which in my experience draws slightly more power that 7 on the same system. I find it hard to believe that this device can go for more that 4 or 5 hours without a charge.
Dammit MS, still can't get it right.
Barely powerful enough to run vanilla Autocad, and still not powerful enough to run Autodesk Inventor.
The old Motion 1300's could run then-current Inventor 6. Perhaps I should hunt down one of those decade+ old creaky slates for a sketchbook instead.
+100 points for the wacom digitizer, but -several million for the same old underpowered, underperforming tablet strategy as before.
Barely powerful enough to run vanilla Autocad, and still not powerful enough to run Autodesk Inventor.
The old Motion 1300's could run then-current Inventor 6. Perhaps I should hunt down one of those decade+ old creaky slates for a sketchbook instead.
+100 points for the wacom digitizer, but -several million for the same old underpowered, underperforming tablet strategy as before.
30GB available for a 64GB storage? Who would put up with that kind of crap? Just get a MacBook Air.....
Multitouch. Having the option to use a stylus IN ADDITION to your fingers is great. So many people buy a stylus because while interacting with the OS is better with your finger, drawing or note taking something more complex than words (math problems, diagrams) is better with a stylus.
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played around with one for a bit at the local tech store.. not a fan.
If I was on the market for a windows 8 laptop. I would get a touch screen ultrabook.
If I was on the market for a windows 8 laptop. I would get a touch screen ultrabook.
Although the 64gb iPad still has more actual storage than the 128gb surface
I KNOW RIGHT. Frankly i think the fact that Microsoft feels comfortable shipping a device (and now 2) where the majority of the storage is consumed by the OS and bloatware the OEM calls features. The mail app in widows 8 is pure s***, yet it takes up about 200mbs on the hard drive. You can't even install windows 8 on a 20 gb hard drive, yet OS X has the same functionality and more, and can run on 20 GB with space to spare.
By the time Microsoft makes its revisions they will be so behind everyone else. They are too big and clunky to make quick changes. They are too much like Blackberry and HP. By the time they figure out how to copy someone else, they are 3 years behind in the market.
At this point they need to focus on Office and Xbox. And if Apple succeeds at casual gaming in the living room, Microsoft may even lose that in the next 5 years.
What happens when you try to please everyone when developing your product? It takes forever to bring it to market. This is a major distinction of why Apple can bring new products to market quickly and other companies take forever.
I used to work for TI. Back in 2000, they were still supporting their products running Windows 3.0 because there were a few countries still using it. I told management, how are you ever going to move forward in technology supporting a 13 year old OS that even Microsoft doesn't support anymore?
At this point they need to focus on Office and Xbox. And if Apple succeeds at casual gaming in the living room, Microsoft may even lose that in the next 5 years.
What happens when you try to please everyone when developing your product? It takes forever to bring it to market. This is a major distinction of why Apple can bring new products to market quickly and other companies take forever.
I used to work for TI. Back in 2000, they were still supporting their products running Windows 3.0 because there were a few countries still using it. I told management, how are you ever going to move forward in technology supporting a 13 year old OS that even Microsoft doesn't support anymore?
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As for the MBA, you will probably get your wish around WWDC. But I'm not to sure about the Wacom support. The problem is that unless its an app, or standard tech (which i dont consider Wacom, though some artsy folk might), apple, is very stingy on licensing other companies' hardware tech.
Ah... so bad touchscreens and styluses were the reason the tablet PC didn't take off all those years ago. I thought it was something else.
Glad to know that in 2013 people will finally get the stylus experience they've been waiting for since 2001.
Although the 64gb iPad still has more actual storage than the 128gb surface
Care to elaborate? From my reading, I read "On the $999 model, 90 GB of the 128 GB total is available for the user" which does not align with your comment given than 90 > 64
Yep. Every time I hear someone say the iPad can only improve by incremental performance bumps to its existing hardware, it makes me realize how few of us have written or drawn on-screen with Wacoms precision digitizer. The iPad will become a much more usable platform once that input technology is integrated in.
Apple should buy Wacom, even if they don't utilize it for years yet. Enjoy that revenue stream for a bit, & then pull the rug out from everyone and feature it solely in their own products. Blammo.
An iPad with stylus support from someone like Wacom would be amazing. Paper is a great app, but with a Wacom stylus it would be a game changer.
It's ridiculously expensive...the price of keyboard and cover just put it over the top.
Barely any space left on HD, runs a crappy version of an already crappy OS (im a huge windows 7 fanboy).
Please get rid of Ballmer MS.
Barely any space left on HD, runs a crappy version of an already crappy OS (im a huge windows 7 fanboy).
Please get rid of Ballmer MS.
As expected, it's junk. Just an overpriced laptop.
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How has he been CEO for so long? He's made Microsoft a laughingstock.
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WTF is it using the other approx 30 GB for??!!! Don't tell me that's how much Windows 8 alone takes! Actually, that's the only possible answer (or some horrible file system).
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How has he been CEO for so long? He's made Microsoft a laughingstock.
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WTF is it using the other approx 30 GB for??!!! Don't tell me that's how much Windows 8 alone takes! Actually, that's the only possible answer (or some horrible file system).
It really is. The touch screen laptop is truly something to behold, especially when it functions as a tablet as well. I've tried the Surface more than a few times, and I'm considering picking up the Pro version.
I only hope Microsoft doesn't suffer to fate of the Sega Dreamcast, for lack of a better product to exact this scenario. The Dreamcast was ahead of it's time; I mean, way ahead of it's time with online play and 480p. Unfortunately, it was early to the market and flopped, while others (PlayStation, Xbox, GameCube) copied and slightly refined it to massive levels of success.
It'd be a shame to see a company who innovated greatly suffer the same fate as Sega.
I think that's what MS was going for when they made something that dedicates 30GB presumably to the system.
I dont know about everyone else, but I thought that these touch screen laptops / hybrids were a terrible idea. I went and played with a few of them, and I am beginning to come around- they're pretty cool. Never thought I'd say this, but I think Apple has some catching up to do in this area. Being able to touch the screen every so often makes for a solid experience on a laptop/convertible. On the Windows side, I'd say all of the products out are a revision or two away. Hoping Apple comes out with something that would be up to par on the first release in this area.
The Zune was better and cheaper than the iPod, why are you people comparing it to this. Plus the software was amazing, while iTunes continues to suck
Surface however, yea...no thanks.
Surface however, yea...no thanks.