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

[bawbac]

Wow u clearly make things up to justify nothing. Out of the many hundreds of thousands of apps on the iOS app store u choose only 5 and those u don't even use? Right, so how would owning this vaporware help in that regard? I'm guessing you just enjoy looking all tiles all day long.

Wow, did you know the iPad comes preloaded with apps that can be used for 99% of the media consumption most iPad users need?

Most of the apps besides games are utilities to work around the iPads lack of features. The iPad is a developers gold mine to create apps to make the iPad usable for anything other than web browsing.

Posted using my iPad using Safari.

 

[mac*jedi*g]

Did that get you a bit upset? It's okay. Apple might come back with something better with iPad4 and iOS7.

Yes... MS has been the biggest pain to me for years. Work with their product everyday (@ job). But, with that in mind, I have worked with Apple products just as long --- and they have come a long way as to bring to market "what the consumer wanted". MS on the other-hand continued to shove crap our way. Once people realized there was something better --- they heading in that direction. The current market is a direct example of that. And now MS doing everything in their power to *sway* you back their way --- like nothing ever happened. "Good luck, bud with that".

I am all for competition --- bring it! But if this puppy turns out to be "a pig" well... you know the saying.

 

[ModerateFKR]

This is the beginning of the end for the iPad and Apple.

Oh dear. The man who bought a house in Greece!

 

[DingleButt]

Yes... MS has been the biggest pain to me for years. Work with their product everyday (@ job). But, with that in mind, I have worked with Apple products just as long --- and they have come a long way as to bring to market "what the consumer wanted". MS on the other-hand continued to shove crap our way. Once people realized there was something better --- they heading in that direction. The current market is a direct example of that. And now MS doing everything in their power to *sway* you back their way --- like nothing ever happened. "Good luck, bud with that".

I am all for competition --- bring it! But if this puppy turns out to be "a pig" well... you know the saying.

What are you expecting to be bad? If you go with the Pro model you get all the capabilities of a pretty serious laptop PC with the portability and function of a tablet when desired. The hardware has already shown to be top notch thus far.

 

[spinedoc77]

I agree we can't say what the public wants, we are just two individuals with different opinions, having an adult conversation .

FWIW, the specifications for the Intel Windows 8 Tablets don't exactly scream laptop replacement to me either. It simply sounds like more of a robust and versatile personal computing device than my iPad and many Android offerings.

I also don't think Windows 8, or this Tablet brought to light the limitations of the iPad. I have personally moderated many threads that have discussed that hot topic here on MacRumors over the past year. The limitations of both iOS and Android often come up in such discussions, especially threads in which people are trying to decide between a Macbook Air, or an iPad.

As always, great points. And I too hope to see a new push and focus from both Apple and Android tablet makers.

Good time to be a gadget junkie eh?

You bring up a good point, how powerful will the Pro version be at running Win8. It's an i5 CPU I believe, that's pretty powerful but of course is only one factor, and who knows if it will be underclocked, etc due to heat and such. But it may very well be a factor.

But I think if the stars align in the heavens and the Pro version is powerful, has good battery life, and has a price point comparable to ultraportable laptops it will be a huge hit. I do believe a full OS with all of these factors would definitely show iOS to be quite lacking in function. Of course MS knows this and that's why they are releasing a cheaper RT which is meant to compete with the ipad. Really ipad versus Pro is a moot point as the Pro is meant to compete with laptops and ultraportables. The Pro will severely undercut laptops, it will also bring back many who still have a laptop and an ipad as well.

Great points sir, I wish I had a crystal ball but I can only guess and hope. You are right, it's an awesome time to be a gadget lover!!

 

[ModerateFKR]

That keyboard will be a hit with many students.

Their presentation was very much formatted like Apple’s presentations. Getting executives to come up and say how things are so ‘extraordinary’ and how it ‘feels like you’re actually writing on paper’.

Probably a good start though for Microsoft. But if they really want to go for a simplistic approach & hit the jackpot, they need to stop bringing out 2+ different types of products like ‘Surface’ and ‘Surface RT’.

Students won't be able to use the keyboard on their laps.

The presentation was embarrassing.

Two different devices will cannibalize the range and Balkanize the market. Why do that? It demonstrates a total lack of confidence in both products. It's as if two teams fought for their product and the judge couldn't find a clear winner... so they threw both out there to see what happenen!

 

[Pilgrim1099]

None of those things are sexy.

Were you expecting to have sex with a tech product?

