The Microsoft Surface Tablet thread.

[Vdubchaos]

That's far from the truth. Tablets are still doing very well and no signs of slowing down anytime soon.

Matter of time before Apple Logo wears off and people figure out that this is just a reinvented wheel that never rotated that great to begin with.

 

[Mopetar]

Probably should have made a 16 GB version starting at $100 less. I think that right there would make most people think that the price was more reasonable.

 

[KingofFire]

It would be great if the 32GB one is offered at 399, and there is a 16GB model sells at $299.

 

[Dominato3r]

I bit for the 32 with keyboard.

Does anyone else see that their shopping portal is secured by some Verizon thing? I would've thought they had their own setup.

 

[Vdubchaos]

Probably should have made a 16 GB version starting at $100 less. I think that right there would make most people think that the price was more reasonable.

Onboard storage is kind of worthless when you have a MicroSD slot and memory that's dirt cheap.



I find it hard to believe that MS doesn't realize that Apple makes money on limiting people.....

This is so pathetic...

 

[happysmiles]

Apple makes money by having people believe in their products.

in my mind $499 is a good deal, again reading comments on it just hurts my brain to see how ridiculously stupid people are, if MS fail at this it's not because their product sucks, it's because people just don't get it. but I agree that there should of been a 16gb version although that would of left around 6 gb of space for extra programs!

I won't be getting it but it definitely sets the bar (I'm aiming to get mine late 2013/early 2014)

 

[Red Storm]

in my mind $499 is a good deal, again reading comments on it just hurts my brain to see how ridiculously stupid people are, if MS fail at this it's not because their product sucks, it's because people just don't get it.

I guess that would be the thought process of the companies who have the lowest marketshare...

 

[dagamer34]

If price were the only thing people were considering in a tablet, the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 should be outselling the iPad. They do not. As such, the age old adage is still true, you get what you pay for.

 

[blastingcap]

Dear Microsoft,

Surface RT sucks at $499 + 100 for keyboard. Can't run x86 and I don't see developers giving it the time of day. You can milk early adopters if you want, but that is no way to rapidly expand your ecosystem and build market share. Drop it to $299 and you might have more than an also-ran. You should know this sell-the-razors-at-a-loss-and-blades-at-a-profit drill already, after years of Xbox experience. Come on!

 

[Vdubchaos]

If price were the only thing people were considering in a tablet, the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 should be outselling the iPad. They do not. As such, the age old adage is still true, you get what you pay for.

You are forgetting one little tiny detail.

Most people are completely stupid. And Apple is my proof.

 

[Chrono]

What I need are some reviews... WHEN?!?! How about today???

 

[gorcorps]

I'm really not sure what Microsoft is thinking by porting Office to iOS and Android, though. Kills the whole point of the RT platform.

The divisions in Microsoft are kept fairly separate. If the Office group wants to make an Android and iOS version then they will. It would take a lot of influence from the top to stop them too as the office products are huge for Microsoft.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

If price were the only thing people were considering in a tablet, the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 should be outselling the iPad. They do not. As such, the age old adage is still true, you get what you pay for.

What do you get with Surface RT that puts it on the level of an iPad 3 or Transformer Infinity?

If you want a Windows tablet the Acer W510 seems like a much better product.

I'm betting we see a Touchpad style firesafe on the RT sooner rather than later.

This is actually $100 cheaper than I was expecting. My guess had been they'd start at $600 for the RT version and $800 for the Pro version.

It's a nice piece of hardware for $500. I'm positive the screen is IPS. They probably don't mention it because it is something most quality tablets have anyway. The resolution is not great, but I suspect this might be intentional. While the RT tablet won't run x86 apps, the Pro version will and there could be concern with how functional desktop apps will be on a 11 inch screen with 1920x1200 or some other higher resolution.

But the lack of apps makes this really hard to justify the price.

Surface Pro has a 1080P screen.

 

[ITHURTSWHENIP]

If price were the only thing people were considering in a tablet, the Kindle Fire and Nexus 7 should be outselling the iPad. They do not. As such, the age old adage is still true, you get what you pay for.

Except that theory falls flat on its face when you look at Zunes complete faillure and Ultrabooks failing to compete with Macbook Airs

Apple can afford to price iPads at that range because the general public believes Apple is a high quality premium brand so they are willing to pay more for it. Unless Microsoft can dramatically change peoples perception of them, the only thing people will see is that its overpriced compared to iPad and it has Office

 

[Mopetar]

Onboard storage is kind of worthless when you have a MicroSD slot and memory that's dirt cheap.



I find it hard to believe that MS doesn't realize that Apple makes money on limiting people.....

This is so pathetic...

