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

[jca666us]

I'm surprised and I applaud many of the positive comments here for Microsoft's new tablet.

The built-in features, like the kickstand and the cover/keyboard combo ideas are pretty ingenious.

I'm wondering at which price-point MS will be offering the x86 versions of their tablet/ultrabook hybrid "Surface" device? I own an iPad 3, ("new" iPad, whatever...), but find it to be lacking some of the things I use on a daily basis, such as a mouse/trackpad and a physical keyboard. Granted, I can get an optional Bluetooth keyboard, but some of the things that PCs have in terms of responsiveness and real physical input are somewhat still lacking. That, and the need for flash and a "real" desktop, still drive me to seeking out a PC for some things. I love my iPad, and I can get some things done with it, but my productivity is still unmatched to what I can do on a PC. My coworkers and professional colleagues, while using iPhones and iPads to a degree, see things the same way, or worse still, some see the iPad as a fancy "toy". I disagree with that, but it is limited to what it can do in the still "PC majority" business world.

If the x86 Surface can do what MS claims, and go head to head with the best ultrabooks out there, and function as both a tablet and a PC, I may get one as a complimenting device to my iPad, and ditch my desktop shackles once and for all. Kudos to Microsoft for offering what my finally be a true substitute for desktops and clunky laptops.

A true substitute - a clunky tablet.

The kickstand is laughable - rather they streamline the case and put a bigger battery in it.

USB in a tablet? Unnecessary - tablets should be all about wireless as much as possible.

I like the addition of an sd card reader - the screen resolution is mediocre.

I think the low end tablet pales in comparison to the iPad, while the high end tablet get trashed by ultra books and the MacBook Air.

Questions left unanswered:

How much built in ram?
What kind of processors?
How fast?
BATTERY LIFE?!?!?

Today was Microsoft tablet vapor - pre-announcing something not yet ready.

 

[Medic311]

Apple has over $100 Billion in cash on hand... Even the almighty MS doesn't come close...

who cares what cash they have if when they brought it back, there would only be $50B left? boohoo... is that not fair that the US Gov't would punish good old Apple for repatriating their money?? the US Gov's has that rule in place for companies like Apple who want to funnel it off shore to live tax free, then bring it back once they want to spend on domestic R&D (where the real talent is...India and China just copy). if Apple wants to b*tch about it, then fine...go design oversees. "Designed in Switzerland, Made in China" ....has a ring to it doesn't it?

Apple and its products could disappear tomorrow and the world would go on quite well i might add (once the fanboys see their therapists and stabilize on medication).

if Microsoft and their products disappeared tomorrow... world commerce and the financial infrastructure would collapse. governments would not function, anarchy would be everywhere, every network would shut down. guess what...your iPad 4G all of a sudden wouldn't be able to connect to the internet

while you may love your iPad (i know i love mine) and your Macbook, your iMac, your Mac Mini, and your beloved pink nano...life...as in "real life" runs on windows. things that you depend on every day run on windows. every time you are flying in the skies, ground control is using microsoft products to ensure that you have a safe and uneventful flight. if you went into a hospital emergency room and were unconscious, your medical records would be pulled up via a windows-based system. your life depends on Microsoft and their products whether you like it or not. so instead of pretending like you F''ing know everything there is to know and that Apple is supreme, take a step back and realize there is more in the tech industry than consumer toys

 

[Anti-Lucifer]

How many people use their phones and computers while watching TV?

come again? that's not called watching tv - nor is it using their computer - unless they were on the phone while fixing your computer.

How about this analogy because your analogies are the same as follows:

Can you eat and sh`t at the same time? Sure you can! But would you want to?

Answer that and you have found the answer to all your computing prayers. It's called an iPad.

 

[PJMAN2952]

Windows 7 is better

The cover looks neat, but you can't use it to type unless you put the tablet on a table, no lap typing with that guy. And imo, I think Metro is pretty crap.

Ya, I hate the new metro UI that Microsoft is doing. I have MBP 2011 version with OS X Lion. If I switched back to a PC, I would use Windows 7. Windows 8 is the new Windows Vista. Its gona fail. I remember having Windows Vista before. What a fail OS!

