Microsoft airs its first Surface tablet ad

[markbot]

I think Office RT is going to be great for 95% of the home and student market. And this is geared toward that market, not to the business market. For any power users, not being able to use VBA and macros is going to be a deal breaker. Even though the vast majority of my excel workbooks don't have any macros... occasionally they are unavoidable for some files.

I was really thinking about getting the RT tablet but I'd buy it to replace my laptop so I'm going to have to do some work on it....hence need VBA.

[scrapking]

Pre-ordered the Surface RT (64GB) today. I recently sold off my Kobo Vox, in favour of a Kobo Glo. I love my Glo, but for those times that I prefer a tablet e-reading experience the Kobo app for Windows 8 will be great. I hope it supports reading in landscape format.

[HansTWN]

I will be waiting for the Pro version.

But I really don't think pricing the RT version at $499 is a very smart move. Could have been a real hit at $399.-

[xendula]

It's a bit strange that they have opened up pre-orders before the 10/25 event. What's with the hurry?!

I agree with Hans, and there were rumours that it WOULD sell for a much lower pricepoint.
At $499 with a more inferior screen, I think whoever is willing to spend that kind of money will buy an iPad, if they on't already have one. It's already established in the market and even today, still has the "sexy" factor. If at least you could pick whatever color you want for the cover, but to pay over $100 for a nicer color is kind of insane.

I am more interested in the Professional version, depending on how much it will cost, to replace my personal laptop for good. This one seems to be geared towards the Highschool Musical crowd? Middle or High school?

[erasure25]

Originally Posted by MrDoug

Desktop computers are becoming dinosaurs.. how and who would ever in today's world buy a DeskTop computer.? DeskTop computers are like 1955 Buick's.. If anyone has a DeskTop they are way behind the times.. throw your DeskTop in that dumpster behind your house for the Garbage man to pick up.. or unless you have a iMac with the computer built into the screen.. I like controversy so that is my opinion.

IMHO you buy a desktop when you want a gaming behemoth. For me, I will always have a desktop PC for gaming and as a central hub and a laptop and/or tablet for portable uses. No way a laptop will ever serve all of my needs....

[erasure25]

Originally Posted by xendula

It's a bit strange that they have opened up pre-orders before the 10/25 event. What's with the hurry?!

I agree with Hans, and there were rumours that it WOULD sell for a much lower pricepoint.
At $499 with a more inferior screen, I think whoever is willing to spend that kind of money will buy an iPad, if they on't already have one. It's already established in the market and even today, still has the "sexy" factor. If at least you could pick whatever color you want for the cover, but to pay over $100 for a nicer color is kind of insane.

I am more interested in the Professional version, depending on how much it will cost, to replace my personal laptop for good. This one seems to be geared towards the Highschool Musical crowd? Middle or High school?

I speak from experience as I have an iPad 3 (received as a gift). I like it. I don't love it. I can't use it for work at all, literally. Office 2013 makes me want Surface RT (I am strongly leaning towards hitting the buy button). Oh, and its only $20 more for a nicer color, not $100. You can get the bundle with a black touch keyboard cover or pay $20 more for a color.

[Dulin's Books]

Originally Posted by WillAdams

If it becomes easy to install Mac OS X on it, I'm in.

have there been previous instances where someone has managed to install osx on an arm device?

[xendula]

Originally Posted by erasure25

I speak from experience as I have an iPad 3 (received as a gift). I like it. I don't love it. I can't use it for work at all, literally. Office 2013 makes me want Surface RT (I am strongly leaning towards hitting the buy button). Oh, and its only $20 more for a nicer color, not $100. You can get the bundle with a black touch keyboard cover or pay $20 more for a color.

Nope, it says "Add $119.99" and "Add $129.99" for any color besides black on their preorder page.

I have the iPad 3 as well, and use it extensively at work for handwritten notes and mock-ups, and at home for surfing and communicatiing, mostly. The RT is something like the iPad in that it is a limited device: a bit less limited with the USB port and SD card slot, but with a lower screen resolution (it would drive me nuts) and worse battery life, plus probably a much smaller app store. I have Office on my work laptop and don't need it at home at all, but if I did, this may sound like an intesting device to me.

What I really need is something I can install desktop software on, including iTunes, and that I can hook up external devices to so I can tranfer content to external drives, PMPs and my Kindle, when the library won't allow whispersync delivery. I very much hope that the Surface Pro, although thicker than the RT, will be a good contender. I hate my personal laptop and can't wait to ditch it.

[Dylrob]

Originally Posted by Dulin's Books

have there been previous instances where someone has managed to install osx on an arm device?

Other than the fact that iOS runs on top of an ARM version of Darwin. No.

[frahse]

I am excited.
Android and Apple provide the good experience that everyone has been excited about these last few years, but I am hoping that the addition of the old legacy software tools (i.e. Office, etc.) and the Legacy input systems (good keyboard, mouse) will provide a synergy that is worth the increased cost.

To be a little more clearer, I also want the screen and the keyboard to detach, or even to be able to be bought separately.

Yes, I want it all.

[kfarmer]

Originally Posted by xendula

I very much hope that the Surface Pro, although thicker than the RT, will be a good contender.

Specs for everyone else: http://www.microsoft.com/Surface/en-...specifications

0.37in vs 0.53in .. not much of a difference. The Pro is almost the same as my Samsung, including weight.

I will note the Samsung is my primary machine at this point.

[kfarmer]

Originally Posted by markbot

One of the worst commercials ever made...I actually felt myself losing IQ points while watching it.

The choreography is good but it is a bit cheesy, isn't it? I prefer the one that accompanied the original press announcement this past summer.

[pastanley]

One word keeps popping into my mind : ZUNE

Microsoft is about 2 years behind the times

[kfarmer]

Originally Posted by pastanley

One word keeps popping into my mind : ZUNE

Microsoft is about 2 years behind the times

Microsoft had slates about 10 years ago, in the XP era. Apple of course had killed Newton, and Palm etc had a variety of resistive surfaces. They didn't find a consumer niche though Motion et al, generated an industrial one -- and that's where Microsoft has historically positioned itself.

What has changed has been the UX, and honestly time for the consumer market and some of the hardware tech to catch up. Capacitive multi-touch in particular.

As for Zune: it developed a loyal following. It was an excellent device but largely ignored due to (IMHO) insufficient marketing and (often) retail stores willfully failing to sell it (by never displaying it, for example -- I would occasionally check stores casually, to see what they were doing). WinPhone has similar issues (Verizon, for example.. compare to AT&T).

Another difference? I'm actually *seeing* commercials this time. To quote a line I saw elsewhere recent "Microsoft finally found it's marketing department!"

But overall, the choice of any tool is the one that fits most comfortably with how you try to use it. Even if you might have a better experience by taking a compromise and changing a work habit, that is the driver.

Though it's great Apple found a way to generate consumer interest, I really don't care what Apple had, when. Apple doesn't fit my life.

[HansTWN]

Originally Posted by pastanley

One word keeps popping into my mind : ZUNE

To some extent, yes. Like the Zune it is a clearly superior product that might not make it -- in these times you have to price it aggressively during market introduction. And I am not really a fan of these Apple style commercials, all touch-feely, without any real information about performance and specs. But, as the US election shows, this seems to be what people want. Substance is not important. The important thing is to develop a cozy relationship with the columnists and provide a good user experience post-sale.

Of course, they have pretty much cornered the business and professional market by including Office. So there it will be a success in any case.