Microsoft Announces New 'Surface' Tablet, New Hardware and Software Based on Windows 8

[DougB541]

Given what happened with the pre-order, Windows 8 in general is going to sell a lot of licenses. In addition, the lower prices for upgrades and vendors slashing costs even on OEM licenses.

Yeah i think Windows 8 will do just fine...Surface SEEMS to have some heavy interest, but post launch month sales will be more indicative.

Windows 8 use on a tablet has been mostly positively previewed so I think much of the praise will come with the new hardware being released. Windows RT will probably be docked for still including the desktop in some reviews i'd imagine...though it doesn't bother me since if i need to start diving into menus in my productivity apps, i'm probably going to prefer to be on a mouse and keyboard anyway.

 

[xofruitcake]

3-5 million for the quarter as quoted by MS (unless i misread something).

EDIT: here it is: http://www.phonearena.com/news/Microsoft-is-making-3-to-5-million-Surface-tablets-in-Q4-2012_id35589

you have to look at the fine print. they shipped 3-5 m unit to the retailers but does not mean they will sell that many units in the quarter. Apple has a policy of anything shipped to a 3rd party retailer is counted as a sales. But anything ship to Apple store don't count as a sales until an end user pay for the items. And Apple ship 4-8 weeks of inventory to it's channel.. So when Msft talks about their surface sales, you have to make sure you read the fine print. If Msft can sell 3-5 million a unit, window 8 table will indeed do every well. There are 4 authorized RT manufacturer now: Samsung, ASUS, Dell and Leveno. Apple sole 17m ipad in 2Q12.. And if msft sell 3-5m, and each of the four manufacturer sell 1-2m, you are looking at a launch q of 7-13M unit... Somehow I don't see that many demand for Window 8 tablet yet... It is not like Window 8 tablet is a familiar consumer items that everyone know for sure what they are getting.

 

[DougB541]

you have to look at the fine print. they shipped 3-5 m unit to the retailers but does not mean they will sell that many units in the quarter. Apple has a policy of anything shipped to a 3rd party retailer is counted as a sales. But anything ship to Apple store don't count as a sales until an end user pay for the items. And Apple ship 4-8 weeks of inventory to it's channel.. So when Msft talks about their surface sales, you have to make sure you read the fine print. If Msft can sell 3-5 million a unit, window 8 table will indeed do every well. There are 4 authorized RT manufacturer now: Samsung, ASUS, Dell and Leveno. Apple sole 17m ipad in 2Q12.. And if msft sell 3-5m, and each of the four manufacturer sell 1-2m, you are looking at a launch q of 7-13M unit... Somehow I don't see that many demand for Window 8 tablet yet... It is not like Window 8 tablet is a familiar consumer items that everyone know for sure what they are getting.

I'm just quoting what they said they are manufacturing.

 

[AppleScruff1]

you have to look at the fine print. they shipped 3-5 m unit to the retailers but does not mean they will sell that many units in the quarter. Apple has a policy of anything shipped to a 3rd party retailer is counted as a sales. But anything ship to Apple store don't count as a sales until an end user pay for the items. And Apple ship 4-8 weeks of inventory to it's channel.. So when Msft talks about their surface sales, you have to make sure you read the fine print. If Msft can sell 3-5 million a unit, window 8 table will indeed do every well. There are 4 authorized RT manufacturer now: Samsung, ASUS, Dell and Leveno. Apple sole 17m ipad in 2Q12.. And if msft sell 3-5m, and each of the four manufacturer sell 1-2m, you are looking at a launch q of 7-13M unit... Somehow I don't see that many demand for Window 8 tablet yet... It is not like Window 8 tablet is a familiar consumer items that everyone know for sure what they are getting.

You mean like how the consumers knew what they were getting with the first iPad?

 

[Michaelgtrusa]

I like it.

 

[smoledman]

you have to look at the fine print. they shipped 3-5 m unit to the retailers but does not mean they will sell that many units in the quarter. Apple has a policy of anything shipped to a 3rd party retailer is counted as a sales. But anything ship to Apple store don't count as a sales until an end user pay for the items. And Apple ship 4-8 weeks of inventory to it's channel.. So when Msft talks about their surface sales, you have to make sure you read the fine print. If Msft can sell 3-5 million a unit, window 8 table will indeed do every well. There are 4 authorized RT manufacturer now: Samsung, ASUS, Dell and Leveno. Apple sole 17m ipad in 2Q12.. And if msft sell 3-5m, and each of the four manufacturer sell 1-2m, you are looking at a launch q of 7-13M unit... Somehow I don't see that many demand for Window 8 tablet yet... It is not like Window 8 tablet is a familiar consumer items that everyone know for sure what they are getting.