 

[Doombringer]

Stupid product. Feel free to flame me later when this thing dies.

Here's why. Apple nailed the tablet because it built something very simple that is easy to use. Microsoft meanwhile gives you the choice between Arm and Intel. Consumers will be dazed and confused (and the Apple marketing machine will have a field day).

Second it runs Windows. Yes that same Windows that has never been friendly to work with. Microsoft needs and OS designed purely for tablets. Metro and Windows 8 is yet another attempt to leverage the Windows name.

Third, Steve Ballmer is an idiot. He knows nothing about usability and has assembled a company that is largely dysfunctional.

Believe it or not, I think Microsoft has done some decent work with Enterprise products. But they continue to live on the past with little new innovation. Little doesn't mean none, Kinect is pretty cool in the consumer space.

iOS has a huge head start and Microsoft is late to the game yet again. Hello to the Zune Tablet.

The thing is... the world doesn't revolve around Joe Lunchbox and his inability to discern ARM from Intel. If that were the case, then Apple would only be selling iPads... not Macbook Airs, or Macbook Pros. One size does not fit all.

Realize that the market is huge. iPad took off because yes, it fit into a very large niche... the average person could pick it up and surf the web, listen to music, play games, and consume content. But trust me, it's not the only niche in the computing market. Not by a long shot. If Microsoft plays their cards right, this tablet... and other Win 8 tablets... can be huge in the power-user and corporate space, and iPads will be pushed back to the consumer market (where they are strongest). Ask any IT administrator if he loves having to work iPads into his otherwise PC/Microsoft environment and he'll tell you "hell no." Win 8 has a chance to slot in with relative ease.

 

[Eidorian]

come again? that's not called watching tv - nor is it using their computer - unless they were on the phone while fixing your computer.

How about this analogy because your analogies are the same as follows:

Can you eat and sh`t at the same time? Sure you can! But would you want to?

I guess reading a book on the work zone does not count.

 

[jca666us]

No, I just fast forward to an interesting part of the movie...

That said, I don't see the fuss over some of the tablet's supposed "innovations".

The ipad doesn't have a retractable stand because that's what the smart cover (or basically any other ipad cover in the market today) does - prop up your ipad on a flat surface. It would basically be redundant.

Want a smart cover that doubles as a keyboard? Where have I seen that idea before?

But given what we know about the specs, I can't see it being cheaper than the ipad unless Microsoft is willing to subsidise the product in order to garner market share.

That works until Tim Cook decides to advertise a nicely timed price drop and/or an iPad-mini for $299

 

[the.omnibus]

Hopefully Surface will do for Windows 8 what Nexus did for Android: demonstrate to hardware partners what is possible on a new platform by establishing a high water mark in terms of build quality and performance. With the Surface brand being carried over from Windows’ first, experimental foray into multi-touch computing and the craftsmanship of a Zune HD, this will be a very important piece of technology.

 

[jca666us]

The thing is... the world doesn't revolve around Joe Lunchbox and his inability to discern ARM from Intel. If that were the case, then Apple would only be selling iPads... not Macbook Airs, or Macbook Pros. One size does not fit all.

Realize that the market is huge. iPad took off because yes, it fit into a very large niche... the average person could pick it up and surf the web, listen to music, play games, and consume content. But trust me, it's not the only niche in the computing market. Not by a long shot. If Microsoft plays their cards right, this tablet... and other Win 8 tablets... can be huge in the power-user and corporate space, and iPads will be pushed back to the consumer market (where they are strongest). Ask any IT administrator if he loves having to work iPads into his otherwise PC/Microsoft environment and he'll tell you "hell no." Win 8 has a chance to slot in with relative ease.

Windows 8 tablets only have a shot if windows 8 takes off. If windows 8 flounders, so do windows tablets.

 

[Shabbis]

I just don't get the innovation behind the attached "touch" keyboard. The onscreen iPad keyboard works just fine for forum posts (like this, from an iPad1) and emails, etc... If you need a physical keyboard, just get the Apple BT keyboard. At least that way you aren't physically tethered to your device, and you get full keyboard experience, not some compromise.

Now, as an Xbox gamer, allow the Surface to use an Xbox controller and to RDC to my Xbox over the net..... Endless possibilities!

