Microsoft Surface and competitors' Windows tablets

[haven]

Surface is also Microsoft's tablet for Windows RT. The problem is that there are very few applications written for RT today. So Microsoft's announcement that each Surface for RT tablet will be bundled with a version of Microsoft Office must make software developers happy. Lots of Surface for RT tablets will be purchased for Office alone.

The Surface for RT announcement must have Android tablet makers very worried. While they have the advantage of lots of apps available, and Android 4.0 is a good OS, the Surface for RT announcement means that Android will compete primarily on price. Will customers pay a premium for an Android tablet? Not with iPad and Surface tablets available. It looks like Android has been permanently consigned to the under-$250 price range.

[haven]

I read an interesting tidbit on a PCMag.com blog. It seems that Microsoft has been developing the Windows 8 tablet hardware for three years. They kept the project in total secrecy, a rare achievement these days. The use of the Surface name was one way they hid the project, useful because a large tabletop touchscreen product with that name already existed.

[Ryanmb21]

Here is a video of the announcement, it is PAINFUL.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57...ut-goes-viral/

[HillbillyfromAL]

Glad to see windows sticking to its roots

[haven]

The Next Web is reporting confirmation by an unnamed source that the Surface tablet for Windows RT will start at $600, and the full Windows 8 tablet will start at $1000.
http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2012...-8-pro-models/

That would make the Windows RT model more expensive than the entry level iPad, which starts at $500. The iPad includes the Retina high resolution display plus front and rear cameras, features missing from the Surface tablet.

The Surface for Windows 8 tablet will have lots of competition from many new Ultrabook notebooks, which will run Windows 8 and cost less than $1000. For example, the Gigabyte X11 ultrabook with carbon fiber case weighs 2.15 lb, has the latest Intel Ivy Bridge i5 processor, 128 GB SSD, 11.6 inch 1366x768 color LCD, USB 3.0 ports and a mini Displayport. Pricing will start at $999. http://www.gigabyte.us/products/prod...px?pid=4247#kf

The least expensive MacBook Air weighs about the same as a Surface for Windows 8 plus the fancy keyboard cover, and costs the same.

[Containerized]

Surface built into tabletops has existed for years - I think two years ago my parents showed me a Microsoft Surface coffee table type of thing.

[Containerized]

Ooops, I see from the post above that the tabletop Surface thing I saw years ago is not the same as the new product. Sorry...

[reece146]

Yeah, they relabelled the table top thingy Pixel-something-or-other. More unfocused branding and changing from marketing people that should be fired.

Surface is a decent name for the technology... the tablet could be the first Surface Device among a suite of products... there was no need to change the name of the old table device.

'Tards.

[loup407]

This thing really looks like an upside down MacBook Air. I gave up on MS products 5 years ago, and am pretty happy about it. I agree with an earlier poster that competition is good, and new ideas are healthy..I just haven't seen a lot of good ideas from MS, lately. It'll be interesting to follow this once MS can figure out when they'll ship these, and for how much.

[haven]

After the newness of the presentation has worn off, many commentators say they're concerned that the product is nowhere near production. The folks at the demo did not show a single 3rd party app running on the hand-built prototypes. Microsoft and its developers have a lot of work ahead of them to have a product to ship in Fall.