Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet • Hacker News Board

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#551

Post by jussij » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:23 AM UTC

raganwald wrote: post #419

dorian-graph wrote: post #357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't pretend you're the world.

Ok, your argument is that this stuff works for the other 95% but it won’t appeal to us hackers. My question to you is, how does Apple make ads that appeal to the rest of the world and something like 75% of the hackers? When the iPhone first came out, there was no nonsense about the brand and emotion without substance. They made EVERYONE want one. Microsoft may have chosen not to appeal to us. But Apple has shown that…

> My question to you is, how does Apple make ads that appeal to the rest of the world and something like 75% of the hackers?

When it comes to successful marketing, companies like Apple literally manage to mess with your mind:

http://www.tuaw.com/2011/05/17/bbc-loving-apple-looks-like-a...

Here is the documentary about this topic. It is fascinating:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b011fjbp

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#552

Post by vl » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:27 AM UTC

NZ_Matt wrote: post #446

liamondrop wrote: post #210

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the correct play here is for Microsoft to start selling keyboard covers for the iPad.

The keyboard is useless without a kickstand.

Hm, I already see one of this annoying Kickstarter emails - "Projects we like: iPad case that is also stand and, ah, keyboard!"

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#553

Post by jiggy2011 » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:28 AM UTC

IanDrake wrote: post #231

balloot wrote: post #173

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So your client gave its its sales reps iPads when they needed laptops? :)

No, they had laptops. The problem that Microsoft will solve is that people want to have a low powered device that can be a laptop sometimes and a tablet other times.

The place where this could do well is people who want tablet computers but also need something that integrates nicely with active directory and the rest of the corporate Windows infrastructure.

The problem I have with all in one type devices is that they are competing with just buying one of each, at a time when hardware prices seem to be tumbling.

If your top sales guys ask for a tablet and a laptop maybe you just give them one of each, rather than worrying about whether you can save a couple of hundred $ with some all in one device that does neither especially well.

Also a lot of corporate workers do their work primarily using one or two bespoke corporate apps which may be either web apps or some .Net (or even VB6) app. In this case they want to roll out a lot of cheap devices but they may not really care about portability because they don't want the devices taken out of the building.

The other thing I wonder about is how good the paradigm of a keyboard plus a touchscreen really is without a mouse, especially considering how cheap a basic mouse is. One of the companies I do a lot of work for uses PCs that have touch screens in addition to mice, but in reality the touch screen is almost never used. I imagine this is mainly because the amount of arm movement required to move your right hand over to the mouse is significantly less than it is to raise it to a screen.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#554

Post by TazeTSchnitzel » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:34 AM UTC

photon137 wrote: post #549

TazeTSchnitzel wrote: post #518

Earlier quoted context omitted.

IIRC, they aren't letting devs use Win32 on WOA, only WinRT and .NET.

Yes, they're discouraging Win32 use overall (even in the x86/x64 space). But that does not mean you can't build native apps (ie non .NET) for WOA - you can use C/C++ out of the box. You are just bound to use MetroUI and WinRT as your primary APIs - both of which are native subsystems. Steven Sinofsky: http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2012/02/09/building-windo...

Yup, they let you use C++ I think... which is nice since MS have been putting work into C++11 lately.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#555

Post by nadam » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:35 AM UTC

Quite promising from someone who has bean dead* for at least 5 years. :)

* http://www.paulgraham.com/microsoft.html

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#556

Post by smashing » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:41 AM UTC

kjhughes wrote: post #76

After 5 minutes of scanning their site, I still cannot find the display resolution of their offering, but I have found: "Coming Soon." "Images are design renderings and not photographs." "1, 2 Actual size and weight of the device may vary due to configuration and manufacturing process" Anyone find a better spec sheet than this one? http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingasset... Why can't Microsoft pr…

Microsoft always leaves the specific details to the OEM, such as hard drive capacity, screen resolution, hardware components, etc. They may have an increasingly more advanced set within the "Minimum Specs Required", but nevertheless they only provide the licensed OS to the Hardware OEM.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#557

Post by rweir » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:45 AM UTC

Mythbusters wrote: post #483

jawngee wrote: post #402

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I use Siri constantly: - change playlists when when I'm working out or biking - set the alarm when I go to bed - reminders (a lot) - the weather - looking up something on wikipedia and imdb - and sending short sms messages I'd say my use has grown over the last few weeks as I'm biking a lot more. There was an initial trust issue, and I still sometimes have this weird feeling of being on the spot when I'm dictating to…

sample size of 1.

how much anecdata do you demand?

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#558

Post by rnadna » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 9:52 AM UTC

The keynote talk (http://cdn-smooth.ms-studiosmedia.com/news/mp4_mq/06182012_S...) is informative. At about minute 14, the demonstrator tries to show how IExplorer works on the tablet. It fails. He keeps clicking here and there to try to restart it, then he clues in that folks can see him doing this and he points it to his chest, card-player style. Then he sprints to the podium to get another machine. I felt for the poor guy.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#559

Post by Shivetya » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 10:03 AM UTC

One word : Fail.

They have gotten better at presentation, but they missed one key point of Apple presentations.

Apple has learned that "Ships Today" is as important as the technology being sold.

So who cares what it CAN do, its not available now. Its not even available tomorrow, its available soon. All they did was give Apple a bigger opportunity to undercut their buzz.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#560

Post by morsch » Tue, Jun 19, 2012, 10:08 AM UTC

jpadkins wrote: post #525

Mythbusters wrote: post #480

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What it will offer though is a full compatibility to existing windows application. People might be ready to lose a few hours of battery life for that.

what windows app exactly will people trade for few hours of battery life? seriously, other than PC games, I don't know a single windows app I want to run on a tablet form factor.

Maybe not, but they designed it so that it's a tablet/ultrabook hybrid. Do your research on the couch in tablet format, then move to the kitchen table to write it up in Microsoft Word. Read and write emails during a bathroom break, then create an insightful business presentation in Microsoft Powerpoint (don't forget to wash your hands)!