Microsoft Slashes Price of Surface Pro Through August 29 Following Surface RT Price Cut

[PracticalMac]

How long will MS pursue this?

Took a few years, but eventually Xbox beat PS, so MS might commit for years until they make a serious competitor.

 

[roadbloc]

Microsoft rarely get things right to begin with. Many version 1 products off them have flopped, including the Xbox. Maybe by version 2 or 3, we'll see. But it is going to take another £100 off before I'm interested.

 

[Michael Scrip]

It would be a nice laptop replacement.

Which laptop are you replacing? A tiny laptop?

The thing that bothers me about the Surface Pro is the 10.6" screen.

Like the 11" Macbook Air... the screen is too small. It feels like I'm looking through a mail slot.

The promise of the Surface Pro is "It's a laptop and tablet in one!"

Unfortunately... it has the small screen of a tablet. That's a no-go for something that is supposed to be my laptop computer.

 

[fallenjt]

It really is a nice tablet. Use one. I own both an iPad and Surface. I'd like to see what a second generation tablet from Microsoft would bring to the table but it seems as if no one is willing to give them the chance.

Yeah? Including 2 cooling fans in side? MS should hire Sir Jony to help with design cuz Surface design is ugly. Pro may have some sale at $499-$599 range, not $799-$899. At $799-$899 + $129 keyboard, I rather get 11" Macbook Air ($999) or even 13" ($1099).

 

[Bug-Creator]

The only "people" I know useing Surface (or Windows-Phones) are the cast of "Under the dome".

Lets see what lasts longer......

 

[Amazing Iceman]

I have a feeling the surface will follow the path of the "kin" and the "Zune". Microsoft has a habit of introducing ill researched products into the market and killing them off. They will leave the tablet marketplace in a few years. As someone else posted, you can get a MacBook Air for the price, which can do so much more. It also doesn't help that the metro interface isn't all that great to use. And the classic Microsoft desktop doesn't suit a tablet.

That's why back in 2007 I took a leap of faith and got my first Mac, and in 2010 got an iPad 1 under the condition that I would return it if I didn't like it. So far, I have no regrets.
Back in 2009-2010 there were so many promising tablets being developed that never saw the light of day just because the first iPad was launched as the only strong tablet solution, causing a lot of these other products to be redesigned or discontinued.

I really though the Surface was going to cause an great impact in the tablet market, considering that it runs Windows. I think a lot of people got very disappointed and upset over Metro UI that somehow it got linked to the failed Windows Vista and Zune Player. Actually, it was Vista what gave me that last kick I needed to jump into a Mac.

Let's see what Windows 8.1 brings. If it becomes desktop oriented as before it's not going to benefit the Surface. Microsoft would need to come up with something people would easily understand and feel motivated to use.

 

[NSeven]

I was under the impression you had to be over 13 to make a forum account. I guess I was wrong.

Yes you are correct, now if you had taken the time to look at my profile instead of making a silly comment about my age you would have found the answer to your silly little comment

Also please give me your address so i can send a Red Cross parcel to you so you can stop crying

 

[Battlefield Fan]

Back in 2007 I would have probably bought one, but just like with my Pocket PC, for which I spent over $1700 in units and accessories that have become practically obsolete, I'm afraid the same is going to happen to the Surface.

Something just didn't click-in properly (could that be the Metro interface?) and it's not getting much attention.

Agreed nothing will beat Apple's app store in terms of attention from developers.

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Yeah? Including 2 cooling fans in side? MS should hire Sir Jony to help with design cuz Surface design is ugly. Pro may have some sale at $499-$599 range, not $799-$899. At $799-$899 + $129 keyboard, I rather get 11" Macbook Air ($999) or even 13" ($1099).

That's because it includes laptop style hardware with an Intel Core i5 processor. iPads use glorified phone processors(granted the A6 is fast but not i5 fast) I'm not sure why the fans would bother you anyways. I never hear mine.

 

[Amazing Iceman]

Which laptop are you replacing? A tiny laptop?

The thing that bothers me about the Surface Pro is the 10.6" screen.

Like the 11" Macbook Air... the screen is too small. It feels like I'm looking through a mail slot.

The promise of the Surface Pro is "It's a laptop and tablet in one!"

Unfortunately... it has the small screen of a tablet. That's a no-go for something that is supposed to be my laptop computer.

