Microsoft Surface Announced

stevenmu

So Microsoft have announced (are announcing) their new tablet: Surface

http://live.theverge.com/microsoft-live-blog-tablet-announcement/

Details are still incoming, but so far:

- Windows 8 (of course)

- 2 versions: Microsoft Surface (with an nvidia chipset), and Microsoft Surface Pro (Intel Core i5)

- Thin light molded magnesium body. Gorilla Glass 2. Built in kickstand.

- Cover accessory with built in touch keyboard and trackpad (looks really cool)

- Office appears to be on both versions

- Full windows desktop and app compatability (probably pro version only)

- Pen/digital ink interface (pro version only I think), magnetic pen, handwriting recognition etc, screen detects pen and auto disables hand touch.

Looks amazing so far.

GarIT

It looks amazing, I want one.

stevenmu

Microsoft's site now live: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/default.aspx

stevenmu

GarIT wrote: »

It looks amazing, I want one.

Definitely, I'm sitting here throwing money at my screen.

kirving

Looks amazing! Any thoughts on pricing?

Spacedog

looks like a pain to type on, and Microsoft have a habit of walking away from products if and when they fail. Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Silverlight namingly. ultrabooks are gonna be dirt cheap in the next year also, I'm gonna get me a zenbook.

computers/laptops for creators, tablets for consumers.

stevenmu

Looks amazing! Any thoughts on pricing?

They've only said that they will be comparable to equivalent products, the Surface RT (nvidia arm chip) will be similar to other arm tablets (I'd guess roughly in line with the iPad), and the Surface Pro (intel core chip) will be comparable to ultrabooks, so probably in the €1000 to €1200 region.

kirving

Are they walking away from Windows Phone?!

Although the massive increase in functionality and productivity over the iPad is worth a fair bit of cash, people won't appreciate that, and won't pay a premium for something with looks like an iPad.

stevenmu

Spacedog wrote: »

looks like a pain to type on, and Microsoft have a habit of walking away from products if and when they fail. Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Silverlight namingly. ultrabooks are gonna be dirt cheap in the next year also, I'm gonna get me a zenbook.

computers/laptops for creators, tablets for consumers.

They can hardly walk away from Windows 8, and this is basically just a Windows 8 tablet, albeit a really nice one. There's not much to walk away from, they might stop bringing out new stuff for it, but it will still be a Windows 8 tablet and get all the updates, apps etc.

Microsoft supported Zune for years, and still support it I believe. They just superceeded it with Windows Phone, which they haven't walked away from either (unless you count the fact that they are announcing Windows Phone 8 details later in the week). They also haven't walked away from Silverlight, they released version 5 recently.

stevenmu

Kevin Irving wrote: »

Are they walking away from Windows Phone?!

No, in fact they're announcing the next version later in the week.

Although the massive increase in functionality and productivity over the iPad is worth a fair bit of cash, people won't appreciate that, and won't pay a premium for something with looks like an iPad.

That's a good point, a lot of the success of this will be based on price, the RT version at least will need to be competitive against the iPad to do well in the consumer market. The Pro version will be more aimed at enthusiasts and business users who will appreciate the differences so they'll get away with charging a lot more for that, but they'll still need to be competitive with ultrabooks.

Dyr

Tablet running a full version of windows 8?

Want

stevenmu

Keynote video is now live

Also, speculation that it might be using Microsoft's MagSafe style connector for power and data. It seems like it has one on the bottom and one on the side so might allow docking in either orientation. Not as cool as HP's Touchstone, but not bad either.

steve_r

This has really caught my eye, I'm an IPad user, but if the keyboard on this works well, as well as the handwriting features etc, I might move on. Life without ITunes would be pleasant as well!

Lemon_grass

Does it have a front facing camera, haven't seen any mention of one? Odd if it doesn't seen as though they spent billions purchasing Skype. Otherwise looks pretty darn slick.

Is there an official release date for the final consumer version (sorry I forget the exact lingo for it) of Windows 8 yet?

