Surface PRO pricing revealed !

[davygee]

One thing that I have a problem with is the market. Who is likely to want a tablet/computer at £750-£800?

I just see a market for tablets and a separate market for laptops? Most people that buy tablets, only need to surf the web, email, watch videos and play games. Ie. what most normal PCs are used for in the normal home. I think that is why the iPad has sold well.

Although I like the idea of Surface, I honestly believe that cost has created a huge issue for it. The Windows RT version is underpowered and overpriced compared to other tablets in the market, and the full Windows 8 version, although is much more powerful is double the cost.

Is this another huge mistake for MS?

 

[Rurouni]

One thing that I have a problem with is the market. Who is likely to want a tablet/computer at £750-£800?

I just see a market for tablets and a separate market for laptops? Most people that buy tablets, only need to surf the web, email, watch videos and play games. Ie. what most normal PCs are used for in the normal home. I think that is why the iPad has sold well.

Although I like the idea of Surface, I honestly believe that cost has created a huge issue for it. The Windows RT version is underpowered and overpriced compared to other tablets in the market, and the full Windows 8 version, although is much more powerful is double the cost.

Is this another huge mistake for MS?

Probably those that involved in graphics design. I would like to add business people and students, but for them, the atom or even arm variant should be enough.

 

[Silent_Buddha]

I wouldn't say the RT version is underpowered. The biggest obstacle is how many apps will be ported to RT? It's a given that Win8 will get apps. But will RT have enough developer interest to get apps? Time will tell, but it certainly appears promising...so far. IIRC, I read somewhere that MS has stated that apps in the app store have doubled since launch.

I'm still not convinced that RT will take off. Although the Asus RT slate with 12/21 hours (slate/slate with keyboard) of use time is pretty damn compelling no matter how you split it. It completely blows away the Android version and is slightly better than an iPad in terms of battery life in slate only form.

I think that's another area that MS missed out on. A 3rd keyboard cover option like the Asus RT, that includes a secondary battery.

Regards,
SB

 

[Laurent06]

iPad is ~1.5 pounds.

This is ~2 pounds.

0.5 pounds is too heavy for something that can reduce the weight in your backpack by ~1.5 pounds, has a digitizer and has enormous dynamic range of use?

The iPad already is considered as too heavy by many users. This is 30% heavier, so when used as a tablet it certainly will be too heavy for even more users. Add to this half battery life and suddenly you have a poor tablet for most of the market.

Don't get me wrong: this will be a great tablet for some pros. But not for the wider market.

 

[MfA]

If it was competitive with the iPad screen wise, the best processing wise, without a cooling fan, decent battery life and supreme build quality I think they could sell it into the "best at any cost" crowd Apple sells into even despite the weight ... as it stands it's essentially a Cintiq competitor.

 

[Malo]

I'm looking forward to it to replace my rather old work laptop. There are several factors in my company as the IT manager that have prevented me from moving off a full windows so this will provide best of both worlds to me.

 

[Albuquerque]

A few of you have asked who would use this -- my organization will use one metric shit-ton of these.

I manage infrastructure and operations for a not-for-profit health plan provider. I have an incredibly large need for our large telecommuting staff (embedded case managers, roving nurses, provider engagement managers, member outreach specialists) to have a device that can fill out secure web forms complete that include signatures.

I also need a device that can support the myriad needs of HIPAA's security requirements -- I need a TPM chip to properly enable disk encryption, I need enough screen real-estate to properly display those webforms, I need something that doesn't place a physical barrier between the employee and the member when asking hard questions (dropping a laptop on a table with a nurse sitting on one side and a member who continually visits the E.R. for non-emergency reasons is a bit of a foreboding statement in and of itself).

I also need Active Directory support to snap into the secure Remote Access capabilities of our Server 2012 infrastructure. I need local file encryption, I need these folks to be able to use Citrix applications to look up data, I need to be able to remotely destroy the machine (Intel's vPro AMT capabilities) if it gets lost or stolen even if it's reimaged.

We are buying 10 of them on launch, and we have budgeted for 50 more before the first quarter is up. By EOY 2014, we expect our entire infrastructure to be Windows 8 + Server 2012 and at least half of our laptop population to be converted to Surface devices.

We aren't the only ones, these are going to sell like hotcakes all over the medical community. We are already working with local hospitals and service provider IT shops who are planning exactly the same things we are, on even larger scales. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a huge deal right now, and this is the ultimate delivery mechanism for exactly such a use case.

 

[ltcommander.data]

A few of you have asked who would use this -- my organization will use one metric shit-ton of these.

