Microsoft Surface Tablet announced

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What do you guys think of the news EU is looking into Windows RT not allowing third party bowsers?

The argument used to be that "Apple doesn't allow it either" but now Apple allow Chrome on iPad. What's the new argument going to be? IMy main problem with this MS policy is that MS uses "battery and security" reasons to not allow alternate browser. I think MS shouldn't allow to use "battery" as an excuse to cockblock other browsers.

What if somebody port Lynx to Windows RT and prove that it uses less power than IE? If MS only concentrate on the security argument and actually allow browsers that pass certain security audit than I don't have problem with this policy.

(In true I am convinced MS won't sell any RT tablet so this is purely an academic discussion.)

Ms will too allow 3rd party browsers, just like apple as well: They will offer the core platform for the browser, and 3rd parties will build their interfaces and features upon that.
 
That is incorrect. Chrome on iPad is nothing but a UI skin around the default Safari rendering engine. Google can do the exact same thing on Windows RT if they want to - simply use the Trident rendering engine and wrap it with Chrome syncing and other UI elements.

So you are saying Firefox can do it if they want to? FF will have as much access to the RT api as google to the iPad browser api? So in theory somebody else can make an alternate browser ?

If that's the case why don't MS pay somebody to make an alternate browser so EU can get off their backs?
 
So you are saying Firefox can do it if they want to? FF will have as much assess to the RT api as google to the iPad browser api? So in theory somebody else can make an alternate browser ?

If that's the case why don't MS pay somebody to make an alternate browser so EU can get off their backs?

I think you're misunderstanding things here. Windows RT and the iPad are essentially identical in the way of what they enable third parties to do in creating a browser.

In short - neither Windows RT nor the iPad enable developers to actually release a new web browser. Both provide their own native rendering engines to developers as a control they can build their apps around.
 
As someone with a nexus 7 and a iPad chrome on both seems basically exactly the same in functionality and features as well as UI. So I don't get how iPads isn't "real" Chrome.
 
there will be other intel tablets to choose from fyi.

the surface tablet.

With full Windows 8 on? Hmm, you think they might be better than the Surface? It also depends on the Pro's price.
 
As someone with a nexus 7 and a iPad chrome on both seems basically exactly the same in functionality and features as well as UI. So I don't get how iPads isn't "real" Chrome.

Because it's not actually using Google's rendering engine at all, which is basically 90% of what Chrome is.

Safari's rendering engine is very fast. So is IE10. So Google can essentially do the exact same thing they did with Chrome on the iPad, on Windows 8, and most people would probably barely even be able to tell what's happening.


Well, except for the fast that IE10's GPU-accelerated rendering and page zooming is a hell of a lot better and smoother than Chrome, especially with touch, so it would look even better :-P

(seriously - touch support in Chrome on my x86 Windows 8 laptop is fucking atrocious)
 
I think you're misunderstanding things here. Windows RT and the iPad are essentially identical in the way of what they enable third parties to do in creating a browser.

In short - neither Windows RT nor the iPad enable developers to actually release a new web browser. Both provide their own native rendering engines to developers as a control they can build their apps around.

Assuming what you say it true (remain to be seen), then my opinion is that MS will get shakedown by EU for every badly worded policy.

MS is on monopoly probation watch, so they are required to behave "more open" than the rest.
 
With full Windows 8 on? Hmm, you think they might be better than the Surface? It also depends on the Pro's price.
depends on your needs probably. Intel has said that there will be 20 tablets on the Market. Then of course there will be ARM tablets as well, not sure how many of those will be on the market come launch.

Assuming what you say it true (remain to be seen), then my opinion is that MS will get shakedown by EU for every badly worded policy.

MS is on monopoly probation watch, so they are required to behave "more open" than the rest.
Microsoft has a monopoly in x86/64 machines, not ARM. There is no way the EU could enforce their rules on Windows RT, they would have to target the iPad first.
 
depends on your needs probably. Intel has said that there will be 20 tablets on the Market. Then of course there will be ARM tablets as well, not sure how many of those will be on the market come launch.

Well my needs is something powerful enough to replace a laptop. I know nothing about hardware specs, so excuse my ignorance.
 
So you are saying Firefox can do it if they want to? FF will have as much access to the RT api as google to the iPad browser api? So in theory somebody else can make an alternate browser ?

If that's the case why don't MS pay somebody to make an alternate browser so EU can get off their backs?

Because Ms does not need to pay anyone to develop W8 apps... In fact both Mozila/Firefox and Chrome have already confirmed that there will be metro versions of their browsers.
 
Because Ms does not need to pay anyone to develop W8 apps... In fact both Mozila/Firefox and Chrome have already confirmed that there will be metro versions of their browsers.

There's a distinction to be made here - Mozilla and Google are developing metro-style browsers for Windows 8, not Windows RT. Windows 8 enables them to use their full custom rendering engine as a base and show it in the Metro-style environment. Windows RT does not allow that.
 
With full Windows 8 on? Hmm, you think they might be better than the Surface? It also depends on the Pro's price.

There will be lots of Windows 8 tablets with Intel cpus (i.e. full Windows 8). From pretty much every pc manufacturer.
Within these there is another distinction. Some will use Intel Atom CPUs which are comparable to the ARM CPUs and others will use faster components (e.g. Intel Core iX).

They won't really be better than the Surface Pro in that they might be lacking that 'pride in craftsmanship' and probably won't have a kickstand, those keyboard covers, and the magnetic power adapter.
But they may still be better for you depending on what exactly you want. For example there will be different sizes, different hardware configurations (maybe something faster than the i5 in the Surface or with more memory), different prices... Especially interesting are the different convertible laptop/tablet approaches. Devices like the Asus Transformer come closer to regular ultrabooks and do have some advantages over the kickstand+keyboard cover combination (e.g. when using the device on your lap).
 
