View topic - Somebody else's (and mine) thoughts on Microsoft Surface - Windows, Apple, Application, Abandonware and Game Beta Downloads/Repository

Derf

Just a quick point, iPad is actually $399 -$889, not $600-$900, so it's a bit cheaper than you make it out to be. However I believe Microsoft was just talking about the 8 Pro Surface when they were talking about ultrabook pricing - they simply said that the Windows RT version would be "competitive" with other Windows RT tablets, whatever that may be.

john11

Derf wrote:

Just a quick point, iPad is actually $399 -$889, not $600-$900, so it's a bit cheaper than you make it out to be. However I believe Microsoft was just talking about the 8 Pro Surface when they were talking about ultrabook pricing - they simply said that the Windows RT version would be "competitive" with other Windows RT tablets, whatever that may be.

Ah yes, I forgot there were two versions, I suppose the RT version is supposed to compete with the iPad, although I want the Pro one

. So it may actually work then, but it depends a lot on the price.

With the iPads I was looking at 32GB-64GB rather than the 16GB-64GB, since the Surface will only be available as 32GB and 64GB (pro will be 64GB and 128GB). Although I guess you can get the iPad 2 for less in some places, but Harvey Norman has the 32GB iPad with wifi only for $625 (probably 1st gen), so thats what I went with.

Wumbowalrus

Meh, Surface is definitely more suited for Windows 8.

john11

Just saw this on another site (not sure where its from):

Quote:

iPad 64GB: $700
HDMI: $50
USB: $50
Cover: $50
keyboard: $50
pen: $30

=$930

So really the iPad isn't that cheap either, when you take the rest of the costs into account. Provided that the Surface will come with a pen.

Pwned

Or the fact that you don't want to pay for all these extra ports, the keyboard (when again, its second part has been stolen not only from Apple, but also from ASUS; just look at their Transformer series). That ad (more exactly, this one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo), explains nothing about technical specifications, just shows how a keyboard flips on the tablet itself. Very informative, I almost decided to buy it after all of that excess of information... [/sarcasm]

Where's the price? The iPad 1 price was announced in the very first keynote:

I'm disappointed. And I wanted to get a Windows Phone before...

hounsell

Pwned wrote:

explains nothing about technical specifications

Wow. I don't know what you'd think if you heard about this competitor who ran ads that didn't contain anything except a rather crude attempt to portray their competitors as "boring".

Oh right, you'd worship at their feet and applaud their marketing genius. 8-)

Pwned

@hounsell,

But really, as an average customer, what would I buy? I want to know why I should buy Surface, and not any other tablet, why is this the best choice.

iPad ads usually tell stuff like camera quality, screen DPI, etc., from what I've noticed.

Derf

Pwned wrote:

@hounsell,

But really, as an average customer, what would I buy? I want to know why I should buy Surface, and not any other tablet, why is this the best choice.

iPad ads usually tell stuff like camera quality, screen DPI, etc., from what I've noticed.

Totally agree. Apple ads are (usually) ads done right - both entertaining and informative. They tell you what the product is and what it can do in easy to understand language. A harsh contrast to many other tech ads (such as those horrendous DROID ads which shows robots running around, killing each other without even nary a mention of the product).

Tandyman100

Derf wrote:

Pwned wrote:

@hounsell,

But really, as an average customer, what would I buy? I want to know why I should buy Surface, and not any other tablet, why is this the best choice.

iPad ads usually tell stuff like camera quality, screen DPI, etc., from what I've noticed.

Totally agree. Apple ads are (usually) ads done right - both entertaining and informative. They tell you what the product is and what it can do in easy to understand language. A harsh contrast to many other tech ads (such as those horrendous DROID ads which shows robots running around, killing each other without even nary a mention of the product).

Yes, Microsoft and Nokia both suffer from a case of "Lazy-ass horrible marketing department." that never seems to tote the right things about their products.

