of course, but news flash...it's cheaper to use COTS than go that route which is why microsoft is so prevalent in the industries i mentioned
exceptions would be in specialized defense industry uses as mentioned in that engadget article last week
Got a tip for us?
Let us know
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.
Microsoft Announces New 'Surface' Tablet, New Hardware and Software Based on Windows 8
- Thread starter MacRumors
- Start date
- Sort by reaction score
of course, but news flash...it's cheaper to use COTS than go that route which is why microsoft is so prevalent in the industries i mentioned
exceptions would be in specialized defense industry uses as mentioned in that engadget article last week
Most wanted MS Hardware since the Xbox 360 six years ago.
Tech wise: VERY Impressive. I'm not too keen on the ARM version running RT, but the pro model with Ivy Bridge and WIN8 looks like a pageant winner.
Surprisingly pretty too, still not as aesthetically pleasing as most of the competition, but nicer than most of the first generation cinder blocks MS designs.
The keyboard is a nice touch. Running Ivy Bridge chipsets with fans, a 10.6" screen, and a robust OS that is still yet to be proven/optimized for mobile platforms may turn it into be a luxury peripheral when trying to conserve battery life though.
Even f MS gives us five hours on a charge, that won't be too bad. Let's just hope it's a lot more.
The only downside I see is possibly having to deal with The Zune Marketplace for apps.
If the price range is over 600 - 1200, it'll definitely be deal breaker.
Tech wise: VERY Impressive. I'm not too keen on the ARM version running RT, but the pro model with Ivy Bridge and WIN8 looks like a pageant winner.
Surprisingly pretty too, still not as aesthetically pleasing as most of the competition, but nicer than most of the first generation cinder blocks MS designs.
The keyboard is a nice touch. Running Ivy Bridge chipsets with fans, a 10.6" screen, and a robust OS that is still yet to be proven/optimized for mobile platforms may turn it into be a luxury peripheral when trying to conserve battery life though.
Even f MS gives us five hours on a charge, that won't be too bad. Let's just hope it's a lot more.
The only downside I see is possibly having to deal with The Zune Marketplace for apps.
If the price range is over 600 - 1200, it'll definitely be deal breaker.
Wow, that looks like a giant iPhone almost. So Surface 1.0 and the original iPhone came out around the same time and seems like they had similar touch screens and gestures. Interesting.
I'm a PC user that buys iPhone apps, and have an iPhone and a Mac Mini. Get your elitist attitude away from here.
I'm not sure how you can not have problems with it. A fresh Vista PC immediately bombarded me with messages about the Information Bar that I pressed "do not show again" on. They kept popping up regardless. And I didn't even open IE; it kept opening by itself. Then, having made the mistake of letting it use the default update settings, it forced me to install an update and restarted my computer without asking me. I lost my progress in a game. I just stopped it from booting up again and upgraded to XP. It was so much better.
I'm sorry, but if you actually thing Vista is good, you have not used anything but Windows ME or something.
The keyboard on the smart cover is a great idea. The stylus mode - when you use a stylus and it turns off multitouch - is awesome for artists.
I like it.
Of course in classic MS fashion, we have no idea what it costs or when it will be out. It's as if they didn't learn a very important lesson from Apple: don't show concept videos. Don't show prototype products. Show the product, wow people, and then tell people when they can buy it and for how much.
That is really such a simple thing that makes a LOT of difference.
I like the product but without the info that Apple always presents without fail, I can't say I care. Only when I can interact with it will I care at all.
I like it.
Of course in classic MS fashion, we have no idea what it costs or when it will be out. It's as if they didn't learn a very important lesson from Apple: don't show concept videos. Don't show prototype products. Show the product, wow people, and then tell people when they can buy it and for how much.
That is really such a simple thing that makes a LOT of difference.
I like the product but without the info that Apple always presents without fail, I can't say I care. Only when I can interact with it will I care at all.
I can't fill you in...and if you knew Apple...you'd know why
I understand. As an employee with security clearance you can't talk about the good stuff. How long have you been involved working for/with Apple?
Is that they guy lower down on this page? There are plenty of other MS things someone could get mad about. Most people warrant a rage against MS if their XBOX (360) gets a RRoD. And MS Silverlight, anyone? Vista? ME? Does anyone like their claim that they patented "notifying users of items of interest"?
hey faroZ06. for once we agree on something, but with a caveat.
Vista was fine if it was installed on a system that could fully support it.
the problems were a result of hardware manufacturers/assemblers (Toshiba, Samsung, Dell, HP, etc) who shipped Vista on "Vista Compatible" systems with 2GB of RAM and under powered celeron processors, instead of going through the re-certification process. this was solely to save money. this did not go well for the early introduction to market, as consumers first hand experienced what happens when you have an OS that demands more memory and processing power. fans would be at max RPM 100% of the time, battery life was 1.5 hrs, hard drives would spin out and die, it was a disaster.
I see what you mean, but I don't think the issues with Vista were hardware-related. Our school also had Vista on these very powerful computers, and it still had issues nevertheless.
I own a wee bit of both AAPL and MSFT but when it comes to my personal use, I prefer Apple gear. I have been ranting since I got my iPad 1 about how Apple needs to give us a file system. Maybe this Surface thing will provide some competitive pressure to get Apple moving. Of course if it's overpriced, it will be a great big flop.
And here is Apple's true advantage: Apple can make a profit at a price point MSFT can't touch without bleeding. MSFT is known to bleed and bleed long enough to either be successful (Xbox) or give up and look stupid (Zune, Windows Mobile). Surface has a lot of promise. I love taking my iPad with me to meetings but I hate typing on it. I've considered a keyboard cover but never got around to buying one.
