The Surface - Is it a rival to the iPad?

[red-beard]

Microsoft unveils 'Surface' tablet to compete with Apple's iPad | Fox News

Basically, it is a 1.5 lb tablet with a keyboard built into the cover. It will run full blown Windows 8. So this is basically my HP Slate, thinner, lighter, faster with a better screen and interface.

I am not sure this is a rival to the iPad. It seems more like a rival to the super thin, super portable notebooks.

Thoughts?

[john70t]

For sitting and typing for a long time the keyboard is a must.
Most people can somehow peck at grains of sand on their smartphones all day, but I no longer have that patience.

We have a thicker Android tablet, which has an identical setup.
-Quite nice to have the flexibility of choice, and it also has a mouse, a USB, and a printer port....all of which Mr. Jobs decided his world no longer required.
-Only problem is that it pauses which is entirely unacceptable with modern SSDs. And Google forgot the printer driver thingamabob, which apparently nobody uses either these days.

[red-beard]

If it is android, you can load printbot. I use the postscript driver since most of the printers can understand it.

[intakexhaust]

Seems to be more practical. Will go for one when released.

Burned out with tablets around the house and I just don't get the appeal of it when half the screen is used up for a keyboard. Back in '09 we purchased an HP tablet PC running 7 Ultimate and everyone gravitates to it. Ideal 12 inch screen. This thing has seen some abuse fortunately still under warranty, is on its third motherboard. However its on 24 /7 still runs solid 4 pushing 5 hours on the original 8 cell battery and is the media workhorse for the home. Often is used with a dual monitor, even online racing league (one night a week) when out of town and have to admit, far more practical than any solo tablet. It says, finger me and also has the pen, cute mini remote control, etc. Skype - buikt in face Scam, etc. Used with ACAD and any program, even old stuff back for Win 98 with XP mode. Even eats DVD's or BD to watch, convert, revert to the sky... total 'Swiss Army' knife of tablets / PC's.

[widgeon13]

What does it cost?

[red-beard]

They didn't say, except in the same ballpark as the iPad.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Seems like a good option, the iPad certainly struggles to be used as a tool as opposed to a toy. I like mine but it has limited printer support, no mouse support, and I can't imagine typing for an extended period of time on the touch screen. If I used it for work I would buy one of the Bluetooth keyboard covers, those seem to work well.

The real question with these competitors - are they as easy to use? Apple is the master of making a UI simple and intuitive, everyone in my house uses our iPad including my 2 year old. No training required, they just pick it up and use it. You can't say that about a PC or most other smart phone/tablets.

[89911]

I am interested. As far as the Ipad being easy to use. It is because there isn't a whole heck of lot of things you could (or want) to do beyond email, opening apps, and web browsing. Try to do more and it becomes MUCH harder to use then a Windows based laptop. I increasing find my ipad frustrating for more involved use and this becomes apparent when I take it and its the only tool I have on a trip.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by onewhippedpuppy

Seems like a good option, the iPad certainly struggles to be used as a tool as opposed to a toy. I like mine but it has limited printer support, no mouse support, and I can't imagine typing for an extended period of time on the touch screen. If I used it for work I would buy one of the Bluetooth keyboard covers, those seem to work well.

The real question with these competitors - are they as easy to use? Apple is the master of making a UI simple and intuitive, everyone in my house uses our iPad including my 2 year old. No training required, they just pick it up and use it. You can't say that about a PC or most other smart phone/tablets.

I don't know for sure. But the whole point of Windows 8 is to make windows touch screen friendly. The icons are bigger and setup for touch. The interface is much more iPad/Android like on the "home" screen.

[KaptKaos]

Now I understand why they didn't port office to the iPad already.

[jyl]

Sure looks like an iPad competitor to me. Also a MacAir competitor, and an UltraBook competitor. These devices are starting to converge.

Interesting, the MSFT video for Surface focuses entirely on the keyboard - they don't even show the screen turned on or anything but the keyboard. The gallery shots similarly emphasize the K/B. Surface by Microsoft I guess they are going for the consumers who don't like on-screen keyboards. Which is smart.

I wish they'd also grow a pair and go after handwriting recognition too. Apple is constrained here, the ghost of Newton meant that they would never use HWR so long as Jobs was alive. But a quarter of the world naturally uses HWR - the Asian countries - and with current processing power, HWR works really well, even on a first-gen iPad.

Apple is going after voice control with Siri, but I'm not sure if Apple or MSFT are pushing voice input i.e. dictation. That works really well too. I dictate most of my texts now.

Finally, I've played with one of the new Nokia smartphones running mobile Windows, I guess we call it Windows RT now. I was pretty impressed - they seem to have figured out how to make a Windows that doesn't think you have a mouse or stylus and a 13" screen. That was the problem with previous tablet Windows, you were always tapping on tiny menu bars and squinting at objects scaled down from a 17" monitor, they just didn't get it. I'm suspecting, based on 5 minutes of playing, that they've got it now.

It is critical for MSFT to get Windows RT and Windows 8 right, because the power of their Windows-Office-Intel system is eroding. Office is increasingly looking like a dinosaur, kids today use Google Docs, OpenOffice works every bit as well as Office and is free, Apple is building its productivity suite. I bought my last copy of Office in 2004. Intel is chasing other operating systems just as MSFT is chasing other processors. In 2012, the argument that you should get a Windows tablet to run Office is wearing pretty thin. In 2016, the young folks won't care about it at all.

