Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
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Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
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Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#2Surface Pro with 512gb of space and 8gb ram, if I decide to move country again next year I'm replacing my desktop with a Surface.
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#3Was it the device itself that caused such poor sales? I assumed all along it was a marketing/image problem which remains unsolved. Has relentlessness by a company ever overcome this issue in the past?
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#4Was it the device itself that caused such poor sales? I assumed all along it was a marketing/image problem which remains unsolved. Has relentlessness by a company ever overcome this issue in the past?
For the RT, it's marketing (which was lame), confusion (it says it's Windows but it won't run any actual Windows apps), and a lack of any compelling apps. It's Microsoft trying to use their dominance in Windows to extend to the tablet. That's why we're all forced to use the half-assed Start Tiles on the desktop when running Windows 8, so they can put 'Modern' apps (which suck on a desktop) front and center.
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#5Was it the device itself that caused such poor sales? I assumed all along it was a marketing/image problem which remains unsolved. Has relentlessness by a company ever overcome this issue in the past?
Exhibit A: Xbox vs. Xbox 360.
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#6I like keeping the price of RT down, and giving a middle option between it and Pro.
I'm interested in Haswell reviews, including the power/heat levels.
I just can't justify $900 when I could get an Ultrabook with more power for a little more. I guess that is just the price you pay for form factor.
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#7Surface Pro with 512gb of space and 8gb ram, if I decide to move country again next year I'm replacing my desktop with a Surface.
I'm a college student studying engineering. I can say that replacing my laptop with my Surface Pro has been amazing. I'm virtually 100% paperless, with all my notes being taken with OneNote (seriously amazing!) and textbooks saved as PDFs. It's also awesome that the Pro has enough power for me to do real dev work on it. So make the switch! You won't be disappointed!
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#8Was it the device itself that caused such poor sales? I assumed all along it was a marketing/image problem which remains unsolved. Has relentlessness by a company ever overcome this issue in the past?
I think it was the device. If you read the reviews (or better yet, used one) you'll see that it suffered from severe performance issues. That seems to have been resolved in the new one (the demos on stage looked convincing, but you have to take that with a grain of salt).
The marketing/image problem was to be expected considering it was a new product entering a slightly fermented market. It was always going to take time to build a brand.
(full discloser: Windows Phone employee)
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#9Most of the issues that I had with Surface Pro seems to have been resolved by this update:
- Gets pretty hot - new haswell processors seem to be doing better - Short battery life of 5 hrs - 75% improvement brings it to around 8-9 hrs, which is a typical work day and that's a great improvement
Overall Surface Pro hardware has always been top class, and I think this version might be the one to buy.
Re: Microsoft’s Hardware, Round 2: Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2
#10Was it the device itself that caused such poor sales? I assumed all along it was a marketing/image problem which remains unsolved. Has relentlessness by a company ever overcome this issue in the past?
It was the Surface RT that did so poorly. $900M writeoff that forced out Ballmer. Which is why I'm so surprised that they're attempting to do it again, with the Surface 2.
People familiar with Windows want a cheap way to take their desktop with them. That's the primary audience, and introducing an ARM-based tablet that CAN'T run their desktop apps, is killing them. I would have gotten rid of the ARM one entirely (at least until there's a big enough native app economy for it), and found ways to bring down the cost of the Pro, and just sell that one.
That said, the smart covers are pretty innovative. Being able to switch between a keyboard one, an extra battery one, and that amazing looking music production, is a stand-out feature. Something that Microsoft needs desperately.