It's might be successful in converting a few, but won't put a dent in the iPad installed base. It also won't help the installed base of the surface.
What they need is a good product AND marketing and they have neither.
I was in a store in Amsterdam a few days ago and played around with a surface pro. It wasn't set up properly and didn't work. Regardless of the quality of the product, who would but that if the tried it? In addition MS does not do commercials here.
The thing might have some traction in the US, but here it is and will remain a dud.
MS has definitely screwed up in the marketing, though they're on top of it now. The current crop of Windows 8 tablet commercials are fantastic. The early ones were complete crap. I've seen a number of displays like that, where the device wasn't properly setup or maintained, and where poorly trained employees couldn't explain the product well at all.
But to say that it'll "remain a dud" is silly. You're predicting a future nobody can yet see.
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They aren't above criticism. You just don't want to be reminded of it apparently. That's unfortunate.. For you I mean.
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Oh c'mon it has a villain with a cool British accent and robocop!
I really like Benedict Cumberbatch, but he was completely miscast. Khan was neither white nor British, and the reboot of Trek didn't extend all the way back to the 1990's. The writing was AWFUL.
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No, the Surface Pro is a not a laptop with less features. It is a hybrid devices that attempts to meld the worlds of tablet and ultrabook, and although it isn't flawless, it's the best attempt anyone has yet made (though I do like the Lenovo Yoga, too).
You, my friend, have actually missed the point. The iPad tries to be only a companion device, and for that, it's pretty good. But it can't replace your computer entirely; even if you own an iPad, odds are good you still need a MacBook or a Windows PC, because an ipad simply lacks the features and capabilities to do all the things people need to do.
Perfection is a myth; it doesn't exist *at all*, no matter what you add or remove. The world is a diverse place with diverse needs, and devices like the iPad--and believe me, I adored my iPad until Apple ruined it with their bloated OS--simply do not offer enough diversity to meet all the needs out there. That's why there is a need for devices like Surface and other tablet/laptop hybrids that do the job of two devices in one.
The market is headed towards a world where the dominant form factor of devices is the tablet. There is no escaping that simple fact. But that doesn't mean that traditional needs and uses of computers disappear; rather, they will be subsumed by the new form factor, just as laptops subsumed the functionality of desktops. In order for that convergence to happen, the world needs an operating system that can live in both worlds with enough success to meet both sets of needs. That OS isn't found in IOS nor in OSX, unfortunately. So far, the closest we have to a true convergence OS is Windows 8, and like it or not, that puts Microsoft on top of the current crop of innovators in the OS and device space. Will they ultimately succeed? I don't know for sure, but I do know this: In 1995, we all thought Microsoft was shooting itself in the foot with Windows 95 and that Linux would take over. In 2002 we all thought MS was killing itself with XP, which launched to slow sales and lots of bitching because it was dramatically different from 9x/DOS. And we definitely all thought their goose was cooked when the steaming pile of crap named Vista was released.
Were we right ANY of those times? No.
The surface is a laptop with less features and no good keyboard, and it's almost as thick as a full ultrabook, so WHAT'S THE POINT?
The thing they don't get is that the iPad doesn't try to be a laptop, but rather an ipad! A touchscreen book with cook apps that are not limited with all the bagage of the operating system.
- it doesnt need a usb port, since EVERYTHING is wireless now, just like i didnt care the macbook air in 2008 didnt have a DVD since the last time i used one was in 2005
-also the goal of the ipad is to be sIMPLE, no gizmos, no keyboard, no extras, no usb, no headbreaking for forgetting stuff home, no external dvd or hdd: it is a PLEASURE, fun device that you just want to use and have fun, not worry about anything.
- If you need functionality, get a laptop! A macbook air 11" is the same size and fully capable, or any windows ultrabook
Perfection is achieved when you've run out of things you can remove. That's the essence of simplicity. It's amazing that a large corporation with thousands of employees dont get it. NO ONE gets it in all those ppl? Humanity is screwed.
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Obviously you are a paid troll just joining this website this month. With no economic or biz education. I hope they pay you enough.
I'm a systems engineer with nearly 18 years of experience, I have three degrees, over a dozen certifications and have recently gone back to school for a degree in film. I regret to inform you that I'm definitely not on Microsoft's payroll. That said, you might want to go wipe your mouth off, there's a little Apple splooge on your face.