And Motorola's marketing department needs to be dragged out and shot at dawn.

john11

Tandyman100 wrote:

Totally agree. Apple ads are (usually) ads done right - both entertaining and informative. They tell you what the product is and what it can do in easy to understand language. A harsh contrast to many other tech ads (such as those horrendous DROID ads which shows robots running around, killing each other without even nary a mention of the product).

Yes, Microsoft and Nokia both suffer from a case of "Lazy-ass horrible marketing department." that never seems to tote the right things about their products.

And Motorola's marketing department needs to be dragged out and shot at dawn.[/quote]

I hardly ever see ads from those companies though. Nokia's website is pretty good with info, Microsofts is ok with info, but they don't have as much hardware, Apple is good with info, but comes 2nd best to Nokia in my opinion (although Nokia is getting worse).

Announcing a price for Surface isn't that simple in my opinion, it would depend on the location etc. and it would be priced different at different places. The stores themselves would advertise price+specs (although Microsoft hasn't given enough info yet on the Specifications, only the basics really).

marcoguy

I will likely just get the RT version, since I don't want to pay for the pro version and I have my huge 17" laptop for PC compatibility. Also, it will be really nice to run Office on the go. That is one of the greatest features in my opinion.

Pwned

john11 wrote:

Announcing a price for Surface isn't that simple in my opinion, it would depend on the location etc. and it would be priced different at different places. The stores themselves would advertise price+specs (although Microsoft hasn't given enough info yet on the Specifications, only the basics really).

Well, they could have at least announced the price for US Microsoft Stores.

But I guess we have to wait, as the price will be eventually announced, so we can compare it to other tablet's prices.

hounsell

It's still about four months away - they're better off leaving detail, pricing and availability closer to the actual launch - gives them something to reveal then, bumping it up in the press, and also avoids giving their competitors more finely grained information that would allow them to comprehensively respond between now and the launch.

Derf

Microsoft Surface to be wifi only at first:

Quote:

Microsoft Corp. (MSFT)’s Surface tablet computer, unveiled this week to compete with Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad, will initially go on sale without a connection to mobile-phone networks, according to two people familiar with the matter.
Enlarge image
Microsoft is equipping the device with a Wi-Fi short-range connection, said the people, who declined to be named because the full specifications of the new product have yet to be made public.
Apple, the market leader in tablets, began selling a new iPad in March with the fastest cellular connection, known as long-term evolution, or LTE. Since it first went on sale in 2010, the iPad has had the option of a mobile-phone chip, which lets users access the Internet almost anywhere there is network coverage. Apple also sells a Wi-Fi-only iPad model.
Wi-Fi-only models are the larger part of the market right now and Microsoft’s decision may enable it to keep costs down, said Ben Bajarin, an analyst at technology consulting firm Creative Strategies. Still it could curtail the company’s efforts to promote Surface as a device you can use anywhere and in any way, Bajarin said.
“The way that Microsoft is positioning this product -- that it’s highly mobile but also has the functionality of a notebook -- that customer might be more interested in working from any location and not being bound by Wi-Fi,” said Bajarin.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-06-2 ... odels.html

I'm having a hard time believing Microsoft "gets" what people want from a tablet. Another strike.

linuxlove

Everything about the Surface is ugly. Everything. There is nothing good about it, nor will there be anything good about it. An iPad or an ultrabook may be a waste of money just like the Surface but at least they're infinitely more useful.

Seriously. Go buy an iPad. Don't even think about buying a Surface tablet. Don't even think about buying an OEM Windows 8/Windows RT tablet. Don't even think about buying Windows 8 period. You will regret it.

evangelikevin

linuxlove wrote:

Everything about the Surface is ugly. Everything. There is nothing good about it, nor will there be anything good for it. An iPad or an ultrabook may be a waste of money just like the Surface but at least they're infinitely more useful.

Seriously. Go buy an iPad. Don't even think about buying a Surface tablet. Don't even think about buying an OEM Windows 8/Windows RT tablet. Don't even think about buying Windows 8 period. You will regret it.