Imagine 10 million Windows 8 tablets collecting dust on shelves this Christmas while Apple moves 40-50 million iPads!

 

[Death-T]

It is not like Window 8 tablet is a familiar consumer items that everyone know for sure what they are getting.

I agree with most of this, but everyone was familiar with iOS before the iPad came out. On the other hand, Windows 8 is brand new. The Surface is also pretty unique compared to its competitors with its full desktop-like OS and its built-in kickstand with keyboard smart cover and track pad. I'm not hating on the iPad, but it and similar Android tablets are essentially over sized smart phones with few surprises.

But will it really compete with the iPad? Who knows. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who figure "hey why not just buy a $300 laptop at Walmart" when these come out.

 

[smoledman]

I agree with most of this, but everyone was familiar with iOS before the iPad came out. On the other hand, Windows 8 is brand new. The Surface is also pretty unique compared to its competitors with its full desktop-like OS and its built-in kickstand with keyboard smart cover and track pad. I'm not hating on the iPad, but it and similar Android tablets are essentially over sized smart phones with few surprises.

But will it really compete with the iPad? Who knows. I'm sure there will be a lot of people who figure "hey why not just buy a $300 laptop at Walmart" when these come out.

The thing is while the Surface is unique like you say, it could be thought of as uniquely BAD.

Let's see you use that $300 laptop in touch-mode.

 

[Death-T]

The thing is while the Surface is unique like you say, it could be thought of as uniquely BAD.

Let's see you use that $300 laptop in touch-mode.

Eh, maybe. I like what I've seen so far, but maybe the keyboard sucks, Windows 8 isn't all it's cracked up to be, the price is too high, etc, etc. We'll havta wait and see. I'm sure it will be lacking in games and tablet optimized apps at launch, though Office and some other stuff will probably debut with the Surface. I think it'll be important for Microsoft to really work on the Windows store since Apple and Android already have a huge head start in that area.

 

[Technarchy]

You mean like how the consumers knew what they were getting with the first iPad?

An oversized iPhone. At least that is all it was according to the internet experts.

 

[xofruitcake]

Imagine 10 million Windows 8 tablets collecting dust on shelves this Christmas while Apple moves 40-50 million iPads!

The best rumor out there is Apple has 5 million a unit capacity for Ipad mini and in 2Q they sold a total of 17m Ipad 3+Ipad 2. So Apple only has about 30m or so manufacturing capacity this quarter for Ipad 2 + Ipad 3 + Ipad mini. I thin Apple will do great if they can sell 25M of combined Ipad 2+ Ipad 3+ Ipa mini this Q. And Ipad mini will probably take away some sales from Ipad 3 given the lower price.

 

[xofruitcake]

The thing is while the Surface is unique like you say, it could be thought of as uniquely BAD.

Let's see you use that $300 laptop in touch-mode.

heh heh, what $300? There is no Microsoft surface lower than 499 and also there is no 16G model.. me think window 8 is taking up too much space to make 16G useable... The pricing make it aweful like a replacement for the window laptop. But Amazon has 29 laptop today that cost between 400-549 and have 4GB dram with I3 or AMD A6 and over 500GB storage. The only downside is that all these table weight more than 3.3 lb. Surface weight 1.5 lb but the cover probably add another 1/2 lb so may be 2 lb total. The early techie may all want one to try.. but for the rest of us, the pricing is crazy high for the new tablet world.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/16/microsoft-surface-price_n_1970034.html

UPDATE: It's official! Microsoft has put out a press release with the prices for the upcoming surface tablet. It is indeed $499 for a 32GB model, $599 for a 32GB model with black Touch Cover keyboard, and $699 for a 62GB model with black Touch Cover keyboard. If you want a colored Touch Cover keyboard, you'll have to pay $119.99. The bulkier Type Cover keyboard -- similar to the Touch Cover, but with keys that move and can depressed like on a traditional keyboard, will cost $129.99.

A limited number of Surface tablets will go on pre-order sale starting at 12PM ET at

 

[rjohnstone]

UPDATE: It's official! Microsoft has put out a press release with the prices for the upcoming surface tablet. It is indeed $499 for a 32GB model, $599 for a 32GB model with black Touch Cover keyboard, and $699 for a 62GB model with black Touch Cover keyboard. If you want a colored Touch Cover keyboard, you'll have to pay $119.99. The bulkier Type Cover keyboard -- similar to the Touch Cover, but with keys that move and can depressed like on a traditional keyboard, will cost $129.99.