[foxpaws]

More like a smaller MacAir - with bad screen quality (I heard 1080p is the max on these things, low end stock will be 720p - that ain't Retina we are talking). It looks like it will run Windows RT/ARM when it first comes out which is crap.

No real release date - no pricing....

I wonder how the rest of the Windows hardware world feels - Microsoft building hardware - where do they come up with these things ( remember the Windows Zune anyone????). The big boy manufacturers (Dell, HP, etc) aren't going to be happy... at all. Watch them push Android over Windows for their future 'tablet' devices, more so then they are now. Google must be ecstatic with Microsoft's decision to delve into the tablet market this way.

Oh John L. - the Apple dictation feature works great on the iPad - really amazing with third party too - like Facebook and Twitter.

[rhogg]

I'm typing this on a Samsung Series 7 Slate running windows 8 connected through my windows phone. This is an ultrabook/MacBook level slate with a touch screen that accepts stylus, multi-touch finger, and keyboard input. Full size USB Micro HDMI and an SD slot if I needed it. 4g memory and a 128g SSD. It is my fulltime work computer, is 2 pounds runs an i5 quad core, I get a solid 5 hours of battery life in a work environment 6 if I stretch it. It boots from sleep in 3 seconds and from off in about 15. It is awesome.

The Surface, which looks like it is made by Samsung, takes this to a more refined level with a more integrated keyboard and stand, lighter weight and likely better battery with similar but also price point specs.

Windows 8 isn't perfect, takes some getting used to, but is a real integration of desktop and pad toy. The early win 8 apps are impressive in their greater simplicity and design, and I have my full Office suite to fall back on. All of this is integrated with my Desktop at home though skydrive. Microsoft really has a very good integrated productivity suite for mobile users. With Office 365 they have an integrated MS office available on an ipad spec level tablet.

I think MS's greater experience with tablets, rethinking of the phone OS and now integration really shows up with the new Surface. It looks like a winner.

[red-beard]

Originally Posted by KaptKaos

Now I understand why they didn't port office to the iPad already.

I'm not sure you could port Office to the iPad. If you did, it would have severely limited capability. The iPad is not a power house. It is about 1/10th the processing power of the HP Slate I have. It is best suited for limited "apps" not full blown programs like a Windows PC or Mac.

The Capabilities of my HP Slate are similar to rhogg's machine, except I have not put Windows 8 on it yet. Maybe this weekend...

[KaptKaos]

Originally Posted by red-beard

I'm not sure you could port Office to the iPad. If you did, it would have severely limited capability. The iPad is not a power house. It is about 1/10th the processing power of the HP Slate I have. It is best suited for limited "apps" not full blown programs like a Windows PC or Mac.

The Capabilities of my HP Slate are similar to rhogg's machine, except I have not put Windows 8 on it yet. Maybe this weekend...

I know, but making a basic Office Suite for iPad available with limited features would have been easy, would have ensured document compatibility and would certainly have sold well on the App Store.

But then, what would be the driving reason to use "The Surface"? And then Microsoft's cash cow, the Office Suite, would be regulated through Apple's App Store. Not something I think they want long term.

Separately, there are certainly alternatives to office like Google Docs and Open Office, but higher end business use is still all Microsoft. The announcement of "The Surface" shows me that they are trying to play to their strengths.

When are they going to be released? Did they say?

[KaptKaos]

Oddly enough, the link to the Microsoft site for "The Surface" seems to be down.

Surface by Microsoft

EDIT: Nevermind, it was an incomplete link. Should still work though. Stupid MS.

[Seahawk]

Sub'ed

I have nothing to add other than I am the only one in my house still on Windows...I have played around with my wife's iPad and love it for what it is. I do need a mouse, however.

Thanks for this discussion.

[onewhippedpuppy]

Originally Posted by 89911

I am interested. As far as the Ipad being easy to use. It is because there isn't a whole heck of lot of things you could (or want) to do beyond email, opening apps, and web browsing. Try to do more and it becomes MUCH harder to use then a Windows based laptop. I increasing find my ipad frustrating for more involved use and this becomes apparent when I take it and its the only tool I have on a trip.

You have to know and acknowledge its limitations. The iPad is fine for email and light word processing or spreadsheet use. Beyond that it simply can't compete with a laptop or laptop based tablet, and frankly it's not designed to. I prefer to take my iPad on trips because it's easy to haul through an airport, but at times still carry a laptop based on the work I anticipate doing.

My other thought related to the iPad and other Apple products - they're all masterpieces of engineering. Apple manages to infuse the look and feel of quality into every product they produce. Most smartphones are plastic, while the iPhone has an aluminum frame and glass front/back. The iPad has an aluminum frame with a glass screen. They manage to make everything feel substantial and well made, which is noticeable to even the non-tech savvy buyer. My wife has commented on both her iPhone and iPad that they feel very well made. She can't tell you why, but it is the impression that you get from handling the product.

[Rot 911]

I bought a 3G iPad2 a few months ago. I played with it for a bit thinking I could use it in as extended office device, but just hasn't worked out. All it really seems to me is to be a bigger version of my iPhone, without the phone. Been sitting in my desk unused for the last couple of months. I am probably just going to sell it.

[Ronbo]

When I use my iPad it's sitting in my lap like I'm reading a book. I don't know if that would be possible with the keyboard cover of The Surface.