Its not us only. There have already been details leaked about microsoft partnering with a austrillian retailer. And of course you can buy it online.
http://www.wpdownunder.com/?p=6374
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Microsoft Surface Tablet announced
- Thread starter Windu
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http://www.wpdownunder.com/?p=6374
Complex Shadow
Cudi Lame
why does it look thicker than the surface cover =/
Well yes, I will buy it online. I just can't type nordic keys natively (on the typecover) if they don't localize it to around here.
I haven't been keeping up, but I was looking for launch info this evening when I learned that Microsoft hasn't released pricing information some 2.5 weeks away from launch?!?
<facepalm.gif>
As someone who is shopping around for a new tablet (either Android-based or Surface), this is not helpful.
<facepalm.gif>
As someone who is shopping around for a new tablet (either Android-based or Surface), this is not helpful.
a secret-boss
Banned
Cant wait for the release so we have one windows 8 thread
brotkasten
Member
Rumor about Microsoft partnering with a Chinese retailer to distribute the Surface in China.
http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-surface-be-distributed-through-suning-stores-china
lastflowers
Banned
Black Friday deals are your friend!
I already promised my parents that if it was 200$, I'd buy each of them and my brother one.
Depends on what you are trying to do. The RT is like the iPad+some flexibility and productivity. The Pro is basically a modular mobile PC. If you're mainly consuming and use a bit of Office, RT should be OK. If you're thinking about Steam or stuff like PhotoShop or want to have full drawing capabilities (a la Wacom), wait for Pro.
Is there anything remotely comparable to Surface Pro on the market right now?
That's kind of where I'm in a gray area actually. I know I'll use it for word and stuff like that for school. But I honestly don't know about steam, I'm hugely into steam but I can't imagine playing games that aren't mobile games on such a small screen. But then again I don't know.
I'm not a PC gamer, so I don't know much about minimum specs and all that. I'm not sure it'll be capable enought for a lot. But I have an i5 powered laptop, no dedicated graphics, and stuff like those new 2D Raymans runs great. So I guess having stuff like that on the go wouldn't be too bad. And you could always connect to a larger screen.
But I think if you're aware of the limitations and the price is right, you can't really go wrong with RT if you already have a gaming machine and don't care about content creation all that much.
HollovVpo1nt
Banned
Screen size is the least of your worries when it comes to 'non-mobile' games, you should be more worried when it comes to decent IQ and framerates on mobile devices. Laptops suck at it, let alone tablets.
We expect details on the product earlier than the day before the launch (RT) since we don't want to buy in blind. If we get pro info on the launch day - that I'm fine with since it launches a bit later so you can compare it to other offerings.
I've seen many product launches. They usually like to tell us what the price is.
The games from the list above I'd get. I might be one of the few who loves gaming on my iPhone and iPad, but the idea of getting achievements in these games definitely interest me.
Now, if MS shits all over the games section like they do with WP7 (one game a week, terrible prices) I won't bite, but if they treat it like Apple does, I'll pick up a cheaper tablet just to play games.
LukasTaves
Member
brotkasten
Member
That's the whole point of the Windows RT tablets, but it's obviously still up to the OEM. Lenovo was targeting $300, iirc.
yn-neko hates a cat
Banned
Yeah... seeing these price point really makes me hopeful about the base price of ARM tablets but I'd be hard-pressed to get an ARM over an x86 tablet unless some insane battery life and/or decent resolution screen was made available (...but then again :/ ).
That would be perfect for me. I'd easily take a 7 inch tablet around that range just for gaming and xbox glass.
TOP SHOTTA
Member
Despite this thread, maybe because of it, I am so much less excited about this than I was a few months ago.
When I learned of the Surface (Pro, very specifically the Pro) I was pumped. Now I am absolutely bewildered at what the price is supposed to be and I am trying to figure out what, if it isn't this, will replace my aging iPad 1.
Maybe it will still be the Surface, but it is getting less & less likely as this drags out.
I'm reading that it's not going to be a penny under $1000 for the pro and in that case I'm out.
When I learned of the Surface (Pro, very specifically the Pro) I was pumped. Now I am absolutely bewildered at what the price is supposed to be and I am trying to figure out what, if it isn't this, will replace my aging iPad 1.
Maybe it will still be the Surface, but it is getting less & less likely as this drags out.
I'm reading that it's not going to be a penny under $1000 for the pro and in that case I'm out.
I don't see why that's surprising. It's basically a very well made, more flexible Ultrabook from a well known maker, with a few goodies like a digitizer thrown in.
And the high end Ultrabooks are still >$1000
Now, of course I'd love to see them go a few 100 bucks below that. But it's not really comparable with an iPad.
StudioTan
Hold on, friend! I'd love to share with you some swell news about the Windows 8 Metro UI! Wait, where are you going?
The Surface Pro is not in competition with the iPad, as Milchjon said it's in competition with similarly powerful laptops. With the Pro you'll be able to run full versions of all your desktop software.
If you're looking for something more along the capabilities of an iPad then you can look at the RT version which will be much cheaper.
If you look at comparable Ultrabooks like the Asus Zenbook Prime and the Samsung 900X3C they are very close in specs to the Surface Pro. Apart from the Zenbook there aren't many Ultrabooks with 1080p screens. And the Surface Pro has touch and pen, too. So it's reasonable to expect a price at or over 1000$.
Fortunately with Windows 8 you get quite a few alternatives in various price ranges. If you don't need a fast CPU there are some nice Atom devices like the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2. If you want a faster CPU but don't need pen input and the keyboard covers the Acer Iconia W700 is a cheaper alternative to the Surface Pro.
mhayze
Member
Given the low price of some of the Atom tablets, I'm thinking that Surface (non-Pro) is going to be the most compelling of the RT devices. Otherwise, it would take a lot to take me past the fact that the Pro Atom tablets can do everything RT can, but more. What's missing is the pricing delta between the low end Atom tablets and the comparable RT devices.
