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I had the weight wrong - the Surface is slightly heavier than the Ipad. But it is slightly thinner.
I think it IS innovative and appears that Microsoft sweated the details - which is something Apple normally does well. The kickstand, the magnesium case, etc. - those are details. Let also note that the Surface doesn't need any ridiculous dongles for USB like the iPad does.
My personal opinion is that thinness is overrated - and I find that the iPad MUST have a case to be reasonably protected.
As for apps - Microsoft can make this work - Windows 8 for the tablet is far more similar to W8 for the PC than IOS is to Mac OS. So Microsoft can make a compelling case to developers to develop for both. Someone who needs processing power can choose the Pro tablet based on Intel instead of the ARM processor. Will Microsoft get the app community going? Who knows. But that is how Microsoft blasted OS/2 and Apple twenty years ago.
As for pissing off the OEMs - they may not be happy right now. But Dell and HP are otherwise doing zero for tablets including Android. They will get huge support from Microsoft as they always do. It is up to them to innovate and do something interesting. I will be interested to see what Lenovo does with a Thinkpad version. Lets remember the OEMs can't play in the Apple space at all since Apple is 100% proprietary.
You really think WM7 was well received? I so wanted a compelling Windows mobile device that was well received (I was a hugh Windows CE/Windows Mobile 6.5) because it's easy to build apps for it, but there isn't any and I don't think MS is structured to win with this model. MS is a SW company and their previous attempts at HW (Zune, Xbox) have been huge failures (Xbox failure in that it's never made any real money).
Just to be clear I meant WP7 - better realized by Nokia recently. I think the software was better than the hardware before the Nokia.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by hoffdano
I had the weight wrong - the Surface is slightly heavier than the Ipad. But it is slightly thinner.
I think it IS innovative and appears that Microsoft sweated the details - which is something Apple normally does well. The kickstand, the magnesium case, etc. - those are details. Let also note that the Surface doesn't need any ridiculous dongles for USB like the iPad does.
My personal opinion is that thinness is overrated - and I find that the iPad MUST have a case to be reasonably protected.
As for apps - Microsoft can make this work - Windows 8 for the tablet is far more similar to W8 for the PC than IOS is to Mac OS. So Microsoft can make a compelling case to developers to develop for both. Someone who needs processing power can choose the Pro tablet based on Intel instead of the ARM processor. Will Microsoft get the app community going? Who knows. But that is how Microsoft blasted OS/2 and Apple twenty years ago.
As for pissing off the OEMs - they may not be happy right now. But Dell and HP are otherwise doing zero for tablets including Android. They will get huge support from Microsoft as they always do. It is up to them to innovate and do something interesting. I will be interested to see what Lenovo does with a Thinkpad version. Lets remember the OEMs can't play in the Apple space at all since Apple is 100% proprietary.
That's the thing, there is nothing really new here, nothing radical, nothing that would be like a meteor hitting the earth and changing life as we know it (like the iphone and ipad did). It's a "yeah we sorta look like the market leader" and "where Microsoft, that's why they will come"....Not going to work. I can get all the stuff I want (and I am sure Apple realized that the few thousand people who care about a usb and microsd slot are dwarfed by the millions who simply don't care about that).
I truly think if Bill were running MS things would be different and he would pull some sorta move like he did in the late 80s when he ciphned off all of Digital Equipments top OS devs in order to create what we now know as the Windows kernel. Brilliant and a totally imperialistic move. Tweaking features doesn't work. The Asus transformer was supposed to kill the ipad but where is it now (I have the transformer, it's cool, but nothing compared to my ipad 3, which I use daily- and I am an engineer/dev). It's a much more elegantly designed product, and I'm afraid Apple has been doing elegance since day one. Microsoft has been trying to do it for like 10 years (if you go back to the boxy Zune).
What's amazing is that you have an entire generation of people who don't care about Microsoft and consider it their parent's computer company- Apple is what's hot and seems to will be that way for some time.
Microsoft had a tablet computer over a decade ago. It failed so badly that most people aren't aware it ever existed and think Apple invented the tablet. Also interesting to note is that Microsoft, even a decade ago, wasn't the first to come up with a tablet computer. Another company called Go Computing was the favored tablet maker then. If I recall, the founder of that company was extremely bitter towards Microsoft claiming they had used unethical tactics to put them out of business.
Microsoft had a tablet computer over a decade ago. It failed so badly that most people aren't aware it ever existed and think Apple invented the tablet. Also interesting to note is that Microsoft, even a decade ago, wasn't the first to come up with a tablet computer. Another company called Go Computing was the favored tablet maker then. If I recall, the founder of that company was extremely bitter towards Microsoft claiming they had used unethical tactics to put them out of business.
The tablet PC didn't fail bad at all. It's an extremely successful product. It's just not popular on the consumer market. I don't know where you're getting your facts from, but you're wrong.
The thing that this tablet has going for it is that it is configurable with an i5 that can run Windows desktop software. It has the potential to eliminate having both, a desktop/laptop and a tablet. It also has ports/expansion options that make it more versatile than iPads and Android tablet.
I see it taking marketshare from Android tablets more than from iPads. Android tablets haven't been as well received as iPads.
Anyways, I'm open to trying it out before knocking it. I already suspect I'll hate the keyboard.
The tablet PC didn't fail bad at all. It's an extremely successful product. It's just not popular on the consumer market. I don't know where you're getting your facts from, but you're wrong.
What 'facts' do you dispute? Do you have sales numbers, profit margins, etc. for the early Microsoft tablet to share? If not, I think I'll go with Bill Gates own words:
"In 2002, Microsoft founder Bill Gates said these early tablet ventures were "almost painful to recall,""
I like the included keyboard. With the iPad you have to pay a lot extra to get one. Same thing with the built-in stand. Have to pay a lot extra for a case for the iPad. If it runs regular Windows software then there will be plenty of apps. Sounds good to me. I love the iPad but my main beef with it is all the extra money I have to spend to use it.
I like the included keyboard. With the iPad you have to pay a lot extra to get one. Same thing with the built-in stand. Have to pay a lot extra for a case for the iPad. If it runs regular Windows software then there will be plenty of apps. Sounds good to me. I love the iPad but my main beef with it is all the extra money I have to spend to use it.
If you buy Apple version of these products... o wait. APple doesn't sell Apple version of these products.
I will never understand that company.
They sell ONE and ONLY ONE cover at the Apple Store.
They don't even sell a keyboard. Ridiculous.
What astounds me is how very few people are even aware there are ALREADY Windows tablets on the market.
Asus makes a nice one, but too expensive if you ask me.
Looks like from the pic you can just buy a second one and use that as a kickstand
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