RobotChant
Member
He never mentioned anything about entry level, or low end ultrabooks.
Microsoft Surface Tablet announced
- Thread starter Windu
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He never mentioned anything about entry level, or low end ultrabooks.
Dreams-Visions
Member
indeed.
the highest priced iPad has LTE. and of course the screen. Comparing hardware, Surface has more in common with the wifi iPad, which maxes out at $650 and starts as low as $400.
I think $999 is a great price point, but I wonder if that's high enough. $1199?
Joel Was Right
Member
I think its fair to say MS Office on iOS has been delayed
I am with you 100% on this one. Even iPhone and iPad should be made 8:5 IMO. All apple devices should strive to match the aspect ratio of their laptops (except for the crappy 11" air lol)
Just look, 16:9 is stupidly wide screen, should not be used outside of TV's.
nah $999 would be perfect for the Pro, and releasing in 2013, would be logical
Gary Whitta
Member
Every time I look at a 16:9 computer device it feels way too narrow and long. Maybe it's something I could get used to, and it does seem useful when using the (very cool) multiple apps feature, but I am so used to reading my iPad in portrait mode, and this sucks for portrait. Pages for reading are meant to be in portrait!
Joel Was Right
Member
Is the 16:9 ratio an OS requirement? Is it possible to see other hardware manufacturers doing something different in this regard?
Dreams-Visions
Member
$1000 has been my guess since I saw it...but if you look at the competition and what they're pricing their hardware at...
....I'm just not sure they'd be willing to sell it at $1000. We'll see, but I can easily see it going for a couple hundred more than that.
At the same time its MUCH better for video because there will be no "wasted" space for letterboxing. I support 16x9 because its the standard video resolution (and it is atleast a standard). I would prefer 16x10 but I much prefer using something standard over the small difference between 16x9 and 16x10.
I think more of the cloud services - skydive, Dropbox - help alleviate some of those transfer issues.
As far as the business discussion, very rarely in my experience do I see $1000 laptops offered on a company wide basis. In fact I don't think I've ever seen it when I think about it. That's usually only an individual user expense.
School districts, of course, are even less likely to go that route. Unless there's going to be a pretty unheard of discount.
I doubt 99% of consumers will mind (or even notice) watching 16:9 video zoomed in to fill a 16:10 screen on a portable device, up to and including laptops. They don't seem to mind it even on the 4:3 iPad! However, for every other use, they will appreciate the better form factor.
I don't think people really care about 16x10 and 16x9 in general but 16x9 is more of a standard.... the usability differences really aren't that big in standard use cases.
radioheadrule83
Banned
Top posters in this thread:
overtime, at least 2 or 3 of those seem quite bearish on the whole thing!
Some nice Windows Phone 8 stuff going down over here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479241&page=3
Nice implications for WinRT apps and the Windows 8 ecosystem!
Code:
Name Posts
Gary Whitta 142
Windu 128
MThanded 125
Dreams-Visions 83
coldfoot 65overtime, at least 2 or 3 of those seem quite bearish on the whole thing!
Some nice Windows Phone 8 stuff going down over here:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=479241&page=3
Nice implications for WinRT apps and the Windows 8 ecosystem!
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
Why is it fair to say that? It's not like the Surface has come out of nowhere and is a complete surprise to MS development staff. I think you'll certainly see it on the Surface first, but I still expect it to arrive on iOS this fall as predicted.
yeah, I'm just hoping for the $999 because if it is a couple hundred more than that, I'd rather get a more powerful laptop
Shogmaster
Member
The only OS requirement for full compliance for all features is having 1366x768 minimal resolution. Anything higher in both direction is fine.
Marty Chinn
Member
They key there though is some. It doesn't solve all the problems which means you can't always ditch iTunes when it comes to content management. I still think music and videos have to be done through iTunes in order for them to show up in their respective apps. Not sure about photos though.
Schools of course I wouldn't expect, and maybe it's different in CA but it just doesn't seem unusual to see a company give you a choice between a Mac or PC for your laptop and that those are usually starting at $1000 from what I've witnessed. I'm sure the industry and field also makes a difference too. In the worst case scenario, I wouldn't think it's uncommon like Cheebo is making it sound like.
I think for that reason it MUST have $999 version. It shouldn't be competing with laptops
diffusionx
Gold Member
Paul Thurrott says that the unveiling was basically a Potemkin Village of Surfaces:
Go back to the first sentence of this post to see who wrote that.
http://www.winsupersite.com/article...et-microsoft-takes-apple-mimics-google-143481
Go back to the first sentence of this post to see who wrote that.
http://www.winsupersite.com/article...et-microsoft-takes-apple-mimics-google-143481
Glorified G
Member
Balancing on your lap was a deal breaker for me. good to see
Gary Whitta
Member
This sounds very even-minded, all legitimate reasons not to get too excited just yet. Sounds like many things are still very much up in the air.
marathonfool
Member
I love everything about this device except for the 16:9 aspect ratio. It's probably going to prevent me from purchasing this nice piece of technology.
I read much more than watch on the internet. Hopefully, they'll offer a version that is more pleasing in portrait mode.
I read much more than watch on the internet. Hopefully, they'll offer a version that is more pleasing in portrait mode.