I manage infrastructure and operations for a not-for-profit health plan provider. I have an incredibly large need for our large telecommuting staff (embedded case managers, roving nurses, provider engagement managers, member outreach specialists) to have a device that can fill out secure web forms complete that include signatures.

I also need a device that can support the myriad needs of HIPAA's security requirements -- I need a TPM chip to properly enable disk encryption, I need enough screen real-estate to properly display those webforms, I need something that doesn't place a physical barrier between the employee and the member when asking hard questions (dropping a laptop on a table with a nurse sitting on one side and a member who continually visits the E.R. for non-emergency reasons is a bit of a foreboding statement in and of itself).

I also need Active Directory support to snap into the secure Remote Access capabilities of our Server 2012 infrastructure. I need local file encryption, I need these folks to be able to use Citrix applications to look up data, I need to be able to remotely destroy the machine (Intel's vPro AMT capabilities) if it gets lost or stolen even if it's reimaged.

We are buying 10 of them on launch, and we have budgeted for 50 more before the first quarter is up. By EOY 2014, we expect our entire infrastructure to be Windows 8 + Server 2012 and at least half of our laptop population to be converted to Surface devices.

We aren't the only ones, these are going to sell like hotcakes all over the medical community. We are already working with local hospitals and service provider IT shops who are planning exactly the same things we are, on even larger scales. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a huge deal right now, and this is the ultimate delivery mechanism for exactly such a use case.

Just out of curiosity, I'm assuming your users will be highly mobile such as moving around the hospital. If so, will the reportedly short battery life of 4-5 hrs compared to other tablets or even some laptops be a concern? Or will this be mitigated, perhaps by opportunities to intermittently charge throughout the day?

 

[wco81]

A lot of doctors have iPads as well as smart phones. But supposedly a lot of hospitals are reluctant to allow them to use personal devices to access patient records.

However, there are a lot of medical apps already and more, including EHR apps, being written for iPad.

There are also a lot of Intel based slates being used:

http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/mobile-wireless/9-tablets-fit-for-doctors/232500058?pgno=3

Not sure what Surface Pro would bring that these already haven't.


In general, I'm sure a lot of people will buy the Surface Pro with the thought that they get both a tablet and a laptop,for less than the price of a separate laptop and tablet.

We'll see how big that market is. But as someone already noted, they're getting a heavier tablet and a laptop with an inferior keyboard and trackpad and above all, a laptop which must be used on a flat surface (can't really use the keyboard covers and the Surface on your lap, for instance).

 

[dlm]

We'll see how big that market is. But as someone already noted, they're getting a heavier tablet and a laptop with an inferior keyboard and trackpad and above all, a laptop which must be used on a flat surface (can't really use the keyboard covers and the Surface on your lap, for instance).

Many people who actually own the device say it works just fine on the lap. Where I mostly hear this argument is from people who haven't used it.

WRT to what does Surface offer that other Intel tablets don't? Durability. Plain and simple. I haven't touched too many Intel-based tablets that weren't made of more or less stage glass. For a device that's going to see a ton of traffic, being able to get dropped and run over by a cart without breaking every time is pretty important.

 

[wco81]

You can use the Surface with the keyboard cover on a lap?

How does the screen part stay up?

 

[AzBat]

Kickstand...

Tommy McCain

 

[wco81]

Hmm, ok so it's possible but maybe not optimal.

Honestly, they'd have been better off with an Asus keyboard dock type of design, unless the Ivy Bridge required a form factor too thick and heavy for a keyboard dock.

But other manufacturers have put out Intel-based hybrids, right? How does the Surface compare to them in terms of volume, weight, battery life, etc?

 

[dlm]

I don't know how many really close comperables there are. I suppose you could look to the Samsung Series 7, which weighs about the same and gets similar battery life but is about a generation behind in terms of the internal hardware and costs $350 more.

I guess you could call out the Asus Transformer Book, but it's 2 inches bigger and doesn't have the active digitizer.


I think the point is that Surface isn't designed to be necessarily "the best device for everyone." It's designed to be "a really good device." For some people, it will not be the right device. But if you want an Intel-based slate with an active digitizer at that size and price, I don't think there are any other options on the market today.

I imagine that a v2 Surface Pro with Haswell may be a device capable of making fewer compromises, but that's not the device we've got.