Can't tell if sarcasm or sudden change of opinion on Windows 8.

Derf wrote:

I'm having a hard time believing Microsoft "gets" what people want from a tablet. Another strike.

And I don't think you get that not everybody wants the same things from a tablet. I have yet to meet anyone who uses a tablet with a cell-network connection, either here or when I lived in Portland. Some people are perfectly happy with Wi-Fi.

Derf

Funny, I've honestly seen the opposite. I see a huge amount of tablets (mostly iPad's, but a few Androids here and there), and most I see around are the 3G/4G models (especially with iPad's, where it's easy to tell). Can only go by what I see here but it seems like a mistake.

Quote:

Everything about the Surface is ugly. Everything. There is nothing good about it, nor will there be anything good about it. An iPad or an ultrabook may be a waste of money just like the Surface but at least they're infinitely more useful.

Seriously. Go buy an iPad. Don't even think about buying a Surface tablet. Don't even think about buying an OEM Windows 8/Windows RT tablet. Don't even think about buying Windows 8 period. You will regret it.

Trying to make this an adult discussion, not really sure immature sarcasm has a place here. 8-)

linuxlove

Derf wrote:

Trying to make this an adult discussion, not really sure immature sarcasm has a place here. 8-)

Opinions. You shared yours, I shared mine. Forceful yes, and I apologize for that.

evangelikevin

Derf wrote:

Funny, I've honestly seen the opposite. I see a huge amount of tablets (mostly iPad's, but a few Androids here and there), and most I see around are the 3G/4G models (especially with iPad's, where it's easy to tell). Can only go by what I see here but it seems like a mistake.

Maybe it's a regional difference. I don't know where you live. But honestly, the lack of mobile broadband options doesn't bother me at all.

Smorgan

You know what I'm going to have some fun people keep saying o that design was stolen from Apple.

Bitchez plz. Apple did not do it Star Trek DID!!!

evangelikevin

Just saw that pic on Facebook earlier. Should've posted it myself. It shows that even MICROSOFT beat Apple to the "tablet PC" punch.

Derf

Yeah, but it's almost impossible to compare Microsoft's original tablet and modern slate devices. They're different form factors with different input methods and different operating system types (finger touch based UI like Win8 vs traditional mouse based UI). Not saying Apple was the first to the market, but I think that's a bit like comparing apples and oranges.

evangelikevin

Not to me. The principle is the same, and I get annoyed when people act like the iPad is the first and only Tablet PC-type device in existence (all those Android tablets being "iPad clones", apparently). Oh, and I'd like to point out that you can't compare the operating systems of the iPad and the Surface, either.

Derf

evangelikevin wrote:

Not to me. The principle is the same, and I get annoyed when people act like the iPad is the first and only Tablet PC-type device in existence (all those Android tablets being "iPad clones", apparently). Oh, and I'd like to point out that you can't compare the operating systems of the iPad and the Surface, either.

Sure you can, from an interface standpoint. Both Win 8/Win RT and iOS were designed with finger-based touch input in mind as the primary method of interaction. Their user interface paradigm is pretty similar.

evangelikevin

Derf wrote:

evangelikevin wrote:

Not to me. The principle is the same, and I get annoyed when people act like the iPad is the first and only Tablet PC-type device in existence (all those Android tablets being "iPad clones", apparently). Oh, and I'd like to point out that you can't compare the operating systems of the iPad and the Surface, either.

Sure you can, from an interface standpoint. Both Win 8/Win RT and iOS were designed with finger-based touch input in mind as the primary method of interaction. Their user interface paradigm is pretty similar.

Both Windows 7 and Debian Linux are mouse-based. That doesn't mean they work the same way at all. Having the same interface paradigm does not indicate any other similarity in the systems. Windows 8 is a full-on computer operating system. iOS is not. They aren't the same to me.

Somebody else's (and mine) thoughts on Microsoft Surface

Who is online