It's not about that. They could have put even more storage in and left it at $499, but it still wouldn't be as effective as having a model that started at $399. It's the same reason why everything is $X99, rather than $Y00. It's a psychological effect.

At $399, they'll get more people into their stores who wouldn't show up for $499. The funniest part is that even though those people won't be interested in going for a $499 model, some of them will end up getting the more expensive model after getting to the store.

 

[Spicedaddy]

Seriously, at least include the damn keyboard if you want to start at 499$. It's one of the things that differentiate it from other tablets, and most people probably won't bother to get it for an extra 100$.

 

[lkailburn]

Seriously, at least include the damn keyboard if you want to start at 499$. It's one of the things that differentiate it from other tablets, and most people probably won't bother to get it for an extra 100$.

I do agree with this. The smartcover/keyboard was one of the big differences that were pitched. It should be included with all.

-Luke

 

[QuantumPion]

can't really say I'm all that excited for a 1366x768 10.6" tablet for $500+.

 

[fusedpro]

Not sure if this is allowed, but here is a link to a thread on Reddit where the userbase could ask the Surface team at MS various questions --

http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/11kyja/iam_panos_panay_gm_of_microsoft_surface_amaa_ask/

 

[dagamer34]

What do you get with Surface RT that puts it on the level of an iPad 3 or Transformer Infinity?

If you want a Windows tablet the Acer W510 seems like a much better product.

I'm betting we see a Touchpad style firesafe on the RT sooner rather than later.



Surface Pro has a 1080P screen.

Pretty much everyone keeps complaining about the keyboard on that product, so how is it better.

I think we need to stop analyzing products by checklists and feature comparisons. My comparison is cars, if all people cared about was driving from point A to point B as cheap as possible using as little gas as possible, we'd all be driving Prius' and BMW, Mercedes, and Lexus would be out of business, but that's obviously not the case.

And we absolutely cannot forget the intangible value of an OS maker branding a product. Since they know exactly what's coming down the pipeline, they suppor their products the best and longest. It's the only reason why the Nexus S has Jelly Bean whereas the original Galaxy S never even got Ice Cream Sandwich despite having almost the exact same hardware. Or the belief I have that if the Nexus 7 was just sold without the Nexus brand by ASUS, it definitely wouldn't have sold as well because we know for sure that Google will support software on that device better than any other tablet out there.

I just want to point out the fact that a shitty product given to you for free doesn't mean you'll use it, and the corollary to the argument is that people are willing to pay more for things that are more useful to them.

 

[tviceman]

Wanted to pitch in my quick opinion too - and I agree with the consesus. Should have been $550 with the keyboard cover. Microsoft cannot afford to screw this up, and mediocre priced product trying to break into a new market will not do against Apple and Google.

 

[pelov]

$479 with a way better keyboard and double the battery life. If you need Office, just wait a few months until MS releases their Android-compatible version.

You get a huge variety of applications, a way better Snapdragon 4 SoC and it's still $20 cheaper than the winRT tablet without a keyboard.

 

[tornadog]

I was waiting for it but backed out after seeing the price. Its a 100 bucks too high. If they had done 32gb with touchcover for 499, I would have preordered without a thought.

 

[destrekor]

I just want to know when, and how much, for the Surface Pro or whatever it's to be called (Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro?).

So far, I haven't really seen the competition producing a more appealing product when everything is considered.

As it is, to consider the Win RT model - I would have fancied it a little if a 32gb, or 16gb (with SD/MicroSD) model, w/keyboard, cost no more than $400 or $450.

But honestly, I don't even want that. I really wouldn't want a full-size Windows tablet if it is missing x86 support. If it was a 7" model, with that resolution, and a little cheaper? Perhaps - but I really like my Nexus 7.

If the Win8 Pro model comes in at no more than $850 w/keyboard, I may bite. I like the Surface overall (and the Pro model is supposed to ship with 1080p), but there are still other details to be considered. And that is where I have found issues with competing models - I've seen some with Intel i3's at over $1000, with bottom-spec GPU, low resolution, and some with a shitty convertible design. Hell, some will be around $900 or higher, iirc, featuring nothing more than an Intel Atom CPU ! Holy shit talk about a ripoff. Anything with an i3 at that price is already ridiculously overpriced. That's just wallet rape to include nothing more than the Atom series.

The only thing that pushes me away from the Surface and toward looking at other models, is the design of the Stand. I like the option of completing removing the keyboard, but would like an Asus Transformer-style hinge - where you can have it in your lap like a laptop, and the screen will hold whatever angle you wish. The Surface would limit some of the positions in which you could use it.

 

[OBLAMA2009]

i predict an hp touchpad-like price concession on these when they are released an no one buys them at $500.