HDMI? USB 3.0? Hello? A built-in kickstand is a smart move so people don't have to buy an accessory to prop it up. If Apple is so forward thinking, then why did'nt they do that in the first place?

The Surface tablet is a nice change from Microsoft and industrial design-wise, it looks solid and rugged. It's built for purpose and productivity.

Even I'm typing on a Microsoft ergonomic keyboard which feels more comfortable than Apple's bluetooth keyboard. And I'm using an iMac with this for professional work. It's not 'sexy', but it is well designed and cuts down on tendonitis. I love deep keys that my fingers can sink in, not shallow keyboards. The best keyboard Apple had was the Apple Extended Keyboard which I believe had old school cherry mx switches. So comfy to type in. Nothing beats old school cherry switches.

Sure, most tablet virtual keyboards are'nt going to be ideal for long hand typing, even the iPad. Apple's keyboard is nice to look at, but one has to keep recharging the batteries when it goes down, especially if you're doing online gaming which can be a drawback.

 

[DingleButt]

For the people wondering about battery life the Asus Zenbook UX31 has a 50WHr battery that powers it for 6 realistic hours using a Sandy Bridge chip and a 13" screen.

The Surface Pro has a 42WHr battery powering a 10.3" screen and uses an Ivy Bridge chip. It is also a combination of Microsoft hardware and software so Im sure they can get some good driver tweaking in. Is 6 realistic use hours possible? I could see that easily.

 

[mac*jedi*g]

What are you expecting to be bad? If you go with the Pro model you get all the capabilities of a pretty serious laptop PC with the portability and function of a tablet when desired. The hardware has already shown to be top notch thus far.

I had though this product wasn't on the market yet, thus, you have carnal knowledge and experience with this product already? Wait a minute... you're not MS Commie insurgent up in here are you? Spreading your MS Window-ist propaganda upon the masses! LOL

No, we'll give it a test run; big evaluation when it's available. Then let the merits fall.

 

[DingleButt]

I had though this product wasn't on the market yet, thus, you have carnal knowledge and experience with this product already? Wait a minute... you're not MS Commie insurgent up in here are you? Spreading your MS Window-ist propaganda upon the masses! LOL

No, we'll give it a test run; big evaluation when it's available. Then let the merits fall.

It's more so that I can read, write, and think that I'm able to say these things. All reports of the Surface's hardware have been very positive. The components are those of a new Ultrabook. The Pro's ports include USB 3.0, HDMI, and Mini Display Port. The battery is 42WHr which would power the 13" Asus Zenbook UX31 Ultrabook using SB i5 for 5 hours, except the Pro uses a newer Ivy Bridge i5 and a 10.3 inch screen.

Im not seeing where this thing is going to go bust with what was revealed.

 

[r.harris1]

What are you expecting to be bad? If you go with the Pro model you get all the capabilities of a pretty serious laptop PC with the portability and function of a tablet when desired. The hardware has already shown to be top notch thus far.

A pretty serious laptop requires pretty serious RAM. Not sure that's clear in this case since I don't believe those particular details have been published. So it could be a case of running lots of Windows apps but not running them well. If, on the other hand, the pro version shows up with serious RAM then yep, those folks needing to run full Windows apps in a tablet form factor will be very happy indeed.

 

[Electrolytic]

Yes... MS has been the biggest pain to me for years. Work with their product everyday (@ job). But, with that in mind, I have worked with Apple products just as long --- and they have come a long way as to bring to market "what the consumer wanted". MS on the other-hand continued to shove crap our way. Once people realized there was something better --- they heading in that direction. The current market is a direct example of that. And now MS doing everything in their power to *sway* you back their way --- like nothing ever happened. "Good luck, bud with that".

I am all for competition --- bring it! But if this puppy turns out to be "a pig" well... you know the saying.

Why don't you exclusively work with ios\osx? If ms is such a pain leave to the rest of us...

 

[linkgx1]

Finally, some competition. I was thinking about getting my first iPad, but might get this instead. HOWEVER, price will be a main concern for me. I'm a college student and really like a tablet for studying. Hmmmmmmm....

I also hope Microsoft doesn't decide to ******* up as usual.

 

[lilcosco08]

This is what Win8 and Metro was meant for. It's a total nightmare on normal PCs, but looks to be a nice interface for tablets such as the Surface. I'm interested...

 

[Electrolytic]

This is what Win8 and Metro was meant for. It's a total nightmare on normal PCs, but looks to be a nice interface for tablets such as the Surface. I'm interested...

