The Microsoft Surface Tablet thread.

[podspi]

oh dear me, dear dear

Just seen the new Surface advert. My god, what is it with some companys marketing, why is it that Apple can hire the correct firm but others can't.

No mention of what it can do, if I didn't already know what the surface was I'd be thinking what is this?

And what does slapping the cover shut like they was playing drums have to do with anything.

MS just doesn't make good advertisements. Compare that to Samsung's newest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvB3msfJYdk

Yea, I dunno. It has got a lot of people talking about it, though. I don't get it, especially since the touch keyboard isn't actually even included anymore (iirc it was originally supposed to be included).

I am sure they only air that Samsung ad at certain times and on certain channels. Some advertisements are more targeted than others, and I think Samsung's recent advertising campaign has been pretty good. Honestly it reminds me of Apple's ads dissing Microsoft back in the day...

 

[Dari]

Uh what? Samsung is killing Apple in this round of the ad wars.

How? Samsung is obsessed with Apple in their ads whereas Apple does not even mention them in their ads.

 

[badb0y]

Uh what? Samsung is killing Apple in this round of the ad wars.

It's true, Samsung advertises more about Apple then even Apple.

 

[TheStu]

MS just doesn't make good advertisements. Compare that to Samsung's newest. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvB3msfJYdk

Ok, does it work exactly like that though? Person A queues up the transfer on their phone and Person B doesn't have to do anything to accept it other than tap the phones together? I get that NFC doesn't have that kind of bandwidth, what does it use to transfer the data? Bluetooth? Instantly created, and connected ad-hoc wifi connection? 3/4G?

Not to pull the thread off topic.

I wish there was a MS store closer to where I live, I would like to check out the Surface.

Something that I don't get on the Surface was their decision to not use magnets to keep the touch keyboard closed against the screens. They reinvented the wheel in order to have the tablet and keyboard know each other's states, namely when the keyboard is closing or closed, to put the tablet to sleep.

 

[BladeVenom]

How? Samsung is obsessed with Apple in their ads whereas Apple does not even mention them in their ads.

If you believe that, then Apple was obsessed with Microsoft in their adds. But those were made by Apple, so you probably thought those were brilliant didn't you?

 

[s44]

I get that NFC doesn't have that kind of bandwidth, what does it use to transfer the data? Bluetooth? Instantly created, and connected ad-hoc wifi connection? 3/4G?

Yeah, instant ad hoc wifi. That's the "S Beam": NFC negotiates the wifi, which actually carries the data.

Wish someone would port this to AOSP actually.

 

[blastingcap]

If you believe that, then Apple was obsessed with Microsoft in their adds. But those were made by Apple, so you probably thought those were brilliant didn't you?

Those "I'm a PC" and "I'm a Mac" commercials annoyed me.

This one was funny though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qNNFqqyt_TY

 

[rockyct]

I see. So this Surface from Microsoft may have a limited run? I mean, are they going to get into the hardware tablet business as well?

It's not a limited run but I don't think they are going to turn into a major manufacture of pc/tablet hardware. It really has to do with pushing Windows 8/RT and getting some devices out there with a controlled Windows experience. Bloatware and cheap build quality of tablets could destroy Windows 8/RT.

oh dear me, dear dear

Just seen the new Surface advert. My god, what is it with some companys marketing, why is it that Apple can hire the correct firm but others can't.

No mention of what it can do, if I didn't already know what the surface was I'd be thinking what is this?

And what does slapping the cover shut like they was playing drums have to do with anything.

The commercial isn't for tech enthusiasts, it's for average people. I showed my Surface to my mom today and she said "ouuu, it's the one from that commercial I keep seeing" and then played with the keyboard snapping onto the tablet.

Creating one very positive and unique experience can really help how people see the overall device.

 

[TheStu]

It's not a limited run but I don't think they are going to turn into a major manufacture of pc/tablet hardware. It really has to do with pushing Windows 8/RT and getting some devices out there with a controlled Windows experience. Bloatware and cheap build quality of tablets could destroy Windows 8/RT.


The commercial isn't for tech enthusiasts, it's for average people. I showed my Surface to my mom today and she said "ouuu, it's the one from that commercial I keep seeing" and then played with the keyboard snapping onto the tablet.

Creating one very positive and unique experience can really help how people see the overall device.

I showed the ad to two of my not particularly techie friends. I gave no preamble and just asked them to guess what it was selling. They were both guessing 'keyboard' until almost the end. The ad doesn't show how to use the tablet, what it can do that others can't, all it shows is that the keyboard is apparently the killer app.

Oh, and if you have a Surface, you have to deal with spontaneous dance parties before you get to use it.

 

[ControlD]

I showed the ad to two of my not particularly techie friends. I gave no preamble and just asked them to guess what it was selling. They were both guessing 'keyboard' until almost the end. The ad doesn't show how to use the tablet, what it can do that others can't, all it shows is that the keyboard is apparently the killer app.

Oh, and if you have a Surface, you have to deal with spontaneous dance parties before you get to use it.

Might be time to start hanging with a smarter crowd. Hell, my 72 year old parents saw the commercial today and the first question was "how does this compare to the iPad"? Didn't seem that hard to grasp.

 

[ControlD]

oh dear me, dear dear

Just seen the new Surface advert. My god, what is it with some companys marketing, why is it that Apple can hire the correct firm but others can't.

No mention of what it can do, if I didn't already know what the surface was I'd be thinking what is this?

And what does slapping the cover shut like they was playing drums have to do with anything.