Sierra Oscar

Lemon_grass wrote: »

Does it have a front facing camera, haven't seen any mention of one? Odd if it doesn't seen as though they spent billions purchasing Skype. Otherwise looks pretty darn slick.

It has both a rear facing and a front facing camera. Apparently the front facing camera is also angled in such a way that it hones in on your face even if the device is placed on it's stand.

Lemon_grass

Sierra Oscar wrote: »

It has both a rear facing and a front facing camera. Apparently the front facing camera is also angled in such a way that it hones in on your face even if the device is placed on it's stand.

Cheers. Thought the absence of the camera sounded pretty implausible. Microsoft did quite a good job of keeping this announcement quite, usually these launches are riddled with leaks and rumours.

grizzly

Any word on what connectivity it'll have? Would be nice to have USB3/Video out.

EDIT

Found these specs;

Surface for Windows RT -

OS: Windows RT
Weight: 676 g
Depth: 9.3 mm
Display: 10.6-inch ClearType HD Display
Energized: 31.5 W-h
Connectivity: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Productive: Office ‘15’ Apps, Touch Cover, Type Cover
Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
Configurable: 32GB, 64GB

Surface for Windows 8 Pro -

OS: Windows 8 Pro
Weight: 903 g
Depth: 13.5 mm
Display: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display
Energized: 42 W-h
Connected: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
Productive: Touch Cover, Type Cover, Pen with Palm Block
Practical: VaporMg Case & Stand
Configurable: 64GB, 128GB

Graphics are rumored to come from a Tegra 3

Inquitus

I can't see how a Tablet is better than an Ultrabook if they are priced the same.

The Surface Pro is nigh on 1kg and 1.5cm thick, its big compared to its RT brother.

The one thing I have found in my 2 years odd of owning various tablets is that I reach for the laptop on the coffee table rather than the tablet next to me on the sofa if I want to do anything more than read a book, watch a movie or surf the web. I don't see how the pro can change that, and at the end of the day its aiming itself squarely at the ultrabook section of the market.

I like the Arm based RT one though, if they can address the issues that plague WP7 such as low adoption rates and a poor app market, it definitely has the potential to usurp Android as the flagbearer against the iPad.

Android really needs to sort it's shít out in the tablet space, my old iPad would still have life in it after a week of sitting doing nothing, my Android tablet is invariably dead whenever I pick it up. Hopefully these Windows tablets don;t discharge at a rate of knots when left idle.

stevenmu

For me at least, what makes the Pro better is that it can fulfil both niches.

You can use the keyboard cover, or any other keyboard/mouse combo you like, and you have a good ultrabook experience. With desktop style legacy windows applications you'll have the full productivity experience. I'm sure there'll be all kinds of 3rd party docks too, again for keyboards/mice, multiple displays etc. Depending on what the final specs/performance are like, it's a genuine contender to be a desktop/laptop replacement.

But then you can pick it up and fold back the touch cover, or disconnect any other dock or devices, and you've got a tablet that's great for movies/books/web browsing, and all the other stuff that works better without a keyboard in the way.

So instead of looking at your coffee table and deciding if you need your laptop or your tablet, you just have one device that does both.

It's a pity it's not as sleek or light as the RT version, but for me at least, that would leave me definitely needing a laptop/desktop as well, the Pro version has a chance of replacing that.

I'm fairly confident adoption and marketplace growth will be much better than WP7. It's worth remembering that they won't be driven by just Surface, there's tons of Windows 8 tablets in the works from other OEMs, and I'd expect MS will start forcing PC OEMs to go to Windows 8 at some point. Windows 8 will deploy in large numbers one way or the other, and that in turn should drive marketplace growth.


(I know I'm starting to sound like a Microsoft keynote here, I'm trying very hard to not say "a really great user experience", but I don't think it's working)

Dyr

Most of the ultrabook specs that I've seen don't have a touch screen or am I wrong?

To me the full windows range of applications on a tablet is the winning combination. I've held off on tablets as the OS choices are a bit restrictive. This could really hit a sweet spot. Especially for the business market.