Touchscreen with foldable/detachable keyboard for 'real typing'? Sign me the hell up!

So many times I don't want to be sat at a chair on my desktop browsing GAF, so instead lay in bed chilling on my fiance's android. Everything is swell until I want to type something. I freaking HATE on screen keyboards. This thing will quickly convert into a 'laptop' for me at a moment's notice.

It's a fully functioning Windows 8 Pro operating system, so all my customizations for Windows and FireFox will be ported across so that I can use it exactly how I want to (in Desktop mode with the exact same settings as my Desktop PC, that is). It has several USB ports if I recall correctly, so I can shove media onto it's hardrive from my external hardrives for easy viewing in bed when I'm not surfing the web. Can't begin to tell ya how many times I've been chilling in bed and thought 'damn, I could really watch the hell out of 'X' right now, which is in the living room on my Desktop PC'.
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.

Holy shit what. Not a chance these are even remotely accurate.

If they are though.. well I wish Microsoft good luck.
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.

DEAR LORD that's a pretty fucking expensive device.

I'd pay RT prices for a Pro and still grumble at the overpriced 128Gb model
 
Always the same thing. One retailer guesses the price of an unannounced product and it gets reported everywhere with the prices getting directly converted to other currencies...

Those are not the realy prices.
 
Always the same thing. One retailer guesses the price of an unannounced product and it gets reported everywhere with the prices getting directly converted to other currencies...

Those are not the realy prices.

What? Are you telling me that a random Swedish online retailer does not have the official prices months before launch? Are you crazy?
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.
If these prices are right... oh god. The amount of tears. I really don't believe these are the right prices. That would be obscene
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.
Nope.avi

No way the RT isn't priced in line with similar iPads. I'd take 400 Euro off all prices listed here and that would be in my range of expectations.

As I've said, a sub-$1000 Pro is a pipe dream. Forget about that shit.
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.

The Swedish krona is stronger right now than it has been in more than a decade, so just a straight conversion is not very correct.

Going by those prices and how EUR and SEK prices on electronics usually relate, I would say we are probably looking at something like:

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 699€ / 999€
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1299€ / 1499€

Still way more expensive than I expected. The 64GB Pro for 999€ would be a fair price, if you ask me.
 
So a Swedish webshop possibly revealed the pricing of the tablets. If these are the actual prices, this thing is DOA.

Surface RT 32GB/64GB = 826 euro/ 1180 euro
Surface Pro 64GB/128GB = 1535/ 1772 euro

I guess it makes sense.. they don't want to compete with their OEMS.

Said it from the jump MS would get ridiculous with the price, that's why as much as I liked what I saw I did not get too excited as I had full confidence they would do something deflating like this.
 
and here I was looking forward to picking a Pro up on launch date. I'll wait until its discounted like the HP Touchpad because you know it'll inevitably happen if that's what they set as the launch price.
 
Well that's a question. Is MS just creating a 'premium' product as a showpiece and a means of kicking their hardware vendors in the ass to create similarly polished hybrid tablets to better compete with the fancy fancy Apples? Or are they making a play to become a fully vertically integrated computer company like Apple?

If it's the former (and I think it is) then they will charge premium prices and not be very aggressive in trying to take over the retail store. Basically Macbook prices.
 
Well that's a question. Is MS just creating a 'premium' product as a showpiece and a means of kicking their hardware vendors in the ass to create similarly polished hybrid tablets to better compete with the fancy fancy Apples? Or are they making a play to become a fully vertically integrated computer company like Apple?

If it's the former (and I think it is) then they will charge premium prices and not be very aggressive in trying to take over the retail store. Basically Macbook prices.

They said they expected to sell a couple million Surface devices. At those prices, that will not happen. Those prices should be taken with a large heaping of salt.
 
Here's a clarification from the Swedisn website:

"Our customers are very interested in pre-ordering these products, so we have set a high preliminary pricing for the lineup so that they may be able to pre-order them.
Just to clarify, we have not received any pricing from Microsoft regarding MRSP or purchasing net cost, and any people who have booked the Surface at this high price will of course have their order adjusted before any product is shipped. So we’re not going to overcharge anyone for being an early adopter."

http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-surface-tablets-priced-over-1000-not-so-fast

So, carry on people, nothing happened. I wonder why they would price them so high though (the webshop), are they trying to scare people away from the tablet?
 
Here's a clarification from the Swedisn website:



http://www.wpcentral.com/microsoft-surface-tablets-priced-over-1000-not-so-fast

So, carry on people, nothing happened. I wonder why they would price them so high though (the webshop), are they trying to scare people away from the tablet?

Pricing high and then dropping the price is something easily done. Charging a low price and then trying to raise it later causes hell to pay for a retailer taking preorders. So I guess we now know what some Swedish website thinks is the absolute highest the Surface could be priced. Valuable information!
 
I have a feeling that the pro model will fall in the $700-1000 price range. The cpu is an i5 and who knows what will be used for the graphics processor in it.
 
Integration with w8 desktop.. When can I expect to be able to drag a Window from my surface to my pc screen minority report style?
 
Integration with w8 desktop.. When can I expect to be able to drag a Window from my surface to my pc screen minority report style?

you can kinda do that now with skydrive. Its not instant but if you select a file and right click it to upload to skydrive and then just download load it on the other device.

I'm sure NFC will allow us to do what you want to do more quickly. The problem is how do you tell it what to do.
 
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