 

[ltcommander.data]

I imagine that a v2 Surface Pro with Haswell may be a device capable of making fewer compromises, but that's not the device we've got.

http://www.neowin.net/news/rumors-of-surface-tablet-successors-and-specs-appear

Coincidentally the supposed specs for the 2nd gen Surfaces have already leaked. I doubt talk of it's successor before the Surface Pro is even launched is going to encourage sales. Supposedly, the 2nd gen Surface Pro will switch to a next-gen AMD Fusion chip while Haswell will be coming in an even larger 14.6" Surface Book. Hopefully Haswell turns out to be the battery sipper it's rumoured to be otherwise if the current Surface Pro is already on the heavy and thick side for a tablet, the 14.6" Surface Book is going to end up even heavier to drive that large screen.

 

[Ike Turner]

http://www.neowin.net/news/rumors-of-surface-tablet-successors-and-specs-appear

Coincidentally the supposed specs for the 2nd gen Surfaces have already leaked. I doubt talk of it's successor before the Surface Pro is even launched is going to encourage sales. Supposedly, the 2nd gen Surface Pro will switch to a next-gen AMD Fusion chip while Haswell will be coming in an even larger 14.6" Surface Book. Hopefully Haswell turns out to be the battery sipper it's rumoured to be otherwise if the current Surface Pro is already on the heavy and thick side for a tablet, the 14.6" Surface Book is going to end up even heavier to drive that large screen.

"Rumor" is totally made up by the same MS-Nerd troll who's been spreading lies for year now.
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1631251&postcount=73
http://forum.beyond3d.com/showpost.php?p=1631253&postcount=74

 

[dagamer]

the mac air has a 35w battery and gets 5hrs web surfing. The surface pro has a 42wh battery. I'm hoping it gets a bit more than what they are claiming.

The MacBook Air isn't pushing a 1080p screen, which I find absolutely terrible.

 

[dagamer]

Just out of curiosity, I'm assuming your users will be highly mobile such as moving around the hospital. If so, will the reportedly short battery life of 4-5 hrs compared to other tablets or even some laptops be a concern? Or will this be mitigated, perhaps by opportunities to intermittently charge throughout the day?

Devices in a hospital are rarely assigned to be per person but are more often kept in a common area near the nursing station for a floor. My hope is that the Surface RT/Pro has a docking station that lets you charge it just by sitting it down instead of needing to use a cord.

Besides, the Surface weighs far too much for a doctor to carry it around with them all the time. Even the iPad 2/3/4 drags them down. You need to start getting to iPad mini size for it to fit in a white coat pocket.

 

[dagamer]

A few of you have asked who would use this -- my organization will use one metric shit-ton of these.

I manage infrastructure and operations for a not-for-profit health plan provider. I have an incredibly large need for our large telecommuting staff (embedded case managers, roving nurses, provider engagement managers, member outreach specialists) to have a device that can fill out secure web forms complete that include signatures.

I also need a device that can support the myriad needs of HIPAA's security requirements -- I need a TPM chip to properly enable disk encryption, I need enough screen real-estate to properly display those webforms, I need something that doesn't place a physical barrier between the employee and the member when asking hard questions (dropping a laptop on a table with a nurse sitting on one side and a member who continually visits the E.R. for non-emergency reasons is a bit of a foreboding statement in and of itself).

I also need Active Directory support to snap into the secure Remote Access capabilities of our Server 2012 infrastructure. I need local file encryption, I need these folks to be able to use Citrix applications to look up data, I need to be able to remotely destroy the machine (Intel's vPro AMT capabilities) if it gets lost or stolen even if it's reimaged.

We are buying 10 of them on launch, and we have budgeted for 50 more before the first quarter is up. By EOY 2014, we expect our entire infrastructure to be Windows 8 + Server 2012 and at least half of our laptop population to be converted to Surface devices.

We aren't the only ones, these are going to sell like hotcakes all over the medical community. We are already working with local hospitals and service provider IT shops who are planning exactly the same things we are, on even larger scales. Electronic Medical Records (EMR) is a huge deal right now, and this is the ultimate delivery mechanism for exactly such a use case.

Yep, the one thing the Surface Pro has over an iPad is that it can 100% be treated like a PC, but has the portability of a tablet. No need to write special software for it, and a stylus with a digitizer means that even for software that doesn't update for larger touch targets, it will still be usable.

Hospitals desperately want to use tablets, the few that I've worked in all continue to use them because desktops and laptops are too bulky and patient information needs to be accessed from anywhere in the hospital with the advent of EMRs.

 

[zed]

The MacBook Air isn't pushing a 1080p screen, which I find absolutely terrible.

true, but youre talking to eastmen, whom (if I dig up the quote but its something like) saiz resolution is totally unimportant(*)

(*)I assume this is cause company X at the time had crap resolution