Microsoft Surface tablets

[DSC]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/6015/microsofts-major-announcement-in-la-were-there

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/18/microsoft-tablet-announced/

Another big design win for Nvidia. Congrats.

 

[rpg.314]

Another big design win for Nvidia. Congrats.

How so?

EDIT: Got it.

 

[Grall]

Anyone have a link to a video of the full presentation? There's just a bullshit promo thingy over at microsoft's site that doesn't show anything other than the extremely ugly design of the tablet.

Holy crap, it looks like total shit.

 

[phenix]

It will hurt Android more than iPad.

 

[phenix]

And once again, instead of making one simple product they complicate things by announcing two functionally similar and redundant, but yet very different products (e.g Windows versions, Zunes, Xboxes etc etc). Why do you always need to make a weak and powerful version Microsoft, instead of keeping things simple? To cover all your bases, of course. To conquer the low end and high end of the market at the same time. Well it is a mistake, and I hate it. There I said it.

 

[BRiT]

There's just a bullshit promo thingy over at microsoft's site that doesn't show anything other than the extremely ugly design of the tablet.

Really? Really now? What makes it so ugly in your eyes? Is the design fundamentally so different than the existing iPad or Android tablets?

 

[joker454]

And once again, instead of making one simple product they complicate things by announcing two functionally similar and redundant, but yet very different products (e.g Windows versions, Zunes, Xboxes etc etc). Why do you need to male a weak and powerful version Microsoft, instead of keeping things simple? To cover all your bases, of course. To conquer the low end and high end of the market at the same time. Well it is a mistake, and I hate it. Here I said it.

Surface RT is basically the iPad competitor. Surface Pro competes more with ultrabooks because they run the full Win8 desktop os, and hence share all the same apps. Personally I have no interest in Surface RT, too limited like the iPad. But I'll be buying a Surface Pro once it's out.

 

[Andrew Lauritzen]

Personally I have no interest in Surface RT, too limited like the iPad. But I'll be buying a Surface Pro once it's out.

Yup me too. I want a tablet with a pen and a real OS, and clearly I'm not the only one. What's wrong with having two different SKUs for two different markets? Apple doesn't even have a product that interests me, so clearly they are missing at least a portion of the market.

 

[BadTB25]

I'm there if the price is right. Surface Pro for me all the way.
Now just get the darn price right and you'll have a consumer with me.

 

[blakjedi]

Surface RT is basically the iPad competitor. Surface Pro competes more with ultrabooks because they run the full Win8 desktop os, and hence share all the same apps. Personally I have no interest in Surface RT, too limited like the iPad. But I'll be buying a Surface Pro once it's out.

Rt comes with the full microsoft office suite... It can't be THAT limited.

 

[rpg.314]

Using it's keyboard will be very hard though, from what I could gather from the pictures. That kinda kills it for me.

 

[Ike Turner]

Using it's keyboard will be very hard though, from what I could gather from the pictures. That kinda kills it for me.

Which one? Type Cover ot Touch Cover? THere are two keyboard/cover models the 3mm thin Multi-Touch model and the more regular thicker type model.

 

[ERP]

I want to try the keyboard, but I'm sorely tempted.
If it's passable I'll be buying the win8 pro version.

 

[rpg.314]

Which one? Type Cover ot Touch Cover? THere are two keyboard/cover models the 3mm thin Multi-Touch model and the more regular thicker type model.

Either one. They look like you will have to keep it on a table to type reasonably well. Would be hard when you have to move around a lot.

 

[RudeCurve]

Wow very impressive products from MS! I'm in the market for a notebook PC replacement and may get one of these. The pro may be too expensive for me though which is unfortunate because I want full Win8 functionality. Surface RT is obviously the more affordable one but the display probably won't be comparable to Retina.

 

[Grall]

What makes it so ugly in your eyes?

The square corners and overall blocky appearance along with the black chassis with fields with different surface textures makes it look like it was designed in the 1980s, aimed at corporate suit and tie types. Typical microsoft design ineptness. Also, placing various ports and openings around the edges make the device look disorganized and haphazadly designed.

Also, the built-in kickstand is stupid, the huge speaker grille looks terrible (think of all the dust and grime that's gonna get stuck in that thing after you've rubbed all over it with your hands for months on end).

Oh, and the black (anodized?) finish is gonna get scratchy and ugly after a while, unless the metal really is that color solid through - which I doubt. It's not made of cast iron is it? (Bound to get rusty then, unless slathered in vegetable oil every once in a while... )

Also, widescreen aspect is bad on a tablet. The screen's too narrow to use comfortably in vertical mode, too low in horizontal; there's no natural fit for a page - or pages - in either orientation. It would only be ideally suited for watching movies on, but seriously... Who really spends a lot of time watching movies on a TABLET? Someone stuck on airplanes a whole lot maybe, but seriously again, to optimize the whole device for a fringe use is a bit too much IMO.