Have you tried the latest RC? I thought it ran well when all the tiles were configured... All the non ms apps today only run on the desktop which flips away the metro screen... That was my only issue. I'm thinking in the pro version you will be able to disable metro, I don't see many businesses wanting this. Also a little bit of learning curve with win8, it's not like going from vista to win7.

 

[linkgx1]

Just thought about something. Does think Windows 8 might be better integrated than OSX and iOS? I have a feeling that the Windows Phone 8 will be more...windows based (RT). If this happens, they just might go beyond Apple. The thing is Windows had to more or less 'reboot' vs what Apple has done (OS updates). Only time will tell, but we're finally starting to see some 'real' competition and none of that Zune stuff....yet!

 

[lilcosco08]

Have you tried the latest RC? I thought it ran well when all the tiles were configured... All the non ms apps today only run on the desktop which flips away the metro screen... That was my only issue. I'm thinking in the pro version you will be able to disable metro, I don't see many businesses wanting this. Also a little bit of learning curve with win8, it's not like going from vista to win7.

I've not tried Win8 since the dev preview, is it less awful? Either way, sticking with Win7 for now, heh.

 

[DingleButt]

I've not tried Win8 since the dev preview, is it less awful? Either way, sticking with Win7 for now, heh.

It's better. It now uses the corners for the Metro functions which works well

 

[linkgx1]

I agree we can't say what the public wants, we are just two individuals with different opinions, having an adult conversation .

FWIW, the specifications for the Intel Windows 8 Tablets don't exactly scream laptop replacement to me either. It simply sounds like more of a robust and versatile personal computing device than my iPad and many Android offerings.

I also don't think Windows 8, or this Tablet brought to light the limitations of the iPad. I have personally moderated many threads that have discussed that hot topic here on MacRumors over the past year. The limitations of both iOS and Android often come up in such discussions, especially threads in which people are trying to decide between a Macbook Air, or an iPad.

As always, great points. And I too hope to see a new push and focus from both Apple and Android tablet makers.

Good time to be a gadget junkie eh?

You're wrong. It's not a good time to be a gadget junkie, I still have the Wii U to get! toooo much good stuff!


I agree with your points though. The way I look at it, Android only fills what iOS doesn' and vice versa (Note I have both a 4S and Galaxy S rooted with ICS). I think Windows (ironically after me complaining all these years) might be the rainbow bridge that connects that space in between.

 

[crs.one]

Were you expecting to have sex with a tech product?

Um. If I did, would you tell? Hypothetically. Just. You know. Curious

 

[Electrolytic]

I've not tried Win8 since the dev preview, is it less awful? Either way, sticking with Win7 for now, heh.

I thought the same thing you did with the dev preview, the RC is much better. I went from no way I'm buying win8 to I'm buying for sure after testing the RC. IE10 in metro is actually nice, has very clean look with only the address bar moved to the bottom of the ie window...

Mail is very clean & un-cluttered.

 

[linkgx1]

Why do u people go crazy over a keyboard?? And not only that you get a trackpad along too. This is just like a laptop. So I get it, let's remake a touchpad into a laptop. Problems solved for everyone.

Pathetic design at best. Just because you can does not mean you should. Apple did not make a keyboard into it's cover because that's not how the iPad should be. But everyone is complaining because it does not have a keyboard. Wtf?

This should be copied by 3rd party manufacturers. Apple will never make this keyboard cover because it's not needed.

How about we make a car that runs on electricity. But hey, it's not that great so let's put an engine back in it to generate electricity. Why are we going backwards??

Backwards because Apple says so? You obviously don't know what the public wants. IF this thing is a hit, we'll see what you say what you have to say.

Your analogy honestly sucks. And sometimes IT'S MORE EFFICENT to go back. It's nice to go back sometimes. Or else we would have the Camaro '10......

 

[w00master]

The fact that there are now over 1,800+ comments on this thread says that despite the moaning and snarkiness amongst the Apple fanboys, MS did something right.

Or maybe this just shows some insecurities that some Apple fanboys have?

W00master

 

[linkgx1]

The fact that there are now over 1,800+ comments on this thread says that despite the moaning and snarkiness amongst the Apple fanboy, MS did something right.

Or maybe this just shows some insecurities that some Apple fanboys have?

W00master

Meh, not as bad as the AppleInsider forums IMO....which....i....got...banned...from because they couldn't handle the truth1

 

[w00master]

Meh, not as bad as the AppleInsider forums IMO....which....i....got...banned...from because they couldn't handle the truth1

I love Apple stuff, but there is no board worse in Apple fanboy-dom than AppleInsider. Then again, IMHO that site is utter trash.

W00master