A limited number of Surface tablets will go on pre-order sale starting at 12PM ET at

Welcome to last week.
Pre-orders for the 32GB model sold out in the US the first day.

 

[xofruitcake]

Welcome to last week.
Pre-orders for the 32GB model sold out in the US the first day.

heh heh pre-ordered sold out can mean one of two things. It can means a lot of demands or they can mean there is very little inventory. 1M 32G model? 500K? 300K? Surface is a new tablet with a new OS. There is going to be a lot of techie who like new toys and they will order one. The key is going to be the next 3 months after the first mover all get their fill of the new toys. Ipad 3 launch number is 3M units in the first weekend. Let's see what the number Microsoft announce.

 

[Liquorpuki]

The thing is while the Surface is unique like you say, it could be thought of as uniquely BAD.

Let's see you use that $300 laptop in touch-mode.

The thing about the Surface, at least with the Pro version, is it has the potential to move tablets past the mobile budget market into power apps. The 4 gig RAM helps as does the fact you can run desktop software on it. MS Office integration will be a litmus test.

The reason the post PC era hasn't happened yet is because you can't do everything you wanna do on a PC on a tablet. The Surface Pro has the potential to change that. The few analysts who recognize this have stated the Surface's success rests on it's ability to make the iPad look like a toy.

 

[smoledman]

LOL... iPad Mini is #1 on Google Hot Trends and Surface is nowhere in sight.

 

[rjohnstone]

LOL... iPad Mini is #1 on Google Hot Trends and Surface is nowhere in sight.

It's not released yet.
Only a handful of people even have review units.

 

[smoledman]

It's not released yet.
Only a handful of people even have review units.

iPad Mini isn't "released" yet either. Nobody has review units.

 

[dba415]

iPad Mini isn't "released" yet either. Nobody has review units.

iPad Mini was just announced, we've known about Surface for a long time now

 

[Naimfan]

I think Microsoft is fighting an uphill battle with the Surface vs. the iPad. It looks a lot like the Zune debacle.

 

[Eidorian]

I think Microsoft is fighting an uphill battle with the Surface vs. the iPad. It looks a lot like the Zune debacle.

Even on NPR they go on about ecosystem entrenchment. It is scary stuff.

Anandtech has a review up for the Surface hardware. The conclusion made mention of productivity and consumption. Though you might need the keyboard for that. Not to mention the specifications war. Does Microsoft hold some sway with Office on RT? I was surprised that Explorer is there behind Metro on RT. Now if they only had VLC.

 

[damitssam]

Eh, maybe. I like what I've seen so far, but maybe the keyboard sucks, Windows 8 isn't all it's cracked up to be, the price is too high, etc, etc. We'll havta wait and see. I'm sure it will be lacking in games and tablet optimized apps at launch, though Office and some other stuff will probably debut with the Surface. I think it'll be important for Microsoft to really work on the Windows store since Apple and Android already have a huge head start in that area.

Games. Who gives a **** about games. This is not a toy. This is for making some $$$ for work. Buying the surface pro for travel purposes. No more heavy laptop to lunge around.

 

[MattDSLR]

Is this an mac book air competition?
It does sound like it, for a bit less money
it may be a hit if you can add usb3 devices to it

 

[rjohnstone]

Is this an mac book air competition?
It does sound like it, for a bit less money
it may be a hit if you can add usb3 devices to it

The Surface Pro would most likely be a MacBook Air competitor.
Same price range with more functionality. (Wacom digitizer, USB3, DisplayPort, etc)

As the Anandtech review states, the Surface is somewhere in between the iPad and an ultrabook.

 

[xofruitcake]

Games. Who gives a **** about games. This is not a toy. This is for making some $$$ for work. Buying the surface pro for travel purposes. No more heavy laptop to lunge around.

But the natural competition of Surface pro is the traditional laptop. If they are priced about the same, why would someone order a surface pro and not just your familiar laptop? Msft is entering into a chaotic zone where they are trying to move their laptop users into tablet. But their partners (HP, Dell, Leveno...) will have a say into how this transition is done. Some of them are doing better with laptop production and they will start discounting laptop.. And we will see a dogfight within the Msft ecosystems... Will Microsoft win anything if all their laptop user move into tablet but just use the tablet the same way as their old laptop?