Widescreen tablets (like the galaxy tab etc) look great and panoramic in ads...and a bit stupid in real life.

Also, no PowerVR graphics (again, after the fail that is windows phone 7 GPU hardware.) Everybody in the industry know PVR is best for mobile devices, that's just the way it is (even Nvidia, although of course they won't come out and say it). Yet MS insists on putting fail hardware in their devices, they must be gluttons for punishment.

Is the design fundamentally so different than the existing iPad or Android tablets?

Well, yes and no. It's a flat slate thing overall so it's not THAT different. It's the little details that make or break a consumer device, and MS screwed up on a number of points IMO.

Furthermost and finally, the home button equivalent (I assume the win logo is a button) set into the long side, together with the keyboard soft cover, suggests MS really wanted to design a little laptop computer, which shows they really don't get it. If they want to make a laptop...then make a laptop.

Not this bastardly half-measure.

 

[eastmen]

beautiful and I hope other windows 8 makers take note.

Its a shame the PRO wont hit until January.

I'm hoping we get an option of a quad core i5 and i'd love to have switchable graphics. It make it the perfect tablet for me.

 

[eastmen]

The square corners and overall blocky appearance along with the black chassis with fields with different surface textures makes it look like it was designed in the 1980s, aimed at corporate suit and tie types. Typical microsoft design ineptness. Also, placing various ports and openings around the edges make the device look disorganized and haphazadly designed.

I dunno the ipad has varios ports and buttons around the sides and it looks extremely plasticy

Also, the built-in kickstand is stupid, the huge speaker grille looks terrible (think of all the dust and grime that's gonna get stuck in that thing after you've rubbed all over it with your hands for months on end).

I like the kickstand nand it looks like it will work better than that cover that apple hyped up with the ipad 2. My father has it and its extremely flimsy. I agree with you on the speaker gril

Oh, and the black (anodized?) finish is gonna get scratchy and ugly after a while, unless the metal really is that color solid through - which I doubt. It's not made of cast iron is it? (Bound to get rusty then, unless slathered in vegetable oil every once in a while... )

Dunno , might be as silly as putting glass on both sides of a phone .

Also, widescreen aspect is bad on a tablet. The screen's too narrow to use comfortably in vertical mode, too low in horizontal; there's no natural fit for a page - or pages - in either orientation. It would only be ideally suited for watching movies on, but seriously... Who really spends a lot of time watching movies on a TABLET? Someone stuck on airplanes a whole lot maybe, but seriously again, to optimize the whole device for a fringe use is a bit too much IMO.

I have a trasnformer and it doesn't seem a big deal to me , reading websites is fine and with that side by side app thing ms is doing you can simply put a twitter feed up on one side of the tablet to fit what you want on the other side

Widescreen tablets (like the galaxy tab etc) look great and panoramic in ads...and a bit stupid in real life.

Also, no PowerVR graphics (again, after the fail that is windows phone 7 GPU hardware.) Everybody in the industry know PVR is best for mobile devices, that's just the way it is (even Nvidia, although of course they won't come out and say it). Yet MS insists on putting fail hardware in their devices, they must be gluttons for punishment.

The tablet isn't out for another what 4 or 5 months so who knows what verison of the tegra it will get and how it will compare with power vr.

Well, yes and no. It's a flat slate thing overall so it's not THAT different. It's the little details that make or break a consumer device, and MS screwed up on a number of points IMO.

To me the design is very apealing , it adds in functionality that i would needt o add to the ipad via dongles and it doesn't look cheap like the ipad. To me the ipad looks like a toy.

Furthermost and finally, the home button equivalent (I assume the win logo is a button) set into the long side, together with the keyboard soft cover, suggests MS really wanted to design a little laptop computer, which shows they really don't get it. If they want to make a laptop...then make a laptop.

Not this bastardly half-measure.[/QUOTE]

Why with the snap feature i think most people will be using 2 apps at the same time and thus hold it in landscape vs portrait.


The pro verison is really amazing its almost everything I want in a tablet.

 

[ERP]

What appeals to me is the combination of a tablet with pen input, which I really wish my IPad's had, with the option to use it as an ultra portable when it makes sense.

My IPad is largely relegated to email and web browsing, for that it's great, but for what I use a laptop most of the time, the MS tablet might actually be a good fit.

As I say, I want to use the keyboard to see how usable it is.

The reason MS do things like this is usually because they think their hardware partners are dropping the ball.

 

[eastmen]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=TRU4QhedkD0 here is a good hands on with the RT verison. The Pro wasn't at the show which is a shame.