Earlier quoted context omitted.
Thanks. Seriously. How hard was that? I have to do a browser plugin upgrade just to watch and ad ?! The whole ship is made of fail.
I assume your browser came integrated with adobe flash
Chrome actually does.
Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
311–320 of 697 posts
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#312Yuck, it looks like you can't use it w/o a table top so it's useless on a plane, or train , or couch. It's like a half ass competitor to both iPad and MacBook Air.
I don't think it was meant to be a competitor to the Air, although we'll have to wait on the pricing to see what Microsoft is actually trying to do here. But in all probability this is an iPad competitor, and iPads fall short in the exact same way in all those situations as well.
Also, planes generally have trays, and reclining in a couch puts your waist at about hands level, so both of those aren't really that gimped by this setup. Living in America I can't speak much for train travel but I would think they'd have some kind of tray, but I could be wrong.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#313Earlier quoted context omitted.
Pen+touch+type seems like a great idea. It is something no other manufacturer has tried to do. I think the devil will be in the details, but this sure is interesting, because Apple's strategy is "people should buy multiple devices-- iPad, Macbook Air, Mac Pro...". MSFT wants one device that is a lot more versatile.
Pen+touch+type seems like a great idea. It is something no other manufacturer has tried to do. Apple Newton MessagePad, 1993. It had a stylus, handwriting recognition, you could use it with just your fingertips, and you could connect an external keyboard. http://www.flickr.com/photos/atow/4314242537/ That was almost twenty years a go. Newton was a very expensive experiment for Apple, and they have learned the hard wa…
I'm as big a fan of the Newton as anyone (I still have a Newton MP2000 in my nightstand -- I think it even has good batteries in it -- but there's a qualitative difference between something like this and the Newton (and arguing you could use the Newton with just your fingers is a stretch -- it required strong nails and considerable pressure).
I'm also a big fan of the iPad, but this definitely looks like something _worth criticizing_ (to paraphrase Alan Kay).
I think a big problem with this device as conceived is that most of the time I do not use my tablet neatly on a table, so the keyboard/cover is a cute gimmick, but only really of interest in limited cases (in much the same way as all the different keyboard options for the iPad, some quite clever, have proven a waste of time for me).
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#3142012 is the year third party OEMs start to go extinct. First (and always) Apple, now Microsoft, soon Google/Motorola. There may be some niche markets left over for third party OEMs but otherwise I think they're done. No wonder HP wanted out of the PC industry. Maybe they knew something we didn't?
> 2012 is the year third party OEMs start to go extinct
That's very unlikely for Google and Motorola. Google needs the market fragmented so that Apple doesn't dominate it. In order to maximize it, they need OEMs making slightly incompatible devices so that de jure standards dominate over de facto ones.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#315They have a video on the main page. The video is a minute long. They have asked for my attention for a minute. In that minute, they have not told me anything about what the Surface can do for me, and why I should care about it. I'm absolutely baffled by that. Yes, I might know what it is, and have some idea about what it can do, but if this was a television commercial, I'd bet money that such a campaign would be a qu…
and the video is a youtube embed.. you'd think microsoft would bother hosting the video on its own server when this is the centerpiece of the page announcing a completely new product.
Maybe they get a shit ton of impressions on YT, they get to be on the trending videos, first on YT search, etc.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#316Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm not sure they can. They don't have the supply chain advantages that Apple has developed over the last five years, they won't have the volume to drive component prices down, and unless this is really a reference design that OEMs will be producing and distributing, they'll irritate the beejeezus out of their partners. I don't blame them for trying to vertically integrate, especially after seeing what it has done fo…
I came to the same thought about the supply chain at first, but Microsoft does sell hardware, the XBox (and I guess the Zune.) Certainly not the same as Apple, but they do have handle on it. Given how a lot of OEMs are pumping Androids, Microsoft may just have to start hedging its bets. (On a lighter note maybe we can start a red-ring of death meme).
Microsoft does ship a huge number of XBox, I think around 60+ million last year, but it's not really a cutting edge device since the console market is relatively sluggish when it comes to change. The Kinect is much more interesting from a technical standpoint.
I think based on the dreck that the OEMs have been delivering for the last 8-10 years, it's not surprising that Microsoft felt it had to jump into the hardware business directly.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#317Earlier quoted context omitted.
"Screwing around with iTunes"? You've either both not worked in any large companies lately AND never really used an iPad, or you are just blinded by platform bias. The fact is that iPads are being massively adopted in Fortune 500 companies. And I can assure you that those users are not "screwing around with iTunes". In fact, iTunes doesn't even exist on the iPad, so you don't really know what you are talking about, a…
There are iTunes and App store apps on my iOS devices which can't be removed.
What does the presence of iTunes have to do with the ridiculous suggestion that you can only "screw around with iTunes" on an iPad? The logic of your and greedo's replies boggles.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#318They have a video on the main page. The video is a minute long. They have asked for my attention for a minute. In that minute, they have not told me anything about what the Surface can do for me, and why I should care about it. I'm absolutely baffled by that. Yes, I might know what it is, and have some idea about what it can do, but if this was a television commercial, I'd bet money that such a campaign would be a qu…
Successful companies have learned that a (shockingly) large proportion of consumers form impressions and make decisions on a primarily emotional , rather than rational or practical, basis. That's what this video is designed for. It inaugurates the brand, piques the viewer's interest, and plants the seeds of desire. Trust me, there will be plenty of time in the coming months for in-depth product reviews, spec comparis…
Really, you think that the video succeeds on that level?
I think there's about 10s worth of content there.
Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#319Earlier quoted context omitted.
On the other hand, nearly ever doctor or professional I've seen using a tablet was using a Thinkpad with a pen rather than an iPad with their finger. Screwing around with iTunes and doing work are two completely separate use cases, and it seems that Microsoft is more interested in "the Enterprise" than Apple is. So with that in mind, they're trying to accommodate all use cases. (I did have one doctor that insisted on…
"Screwing around with iTunes"? You've either both not worked in any large companies lately AND never really used an iPad, or you are just blinded by platform bias. The fact is that iPads are being massively adopted in Fortune 500 companies. And I can assure you that those users are not "screwing around with iTunes". In fact, iTunes doesn't even exist on the iPad, so you don't really know what you are talking about, a…
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Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet
#320Earlier quoted context omitted.
What I got was mercury, dust/particulates, fractured minerals, and the sense of invasive magnetic fields. I think they were going for power and ... something. Instead I get toxicity, contamination, brittleness.
You're right. Where Apple tends to emphasize family, connectedness, ease of use, utility, and general happiness, Microsoft has chosen to emphasize technology in a harsh, dominant manner that reminds me of the Borg.
Microsoft's traditional core market has been the enterprise, to which Borg Marketing is perfectly suited.