 

[So Random]

The thing is... the world doesn't revolve around Joe Lunchbox

Most of the consumer market, however, does.

 

[mcsenerd]

who cares what cash they have if when they brought it back, there would only be $50B left? ...

if Microsoft disappeared... world commerce and the financial infrastructure would collapse. governments would not function, anarchy would be everywhere, every network would shut down. guess what...your iPad 4G all of a sudden wouldn't be able to connect to the internet

You are delusional... Sorry...

MS is on the slow march to the likes of IBM, Cisco, et al...which is not bad...but no one cares...get over it. They had a long and high run...but it's over. The world would go on without them because the market would just allow someone to come in and take their place... I guess you think you can shut down the Internet too huh?

You think MS's cash on hand is all in the US? I think you better get to investigating... Point is...MS doesn't have enough cash to outright outspend Apple anymore...sorry bud...them's the facts.

 

[Death-T]

That works until Tim Cook decides to advertise a nicely timed price drop and/or an iPad-mini for $299

An iPad-mini? You mean the iPod Touch?

 

[KevinN206]

come again? that's not called watching tv - nor is it using their computer - unless they were on the phone while fixing your computer.

How about this analogy because your analogies are the same as follows:

Can you eat and sh`t at the same time? Sure you can! But would you want to?

Answer that and you have found the answer to all your computing prayers. It's called an iPad.

Tell me how do I watch YouTube videos while surfing the web with Safari? I now do that with Windows RT tablet. YouTube app on the left, IE 10 on the right. Amazing! Or how do I chat with a friend while using the Internet? Or maybe do a video call while typing something?

 

[Number 41]

Too early for fanboi comments yet.

Windows 8 is perfect for tablets. It just gives consumers another choice between iOS and android.

Competition is good- keeps the industry fresh.

Competition just leads to various players spending tons of cash to corner the market on this app or that feature and locking in content to their own ecosystem.

Competition hasn't been good for the computer industry for over a decade .

 

[Peace]

An iPad-mini? You mean the iPod Touch?

Wasn't aware the iPod Touch was 7in.

Thanks for the info.

 

[coolbreeze]

USB in a tablet? Unnecessary - tablets should be all about wireless as much as possible.

Today was Microsoft tablet vapor - pre-announcing something not yet ready.

Please pass the weed as I enjoy Siri and turn-by-turn navigation on my iPad and iPhone 4S (signature is old). iOS6 is incredible. I'm also fumbling with my camera adapter on my iPad to upload pics onto my tablet.

Wait...

 

[Medic311]

You are delusional... Sorry...

MS is on the slow march to the likes of IBM, Cisco, et al...which is not bad...but no one cares...get over it. They had a long and high run...but it's over. The world would go on without them because the market would just allow someone to come in and take their place... I guess you think you can shut down the Internet too huh?

You think MS's cash on hand is all in the US? I think you better get to investigating... Point is...MS doesn't have enough cash to outright outspend Apple anymore...sorry bud...them's the facts.

don't be sorry, i'm the one who feels sorry for your pathetic self.

while you may love your iPad (i know i love mine) and your Macbook, your iMac, your Mac Mini, and your beloved Pink Nano...life...as in "real life" runs on windows. things that you depend on every day run on windows. every time you are flying in the skies, ground control is using microsoft products to ensure that you have a safe and uneventful flight. if you went into a hospital emergency room and were unconscious, your medical records would accessed via a windows-based system. the traffic light systems that you depend on to be "Green" in one direction and "Red" in the perpendicular direction, are run and monitored on windows based systems. your life depends on Microsoft and their products whether you like it or not. so instead of pretending like you F''ing know everything there is to know and that Apple is supreme, take a step back and realize there is more in the tech industry than consumer toys

think outside of the box, or evaporate yourself from these forums

 

[NAG]

Tell me how do I watch YouTube videos while surfing the web with Safari? I now do that with Windows RT tablet. YouTube app on the left, IE 10 on the right. Amazing! Or how do I chat with a friend while using the Internet? Or maybe do a video call while typing something?

Uh, not to be contrarian but how do you watch a video and read text not in the video at the same time?

