Then that makes it $1000, including the keyboard cover! With 4 hour battery life! And this is a big bucket of win, to you?!?
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Microsoft Details Surface Pro Pricing Amidst Reports of Poor Sales of RT Version
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Then that makes it $1000, including the keyboard cover! With 4 hour battery life! And this is a big bucket of win, to you?!?
It's not so much a tablet, but a pc w/out a keyboard.
I played w/ one at the MS store the other day and was way impressed way more than w/ an iPad to tell you the truth.
I do think the Pro version should be the one that would make or break the MS tablet. It has the full internet, w/ flash and a full OS behind it. I do think the next version of OSX should be fused w/ iOS for the apple handheld lines. The hardware now is strong and lightweight enough to be possible.
Really?
All 200+ of the laptops we've ordered for our company here with extended batteries (not the full slab, just a couple more cells) for the past 18 months have had between 5 (15" discrete GPU) and 10+ hours (integrated gpu - elitebook 25xx series with 9 cell battery) of battery life.
You can get HP laptops now with 24hrs + of battery life, if you're willing to sacrifice weight for additional battery.
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Only if it can do it well. But reviews are not looking good on that front.
And if it turns out that the Pro starts at 64gb cause that full version of Windows needs 32gb plus the 16gb that Metro needs, that isn't going to make many happy
Tell that to the 650,000,000 people using Windows 7. And throw in that many again for XP and Vista.
Microsoft is killing us all
I work for a major PC vendor (in the top 3). Microsoft has screwed us all with Windows 8 and surface, from both ends. First they start making their "own" hardware, and to boot its a crappy OS platform. Now they have alienated all of our customers, especially the ones they've tried to steal from us. To make matters worse, Pro is what should have been the baseline spec. Their cheap RTs can't even compete with the kindle in functionality and ecosystem.
I work for a major PC vendor (in the top 3). Microsoft has screwed us all with Windows 8 and surface, from both ends. First they start making their "own" hardware, and to boot its a crappy OS platform. Now they have alienated all of our customers, especially the ones they've tried to steal from us. To make matters worse, Pro is what should have been the baseline spec. Their cheap RTs can't even compete with the kindle in functionality and ecosystem.
You've just pointed out the main problem of the Surface Pro.
What is a Surface Pro? It is an x86 PC without a keyboard. Now we know x86 is expensive and power hungry, which makes its battery life poor and the weight heavy. Ok.
If there's such penalty why would you want to use x86 processor? Because you want to use x86 applications. That is the main reason. The applications that take full power of the x86 processor. However, every single app that does that is not made for a "pc without a keyboard and a mouse" but a "PC with a keyboard and a mouse". We have a word for those, a laptop/desktop, or just a PC.
Simply put, the very reason for using x86 processor goes against the form factor. I just don't see how the Surface Pro will differ from other Windows PC tablets. Sure Windows 8 is more touch friendly, but its apps are made for low powered casual tasks, not demanding jobs that require precision of a pointer.
This is something Microsoft has been fruitlessly trying for over a decade now and I don't really know why they refuse to give up on this wild goose chase.
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wait. Couldn't you get a MacBook Air for that price? What is this thing trying to be? Netbook? Tablet? It seems that there is an Air or an iPad that would be better for just about any consumer's needs at this price point. 
Hmm...I wonder how much usable space there is on the "pro" tablet. Stinky RT takes 12GB...full windows 8 probably takes 24. Major Fail. Only neat thing about the Microsoft tablet is the keyboard cover. However you need a kickstand for it to work...and that's a huge problem. Apple is just going to keep making all their devices thinner. If Microsoft needs to keep the kickstand it's going to make their devices look even bulkier.
I doubt it. Both tablets appeal to two different sets of people. The majority will want an affordable media consumption device with WinRT. But since its priced the same as iPad people don't see it compelling enough to switch.
I see the Windows 8 Pro version will appeal to a smaller group of people who want more power and flexibility with the Win8 Pro version.
I think one of the problems that will be with the Win8 Pro version is short battery life and touch will not be that great on desktop mode.
Too bad I can't vote this down.
Windows 7 is solid. Even with a house full of Macs I can't deny that one.
Windows 7 is solid. Even with a house full of Macs I can't deny that one.
Isn't that one of the major selling features? Why include it on RT but not Pro?
I think Jobs got it right when he's said that there is no reason for a Tablet unless it does something's better than a laptop....like books, email, web surfing, photos. The added mobility and long battery life just adds to the immersive experience. As touch optimized apps have been added, the user experience has continually improved.
The problem with the Surface Pro is that it is trying to be two things at once. It isn't a better tablet...heavy, short battery life, and few apps optimized for touch. It isn't a better laptop....small screen, small keyboard, etc.
I can buy an iPad plus a Windows 8 Laptop for the price of a Surface pro. With cloud data sharing, there really isn't a huge advantage to mashing a Tablet and Laptop together into one Frankenstein's Monster of a device.
The problem with the Surface Pro is that it is trying to be two things at once. It isn't a better tablet...heavy, short battery life, and few apps optimized for touch. It isn't a better laptop....small screen, small keyboard, etc.
I can buy an iPad plus a Windows 8 Laptop for the price of a Surface pro. With cloud data sharing, there really isn't a huge advantage to mashing a Tablet and Laptop together into one Frankenstein's Monster of a device.
WTF? So it's basically an overpriced laptop.
I didn't even realize until recently that the Surface attempt is clearly Microsoft rushing into the tablet business amid speculation that the PC market is dying. Making a laptop and calling it a "tablet" certainly reassures people, but it's not a way to gain sales.
Only 40 million copies?
Thats only double the normal sales rate of Windows. How is it not more than double? Windows 8 is the least expensive version of Windows that Microsoft has ever sold, and the company is practically giving it away via upgrade programs for Windows 7 PC buyers (with a $15 upgrade) and a web-based upgrader for Windows XP, Windows Vista, and Windows 7 that costs just $40. Why havent more people upgraded?
40 million seems like a big number until you really look at the big picture.
If you are willing to sacrifice mobility with a power cord, you can get any laptop now with unlimited+ battery life. /sarcasm
I've already done so on my iPhone (Hackulous), and I could do it on my iPad if I had an iPad. But who would want it? The only reason I have it is because it's an extra feature on the Hackulous Cydia app that I got primarily for pirating old versions of free apps that were ruined by updates. I never use the torrent feature.
A tablet with a full OS and keyboard is just a touchscreen laptop that costs extra.