For me, a 15" display is not large enough. I like the 17" display better if I'm going to be mostly mobile. In my case, my MBP has been working as a desktop connected to a 24" display since I got my first iPad in 2010.
Now I'm debating between a new MBP (if it comes with a 17" display) or a Mac Pro (unless the Mac Mini comes with a better graphics card).

 

[Breaking Good]

The only "people" I know useing Surface (or Windows-Phones) are the cast of "Under the dome".

Lets see what lasts longer......

BC - this was funny as heck and I actually am one of the very few people who like that show.

Do they really use Windows-phones on the show? I've never bothered to look.

On to the topic at hand, Microsoft's problem comes down to two companies, Symantec and McAfee. Microsoft should have put these two companies out of business years ago by designing an operating system that wasn't a piece of crap. I shouldn't have to download new virus definitions every other day.

For thirty years Microsoft has refused to fix the gaping security holes in their operating system. They've destroyed their reputation. No one, with the exception of those profiting from their crappy operating system, is going to buy a tablet running Windows just to have to immediately buy an anti-virus program and a firewall program.

 

[KdParker]

Mabey at $199. Still not

At $199, that would be a great buy, but at $799 it is just too much for a that tablet.

 

[crazy4apple]

i will buy one for £50 no more, just so my little girls have something to smash when i refuse them Ipad 5 when it launches

 

[Renzatic]

As someone else posted, you can get a MacBook Air for the price, which can do so much more.

What can you do with an MBA you can't with a Pro?

It might be MS' fault for badly marketing the thing, but people seem to forget that the Pro is a full on ultrabook with the same specs as the Air, and a Wacom Cintiq quality digitizer onscreen.

The UI lets it down, but the hardware and build quality are excellent across the board.

 

[Solomani]

Forget slashing the RT price.

Microsoft would be better off by slashing Steve Ballmer's job.

 

[ghettochris]

Which laptop are you replacing? A tiny laptop?

The thing that bothers me about the Surface Pro is the 10.6" screen.

Like the 11" Macbook Air... the screen is too small. It feels like I'm looking through a mail slot.

The promise of the Surface Pro is "It's a laptop and tablet in one!"

Unfortunately... it has the small screen of a tablet. That's a no-go for something that is supposed to be my laptop computer.

when i am at home or the office, I plug into an external monitor, so the screen size isn't too important. Hell, if my phone had full os x and I could just plug it into a monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers, I would rarely care about the tiny screen on the go. 11 inch macbook air is perfect for me, usable as a laptop when you need it, and super small and light, but still a full computer when "docked"

 

[inlinevolvo]

What can you do with an MBA you can't with a Pro?

It might be MS' fault for badly marketing the thing, but people seem to forget that the Pro is a full on ultrabook with the same specs as the Air, and a Wacom Cintiq quality digitizer onscreen.

The UI lets it down, but the hardware and build quality are excellent across the board.

Work for a full day off the battery for starters. A real keyboard which can be used on your lap. You can boot into win 7 or 8 and have a Mac operating system. My point is that marketing a tablet at the price point of an ultra book was a dumb idea. Pretty much anything Steve Ballmer does is a dumb idea, but that's a separate discussion.

The hardware would be impressive if it werenet for the circa 2000 battery life...

 

[KPOM]

The only "people" I know useing Surface (or Windows-Phones) are the cast of "Under the dome".

Lets see what lasts longer......

Shh! Don't give Microsoft's marketing department any ideas.

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Work for a full day off the battery for starters. A real keyboard which can be used on your lap. You can boot into win 7 or 8 and have a Mac operating system. My point is that marketing a tablet at the price point of an ultra book was a dumb idea. Pretty much anything Steve Ballmer does is a dumb idea, but that's a separate discussion.

The hardware would be impressive if it werenet for the circa 2000 battery life...

If the 2013 MacBook Air is any indication, Haswell may change that, enabling the Surface Pro to lose some weight and gain some battery life at the same time. If it does, it might be more compelling.

 

[Michael Scrip]

when i am at home or the office, I plug into an external monitor, so the screen size isn't too important. Hell, if my phone had full os x and I could just plug it into a monitor/keyboard/mouse/speakers, I would rarely care about the tiny screen on the go. 11 inch macbook air is perfect for me, usable as a laptop when you need it, and super small and light, but still a full computer when "docked"

True... but a laptop can be used anywhere... not just at your desk.

So while you have a nice large screen at your desk... it's tiny everywhere else.

It's definitely different strokes for different folks.

 

[rdlink]

I was under the impression you had to be over 13 to make a forum account. I guess I was wrong.