Gary Whitta
Member
No they had working prototypes but they didn't let non-MS people handle them.
Thurrott makes a good point that, as much as this whole thing seemed like MS is becoming more Apple-like, they still did a lot of things that Apple would never do. Apple would never show something this unfinished to the public, every tiny detail would be screwed down tight. Hell in many cases the product would go on sale THE SAME DAY they first revealed it.
I think MS pushed forward the reveal of this event because they felt they couldn't wait any longer to start the excitement - every day they wait is another day lost to Apple or Google.
Gary Whitta
Member
Then it really comes down to what people want to use it for. If you mainly watch video/movies on your tablet it's a big plus. But for people like me who mostly look at page-based content, it sucks.
diffusionx
Gold Member
Not just that, but Google is showing off their tablet next week.
MS needs to turn this good buzz into something concrete by revealing more info and showing off finished devices fast. What they usually do is stall for months and end up releasing a mediocre half-finished product with all these weird bugs and issues. And it just makes people mad for waiting.
People laugh at Apple fans for buying their products right way but I guarantee that if MS had Surface for sale and shipping on Tuesday they would've sold a lot of them. From what Thurrott said the Pro isn't even shipping until 3 months after Win8 which is just crazy.
MS needs to turn this good buzz into something concrete by revealing more info and showing off finished devices fast. What they usually do is stall for months and end up releasing a mediocre half-finished product with all these weird bugs and issues. And it just makes people mad for waiting.
People laugh at Apple fans for buying their products right way but I guarantee that if MS had Surface for sale and shipping on Tuesday they would've sold a lot of them. From what Thurrott said the Pro isn't even shipping until 3 months after Win8 which is just crazy.
Gary Whitta
Member
It's not just about the event, and I don't think you have to be an Apple enthusiast to note the obvious influence.
Keylime
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How is not letting stuff leak an Apple trait? We know more about Apple products before they announced more than just about any other CE that I typically follow.
What MS didn't learn from Apple is that you don't announce new hardware until it's ready to start shipping. It's why you don't see Apple saying "Hey, here's the iPad 3...and you can't get it for another 5 months!" It impacts current sales...and in the case of MS, messes with vendor relations.
MS hit the newswire too soon and with something too incomplete. Not sure what motivated doing this NOW versus waiting until it was ready.
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
It is confounding to say the least. They didn't even give a real release date at all. I'm guessing when Google announces the Nexus Tablet next week, at the bare minimum they'll say "Available in July!" or something similar.
I heard that Steve Jobs taught Ballmer how to make a tablet before he died. Then the perspiration from Ballmer's pits oozed down his arms into his hands, causing him to drop it. They've been slowly putting it back together. That's why it's not quite done yet.
The way they sold the product to the audience at that keynote was very Apple like. There was more talk about the design, feel, build quality, possibilities and filosophy of the product then actual tech. Exactly what Apple does. Selling it like you would sell a luxury car to someone who knows nothing about cars. Making you want to buy it or try it instead of analyze it.
A few years ago we would have only seen the tech and software. We would have gotten numbers and dry tech talk. Apple changed that and it works to wow the press.
Gary Whitta
Member
The big difference is that Apple doesn't reveal prototypes.
LyleLanley
Banned
Does the original iPhone announcement count?
How many products have MS actually launched tho? lol.
I can understand people wanting to know when it's coming out and such, but saying MS needs to be like/or is trying to be like Apple in announcing or launching a product just smacks to me. They simply need to and should do better period. Apple or no Apple.
The whole event was about design, hardware and software linked philosophies that Apple often speaks on.
And that's without mentioning the mimosas and Gotye.
What sales are they impacting exactly? Microsoft doesn't have an existing line of tablets that this will cannibalize. I'm thinking they are hoping they will impact Apple's sales, if anything
If you think about it, I think it makes more sense for them to announce this early - but if the Surface is successful, I think we would both agree that an early announcement of Surface 2 would be counterproductive...
Original iPhone, Mac Mini, and MBA all kind of felt like beta tests.
LyleLanley
Banned
The Mac Mini and MBA being beta tests is debatable, but when the original iPhone was announced it wasn't available for months just like Surface. I think it makes a lot of sense to announce it this way, it gets people excited for a future device while also making them reconsider if they want an iPad/Android tablet.
lunarworks
Member
The original iPhone reveal was involuntary. The FCC sorta forced their hand on that one, since it had to be approved and it would be on public record that they had a phone.
The subsequent reveals? Well, there was no surprise a phone was coming, but they could keep the specifics secret.
The main issue is telegraphing your plans in advance. Apple knew they were years ahead of the market with the iPhone. Except for Google, no one understood the potential, so announcing early worked out.
Another example is the Palm Pre. Announced 6 months ahead of time, widely praised by the tech media, and then steamrolled by the next iPhone and the Droid on release.
I guess my point is that announcing this early can be good or bad. There are too many other variables.
Kung Fu Jedi
Member
No Win 8 date announced yet, but it is expected in October.
LyleLanley
Banned
Involuntary or not, the point still stands that it had a lot of people holding off on purchasing a new phone until the iPhone was released.
Great comparison video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSj8GUZDuac
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