Exactly what other electronics manufacturers have waited this long before revealing their prices? WiiU is over a month away and we already know what it costs. Previously, console manufacturers have announced pricing at E3, nearly 4-6 months before launch. Apple announced prices on iPad and iPhone months before they launched.
I'm not sure what there is to gain with all this pricing secrecy. Apple isn't going to swoop in and undercut them -- whatever number they have in mind for the iPad Mini, they aren't going to budge. It's not their style to cut prices as a reaction to competitors. Maybe Microsoft is still trying to feel out exactly how low they can price the Surface without completely burning all their bridges with OEMs.
Apple.
what?
Apple would not have revealed in June without a price (or product to buy) 4 months later.
Apple would have revealed a month before launch with a price.
You can argue about whether early announcements are better or not (I don't really care to discuss this), but this early reveal and delayed pricing info is the opposite of what Apple would do.
Baconsammy
Banned
Apple has announced hardware one day and released it almost the next day. Most recently the Macbook Pro Retina. No one knew the price until it was pretty much ready to ship. Apple does this a lot. The difference here being Microsoft already announced the product officially months ago.
Wiktor
Member
anyone think the pro might be 1200$ ?
shit...
That would be really expensive for what's essentially a pure tablet. Especially when competitors will be offering full blown laptop hybrids for such price.
Yeah, that's exactly the difference and that's exactly what frustrates some people. Apple doesn't announce a product without a price. Whether their product ships tomorrow or in 3 months, when they reveal it you will know the price.
Other hardware OEMs may not have a firm price when they reveal their new stuff at CES, but at the same time they don't wait until a couple weeks before launch to tell people the cost.
Yeah, the price is really important to making these kind of decisions I guess. I guess if I'm worried about program selection android tablets would be a better alternative. How does the Tegra3 hold up against the atom anyways?
If I can't see anything frame rate really wont be an issue. Considering most the games I play are Starcraft or DotA2 frame rate really shouldn't be bad at all for a current i5, but I can hardly see my games on a 15.6in display I doubt this tablet would be possible for me.
New product on a new OS that is made by a company that has never made it's own hardware like this before? Sounds kind of neat to me, not to mention the keyboard! I wouldn't have to carry around a heavy laptop with me anymore for class. I want to see it compared against the Asus transformer.
Also it comes out in like 2 weeks.
MS said the price would be comparable not to the iPad, but to other ARM-based tablets. So anywhere between $200 and $500. So that's a pretty damned huge range of prices.
Ultrabooks range from $800 to $1000+, though it's not as big a deal since if you can afford an $800 tablet you can probably still afford a $1000 tablet.
I think a lot of people are waiting to see whether MS will jack up the price due to the keyboard being included out of the box.
IHaveCandy
Banned
Apple also announces a new type of device well in advance. They announce iterative devices right before because they still have to sell the current model in the mean time.
eeehhhhh. can you give an example that's not covered below?
ipad was announced 60 days before launch and it had prices and a ship date.
iphone was announced a massive 6 months before release, still had a price. If macWorld didn't exist and they weren't worried about FCC revealing images back then, they likely would have revealed closer to launch
previously, big announcements were new ipods and those all were revealed within weeks of launch, with prices.
Macs have also been revealed within weeks or a month or two of availability (at worst), and they had prices when revealed.
And when they announce a product far in advance, they also announce a price far in advance. What they do not do is announce something months ahead of release, and leave people wondering about the price until less than a couple weeks before launch. Not to say that one strategy is better than the other, but you can't sit around and pretend like Microsoft's strategy is normal or "to be expected."
brotkasten
Member
They never said that the keyboard would be included out of the box.
http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx
"Surface comes with an integrated Kickstand and a revolutionary, 3mm thin, pressure sensitive cover that doubles as a fully functioning keyboard and trackpad."
I suppose they could have been more explicit, but to say it "comes with" a keyboard doesn't leave to much room for doubt. If it isn't included out of the box are they really going to back track and say "By 'comes with' we meant the separate keyboard accessory would launch on the same day!"
You don't understand, Apple announce everything at the same time and let people pay for it the same day or 3 days later. Thats the ideal way.
MS announced everything except the price and battery 2 months ago, and cocktease the most important info. Thats lame. Thats doing it backwards.
I hope google announce the $99 Nexus 7 on the same day when the RT price come out.
I'm not that knowledgeable about this, so take this with a grain of salt. Since no one else has answered, I'll chime in nevertheless.
A Windows 8 tablet (as opposed to a Windows RT tablet) has the full Windows. It can connect to a domain just like Windows 7. I don't know if there are any restrictions for the different SKUs (i.e. if you need Windows 8 Pro), but I suspect it will be the same as with Windows 7. Some tablets like the Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 come with Windows 8 Pro and certainly can connect to a domain.
If I remember correctly, Windows RT cannot connect to a domain. Those devices can be managed via Windows Intune, but no domains.
If that's the case for Windows RT then I'm sure neither Android nor iOS can connect to a domain, either.
I'm sure the RT has remote desktop and network stuff like that.
People keep talking about MS strategically delaying their announcements to sidestep Apple, but at this point they might as well bite the bullet and reveal anyway. If Apple's iPad Mini event is October 17 then the Mini will probably be released about a week later, which means the press for the Surface will get buried under a bunch of iPad Mini Launch stories. They might as well announce their launch info now while there isn't a bigger fish like Apple hogging all the press coverage.
No and Yes providing the tablet is running Win 8 Pro or Win 8 Enterprise
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