 

[Eidorian]

Uh, not to be contrarian but how do you watch a video and read text not in the video at the same time?

I listen to reviews while checking a page on the product. The previous example with YouTube snapped alongside a web browser sounds like something I would benefit from.

Lately I have had NPR on in the background while I am building model kits.

 

[SuperBuck27]

If the Zune had a kickstand, things would have been very different

...And a keyboard. You forgot the keyboard. The lack of a keyboard is what really killed the Zune.

I have exactly one dead Zune I keep on my desk to remind me every day not to be a software guy who thinks he knows hardware.

 

[Meicyn]

It is absolutely delicious how personal some people get over unreleased tech gadgets.

 

[MacinDoc]

Liking the keyboard/cover. Unfortunately, the OS looks like a child's toy - hoping they will give it a more professional look.

 

[KevinN206]

Uh, not to be contrarian but how do you watch a video and read text not in the video at the same time?

Multiplexing - Because both contents are on at the same time, I just glance over to whatever I want to view.

 

[darkazcura]

I checked in to watch the announcement. I used to be a Windows user for about 27 years. Last summer I bought an iMac, since I had already used the iPhone, bought the Apple TV, and I wanted everything to work seamlessly together.

It has.

I haven't spent 5 minutes troubleshooting anything.

I was curious what Microsoft might bring to the table.

It has fail written all over it. The Disney colors are awful, the extras are antiquated out of the gate, and they are too late to the game.

Most of the people on here would probably remember how much people poked fun of the "over-sized" iPhone, the name "iPad" and here we are today - the iPad is a solid product and market leader. They will remain a market leader for a couple more years until someone brings a game-changer.

This is no game changer.

But honestly - to spend so much time simply bashing a product out of some misguided loyalty is simply baffling to me. Put your money where your mouth is and buy the product because that is your preference - don't try to ram your opinion down other people's throat. Nobody likes it when it's done with religion - so - I guess my bottom line is - if everyone liked the same thing there wouldn't be a need for commerce in the first place.

Microsoft is clinging to the same business model that has worked for them for 30 odd years. Some things don't last forever.

But you honestly can't say that this is a game changing product. It's also clinging to the old and being afraid to try something new - and that is what drives the fanboy madness.

I am 51 and I thought that I would go nuts leaving Windows behind after almost 30 years. But it was completely painless.

I hope that those of you who say "This is the tablet I have been waiting for." do your research first or you will spend a fair amount of money for something that will quickly move into obsolescence...

I'm confused..did we look at the same thing? How is mixing the tablet and laptop experience into a seamless, singular experience not fresh? How is that "more of the same"? I don't understand how you don't see the shift to the Metro UI as the largest departure in operating system GUI since Windows 95. This thing screams "risk taking". Microsoft is banking on this thing being the future of computers..and honestly with Apple mixing more and more iOS with OSX, I think you are going to be surprised to find that Apple is a little behind in their "combining" of operating systems between iOS and OSX, which will happen if I had to make bets. The idea of creating a tablet that can be your main computer has been one of the more sought after business models for years..Microsoft tried to do it 10 years ago and failed by not realizing that they had to make a specific touch based UI..it took them years, but here they are trying again.

Apple made everyone finally realize that the key to success with a tablet is making it for your fingers and not using any old UI that is mouse based. Apple was very, VERY smart for that, and I laughed equally as much at all of the Windows guys who were screaming for a "full" operating system experience, which was just not possible to do when the iPad was first created. It was a silly dream to want OSX in tablet form..I never understood those Windows people, but now with Windows 8, we finally have a OS that can run as a full laptop AND a tablet. How is that NOT awesome and risk taking? This is a game changer. Absolutely, imo. Just get the advertising down. Maybe those MS stores will help a ton.

I'm really confused by a couple posters in here posting that Microsoft is clinging to their age old business model. Am I seeing something different here? This is so different from anything on the market. It's truly a fresh idea, though, most people knew this was coming months ago with all of the Windows 8 release previews and such. I'm excited to see Apple continue their merger of OSes also.

Anywaaaay I just bought my Air last year and love the hell out of it..we'll see in the fall if the price is good..maybe I'll buy one of these as a secondary computer (possibly primary if it's as good as WP7).