Inquitus

My issue with the RT is that as it is Arm it cannot run Windows 8 apps, developers will have to code apps specifically for it as they do for WP7. In order to get the devs on board, you need the market penetration. As we have seen with WP7 if you don't have the devs on boards you don't have the headline apps and your ecosystem is immediately at a big disadvantage,

Obv this issue doesnt effect the Pro, but the Pro is not going to compete with Android and iPad, it's going to compete with Ultrabooks and Macbook Airs.

nedd

something i just thought of while reading this thread.

I buy a Surface and I have a nice Windows tablet, I buy the optional Keyboard/Cover and i have a nice Windows tablet/ultrabook. So far so good.

But now i'm sitting at home on the couch, i reach for the surface and want to use type an email using the keyboard attachment. I don't think (from looking at video and pics) that the hinge on the keyboard will be strong enough to hold the screen at an angle without pulling out the kickstand on the back.

I'm just thinking that it will be a little awkward to use the keyboard unless your sitting at a table. I find when using my laptop depending on which seat I'm sitting in at home or which position I'm sitting in I always have to change the angle of the screen. With the Surface I don't know how comfortable it would be.

stevenmu

Currently there's two covers that have been shown, the Touch Cover and the Type Cover (I think that's what they're called anyway).

The Touch Cover doesn't look like it would support the Surface in any way, it relies on the kickstand.

I'm not sure about the Type Cover, I haven't seen it in enough close ups. It is designed to be more like a traditional keyboard with raised clicky keys, so it might have a hinge that can support it. If not you could always connect a separate wireless/bluetooth keyboard.

Departed

Spacedog wrote: »

looks like a pain to type on, and Microsoft have a habit of walking away from products if and when they fail. Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Silverlight namingly. ultrabooks are gonna be dirt cheap in the next year also, I'm gonna get me a zenbook.

computers/laptops for creators, tablets for consumers.

how much do you reckon?

Sonics2k

This thing looks to be amazing.

I've never been a fan of the iPad (or most tablets) but so far the Surface is looking very good. So much so I'm actually considering selling off a spare laptop to fund buying the Surface in it's place.

I travel between Ireland and the UK a lot, and I basically take my laptop with me everywhere, so the Surface would look to be ideal for me as all I really use it for is the internet, watching movies and using Skype.

For gaming I only really use my PC, so that won't be an issue.

Another plus is my admitted love for Microsoft and Windows 8 has so far been very good during my home testing of it.

From looking around, it looks like the cost will match the entry level iPads and similar tablets, so we'd be looking at about €400+ for it.

A Primal Nut

At first I was surprised that Microsoft were competing against their own customers; but in the tablet space; they aren't really. They are probably frustrated that most competitors to the iPad use Android, and nobody has made a tablet using Windows which has being able to compete; so Microsoft have decided to do it themselves, to make sure they don't miss out on tablets altogether. The president of Acer even suggested that once Microsoft establishes Windows as a competitive Tablet platform, they will leave the market and let the hardware vendors take over.

I was put off buying an iPad as a replacement for my laptop because I use office a lot; being able to use Surface for spreadsheets and documents would make me seriously consider it.

nutterguy

If anyone is looking for something similar to the Surface Pro now you can get a Samsung Series 7 Slate and install Windows 8 on it.
It wont have the full HD screen or the build quality (It's nice + rigid but plastic) but it is availaible now, has a proper keyboard and I can tell you that with Windows 8 on it, it is AWESOME.

11 second cold boot.

I bought mine here: http://www.laptopsdirect.co.uk/Samsung_Series_7_Core_i5_11.6_Slate_PC_in_Silver_XE700T1A-A01UK/version.asp

stevenmu

Pricing has been announced today

$499 for 32GB with no cover
$599 for 32GB with touch cover
$699 for 64GB with touch cover

$119 for a touch cover on it's own
$129 for the type cover


Link

Dyr

They're all RT version though yeah? I think MS are missing the boat with establised hardware companies bringing out full W8 tablets in the next few weeks

Mr Freeze

Is there any Irish/UK release date yet? Or is it just out everywhere Oct 26th?

stevenmu

So far it's just the US on the 26th I think. I don't think the date for availability here has been announced yet.