While I love Apple, I do like it when competitors keep them honest. Whether it's Google Android, Amazon music or Microsoft, I want Apple to get nudged from time to time and I think it makes our iOS and OSX experience better when Apple has to respond to competitive pressure.
I'm glad to see Microsoft back in the game but I'm worried that the lack of important details, details which would have been forthcoming at an equivalent Apple product announcement. How much is it gonna cost? When is it gonna be available?
Without specific dates, this announcement seems timed to attempt to deflate Android tablet and iPad sales more than build demand for Surface. The fact that the thing crashed during the demo says Microsoft wasn't ready and as much as I'd like credible competition to force Apple's hand to bring new features to iPad, I doubt Surface is it.
Every time I go in Best Buy, I take a long hard look at the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. The thing is junky. The latch mechanism seems cheap. The software is sluggish to go back and forth between docked and un-docked modes. But I'd love it if somebody got this form factor right. There are times I wish I had a keyboard with me when I am using my iPad. There are more times when I'm glad I don't have it with me. But if the keyboard were part of the thin smart cover, I'd never have to think about whether or not to bring it along.
As an iPad owner, I think MS is onto something here that spells healthy competition for iPad. I just don't know if it's real or vaporware. The secrecy leading up to the announcement seems wasted when no dates or pricing were announced and that adds to my feeling that Surface is no real threat.
And here is Apple's true advantage: Apple can make a profit at a price point MSFT can't touch without bleeding. MSFT is known to bleed and bleed long enough to either be successful (Xbox) or give up and look stupid (Zune, Windows Mobile). Surface has a lot of promise. I love taking my iPad with me to meetings but I hate typing on it. I've considered a keyboard cover but never got around to buying one.
While I love Apple, I do like it when competitors keep them honest. Whether it's Google Android, Amazon music or Microsoft, I want Apple to get nudged from time to time and I think it makes our iOS and OSX experience better when Apple has to respond to competitive pressure.
I'm glad to see Microsoft back in the game but I'm worried that the lack of important details, details which would have been forthcoming at an equivalent Apple product announcement. How much is it gonna cost? When is it gonna be available?
Without specific dates, this announcement seems timed to attempt to deflate Android tablet and iPad sales more than build demand for Surface. The fact that the thing crashed during the demo says Microsoft wasn't ready and as much as I'd like credible competition to force Apple's hand to bring new features to iPad, I doubt Surface is it.
Every time I go in Best Buy, I take a long hard look at the Asus Eee Pad Transformer. The thing is junky. The latch mechanism seems cheap. The software is sluggish to go back and forth between docked and un-docked modes. But I'd love it if somebody got this form factor right. There are times I wish I had a keyboard with me when I am using my iPad. There are more times when I'm glad I don't have it with me. But if the keyboard were part of the thin smart cover, I'd never have to think about whether or not to bring it along.
As an iPad owner, I think MS is onto something here that spells healthy competition for iPad. I just don't know if it's real or vaporware. The secrecy leading up to the announcement seems wasted when no dates or pricing were announced and that adds to my feeling that Surface is no real threat.
Don't forget apps. Will this run existing Windows apps? What will run on it? Specially deisigned apps for W8? I guess we can only W8 and see.
Totally. Other companies need to get the picture. Apple is successful because people want to buy stuff that looks good and "just works". I don't fully agree with their decisions unless you say that "the customer is always right". I do find that Apple puts a lot more pride in their products.
not powerful enough, trust me.
Vista ran perfectly fine on a Intel Core 2
Vista was actually more stable than XP, from a maintainability standpoint.
With software Apple tells you when it will be out and how much it will cost. With hardware, it's generally that day or 1-2 weeks with pricing info and tech specs.
I think what MS has shown holds promise, but as of right now that's all it is. A promise of something to come at some time at some price point.
Because I built my own computer, and didn't install crap on it. I use Windows 7 every day, as well as Snow Leopard on my Mac Mini I've owned for a few years. Macs are meant to just work, but they don't just work all the time. For example, xCode 4.2 crashes on me every day a couple times just because I hit the Run button... and you thought Microsoft was bad.
This should be Microsofts design for a laptop!
make it 13" and 15" and you can have my credit card number. iPad is great but limited functionality - laptops dont have touch screens. why not combine the two of them together! makes perfect sense.
its what ive been waiting for from apple. it has to happen sooner or later.
make it 13" and 15" and you can have my credit card number. iPad is great but limited functionality - laptops dont have touch screens. why not combine the two of them together! makes perfect sense.
its what ive been waiting for from apple. it has to happen sooner or later.
I'd be glad if this thing became mildly successful then died off. When they are successful, it would be good for them to have a popular app that is actually a plugin for another app, which iOS does not allow. This would pressure Apple into allowing plugins on their App Store. The lack of plugin support in iOS makes it too locked down, but adding it would make it perfect.
----------
If building your own computer was what it took to make Vista run well (which I doubt), then Vista still has major issues.
----------
If building your own computer was what it took to make Vista run well (which I doubt), then Vista still has major issues.
I agree with you about these "pre-promotion" tapdances corporations put on. It's annoying. I'm betting Microsoft feels incredible pressure to stop the bleeding of corporations adopting iPads for use. My company is currently piloting them and I hope our IT managers pay attention to the Surface as it's infinitely more capable in a corporate environment.
Microsoft had to get something out early so IT managers can ponder and pause from the iPad trance. I'm okay with that.