He's under the impression that if it's not Scottish, it's crap!

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BC - this was funny as heck and I actually am one of the very few people who like that show.

Do they really use Windows-phones on the show? I've never bothered to look.

On to the topic at hand, Microsoft's problem comes down to two companies, Symantec and McAfee. Microsoft should have put these two companies out of business years ago by designing an operating system that wasn't a piece of crap. I shouldn't have to download new virus definitions every other day.

For thirty years Microsoft has refused to fix the gaping security holes in their operating system. They've destroyed their reputation. No one, with the exception of those profiting from their crappy operating system, is going to buy a tablet running Windows just to have to immediately buy an anti-virus program and a firewall program.

I don't totally disagree with what you're saying, but I have been using Microsoft Security Essentials on Win7 for over three years, and have been fine. Granted, I only use Windows for the very few apps (down to one now) that won't run on my Mac.

 

[Renzatic]

Work for a full day off the battery for starters. A real keyboard which can be used on your lap. You can boot into win 7 or 8 and have a Mac operating system. My point is that marketing a tablet at the price point of an ultra book was a dumb idea. Pretty much anything Steve Ballmer does is a dumb idea, but that's a separate discussion.

The hardware would be impressive if it werenet for the circa 2000 battery life...

I can agree with you on the battery life. It's the major reason why I haven't considered picking one up for myself, even with the stylus and digitizer tempting me.

But the keyboard? You don't have to use the smartcover if you don't want to. Why not just use any number of bluetooth keyboards? Then you could set the tablet whereever you want, and type from your lap no problem. I did that with my iPad just a couple days back, actually. I set it down on a table off to my left, had my keyboard right in front of me, and typed away. It was almost like having an itty bitty portable iMac in a way. I could easily see me doing the same thing with the Pro.

 

[jm001]

Which laptop are you replacing? A tiny laptop?

The thing that bothers me about the Surface Pro is the 10.6" screen.

Like the 11" Macbook Air... the screen is too small. It feels like I'm looking through a mail slot.

The promise of the Surface Pro is "It's a laptop and tablet in one!"

Unfortunately... it has the small screen of a tablet. That's a no-go for something that is supposed to be my laptop computer.

It's all about personal preferences. You prefer 15" laptops whereas I don't mind the size of the Surface Pro. I have a 24" screen for my desktop so I want something small when I travel. To each his/her own.

 

[Bug-Creator]

Shh! Don't give Microsoft's marketing department any ideas.

Not sure what your implying, but it was clearly Microsoft's marketing department that placed those devices on that show ...


Which btw has been renewed for a 2nd season, so you might want to place your money on Mr King here

 

[inlinevolvo]

I can agree with you on the battery life. It's the major reason why I haven't considered picking one up for myself, even with the stylus and digitizer tempting me.

But the keyboard? You don't have to use the smartcover if you don't want to. Why not just use any number of bluetooth keyboards? Then you could set the tablet whereever you want, and type from your lap no problem. I did that with my iPad just a couple days back, actually. I set it down on a table off to my left, had my keyboard right in front of me, and typed away. It was almost like having an itty bitty portable iMac in a way. I could easily see me doing the same thing with the Pro.

I understand most of these shortcomings could be handled one way or another. Fundamentally MS was not able to approach this correctly and in my opinion that is mostly because of win 8. It is cumbersome to use on a non touch screen. This has generally translated to bad reviews, among other issues. While win 8 has major improvements it is poorly executed. Some of this is in the works with the upcoming service pack, but for the love of God, why did they remove the start button?? I switched to a Mac because of win 8 and I know I'm not the only one.

 

[KPOM]

Not sure what your implying, but it was clearly Microsoft's marketing department that placed those devices on that show ...


Which btw has been renewed for a 2nd season, so you might want to place your money on Mr King here

The only people using Windows Phone and Surface RT are stuck underneath an impenetrable dome. Perhaps the Microsoft Store is inside, and the Apple Store is outside.

 

[ghettochris]

True... but a laptop can be used anywhere... not just at your desk.

So while you have a nice large screen at your desk... it's tiny everywhere else.

It's definitely different strokes for different folks.

agreed. I was just saying that tiny screen everywhere else is no big deal to me, since don't use it much that way, but I know that others are the opposite and never hook it up to a monitor and love their old 17 inch MBP for a nice big screen everywhere they use it. or there's this guy http://www.blogcdn.com/wow.joystiq.com/media/2009/12/zach-bt-panerabreadman.jpg