You mean like that annoying new iPod commercial where all they show is a bunch of devices bouncing around to a typically terrible piece of music? Maybe MS and Apple have the same genius company making their commercials these days. Both the iPod and Surface commercials are annoying enough to make me flip the channel.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Most advertising is just to catch your eye then start asking questions. I don't think there is any useful info to be had from any tech ads out there really. Except maybe the ones on tech sites.

 

[Zink]

Some adds do try to show applications and use cases on mobile devices and in a way that is showing useful info. It is obviously going to only show the positives because it is an ad but how a device can be used and what it is like to use is very important information that sells devices.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Yeah I suppose.

I'm really interested in the Surface pro or something similar to that. I just require at least 1080p screen resolution to match my Infinity. I'm starting to come around to Windows 8 but it does almost require a touch interface to function best.

 

[pcslookout]

Surface pro is where it is at!

I can't wait until next year!

 

[dagamer34]

Everyone should go check out the 1080p display on the Acer Aspire S7 and imagine that on a Surface Pro. That screen looked AMAZING!

 

[podspi]

The real question is: What is the Surface Pro going to cost?

Methinks it will be a bit too expensive for most people. However, for those businesses that are already issuing employees an iPad + laptop, or considering doing so (that this is happening blows my mind, but I know for a fact that it is), the Surface Pro could be quite the value proposition.

 

[rockyct]

The real question is: What is the Surface Pro going to cost?

Methinks it will be a bit too expensive for most people. However, for those businesses that are already issuing employees an iPad + laptop, or considering doing so (that this is happening blows my mind, but I know for a fact that it is), the Surface Pro could be quite the value proposition.

Microsoft has said it will cost about the same as an ultrabook, so I'm guessing around $999 or so. I wish they would make a clover trail version instead of the core i5 one though.

 

[TheStu]

Might be time to start hanging with a smarter crowd. Hell, my 72 year old parents saw the commercial today and the first question was "how does this compare to the iPad"? Didn't seem that hard to grasp.

Give me a break. That commercial was for the keyboard and the kickstand, not the tablet. The only time they showed the tablet doing anything of 'substance' was when they were using it to show a video of the robot guy.

The newer commercials that they have, which advertises Windows 8 & not Surface were better, but...

Look at the iPhone commercials (not the celebrity ones) that were pushing Siri. Since iOS is the iPhone and vice versa, a commercial for the features is a commercial for the device. Or how about when the iPhone 4 came out with FaceTime, and there was the commercial that was just people using Facetime, there isn't even any talking in that one, not even to say 'The new Apple iPhone 4 with FaceTime, a revo-magical way to do stuff'.

That new Samsung spot with 'S-Beam' is well done in that regard. Showing what their phone can do that others 'can't'. They have what looks like a well implemented feature that only works on their devices, so advertise that. I certainly like it better than the ones where they make fun of their potential customers. 'Look at all you sheep sitting in a line, you should buy our phone instead!'. That is what I take from that commercial.

Same for that Lumia 920 commercial that doesn't advertise anything about the device other than that it comes in colors.

You mean like that annoying new iPod commercial where all they show is a bunch of devices bouncing around to a typically terrible piece of music? Maybe MS and Apple have the same genius company making their commercials these days. Both the iPod and Surface commercials are annoying enough to make me flip the channel.

People know what the iPod is, they don't need to explain it anymore. And that is what an iPod commercial is. Even if you flip the channel, that is because you knew, within 5 seconds, that this is an iPod commercial.

 

[ControlD]

Give me a break. That commercial was for the keyboard and the kickstand, not the tablet.

I'm sure you are probably right. I can't believe we are actually arguing over a freaking commercial. I need a new hobby.

And for the record, I change the channel on the iPod commercial not because I already know what an iPod is. I change it because it might be one of the single most annoying commercials I have ever had to look at or listen to

 

[darkewaffle]

I hadn't seen the commercial until football yesterday but I thought it was pretty effective. Well, effective in the sense that I found it interesting and somewhat memorable. I think modern commercials are more about projecting an image or an idea than product details; the important thing is that people know that MS has a new tablet and it does "cool stuff"; the nitty gritty comes later.

 

[dagamer34]

Microsoft has said it will cost about the same as an ultrabook, so I'm guessing around $999 or so. I wish they would make a clover trail version instead of the core i5 one though.

The Acer W700 has pretty much the same specs as the Surface Pro, minus the digitizer and lower specced CPU, so I'd even wager $899/949 for the 64GB version and $100 more for 128GB.

Is it affordable for everyone? No, but if you consider a Surface Pro your main computer/laptop, it's still very reasonable.

 

[BladeVenom]

Those "I'm a PC" and "I'm a Mac" commercials annoyed me.

Most people found them amusing. They certainly got attention.

As opposed to MS advertisements, where people usually end up saying, "WTF is this crap. A billion dollar advertising campaign, and that's the best they can do?"

 

[Nintendesert]

Most people found them amusing. They certainly got attention.

As opposed to MS advertisements, where people usually end up saying, "WTF is this crap. A billion dollar advertising campaign, and that's the best they can do?"

You have polls and studies to back up these claims?

 

[gus6464]

You think consumers are going to differentiate between different kinds of Windows tablets ?

And the issues he brought up, why would they be different on a Surface ? They wouldn't be.

btw, your example about Android is correct. That is exactly the way consumers react to a bad experience.

The keyboard not enabling when you flip the yoga over is an issue with Lenovo and not MS. Probably a bad sensor or not optimized drivers as the OS still thinks it's in tablet mode. I experienced this when I tried out the Yoga.

The Surface has no problems about this when using the Type or Touch covers. If the cover is bent behind the device it shuts it off.

And when it comes to Windows people think a lot differently. People know that there are good and bad Windows products considering they are everywhere.