I think they priced themselves out of the market.
What market, though? This isn't an iPad, it's a full machine. Agree that they're not doing a great job of communicating that, though. Calling them both Surface may have been a bad move.
Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
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Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#12Too expensive
You mean, as opposed to a MacBook air at 999 to 1199? This is a full-fledged laptop running the full version of Windows.
No one is going to pay Mac hardware prices for a piece of Windows hardware, at least not out of the gate.
Unless the device is amazing, it's just too much.
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#13It's competing with laptops, not tablets. If the price didn't kill it vs. tablets, the thickness and fans would. Terrible choice against the iPad, but potentially the right one vs. a MacBook Air.
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#14Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#15I think they priced themselves out of the market.
What market, though? This isn't an iPad, it's a full machine. Agree that they're not doing a great job of communicating that, though. Calling them both Surface may have been a bad move.
But people are going to compare it to an iPad or other Windows notebooks (in the ~600 range) rather than an ultrabook, I think.
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#16Man this thing is cool, I want it just for the digitizer and the resolution.
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#17[deleted]
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#18With an active digitizer and the ability to run full apps, this looks like the perfect photography/graphic work portable workstation, that you can then dock at your desk at home. Extremely interested in it for that alone.
But I might wait a round or two, or look for similar 3rd party convertible things... At $1000, currently, it would need to be something that could do everything I wanted when traveling, and I'm skeptical that the in-lap keyboard experience on one of these will be good enough to make it a true laptop replacement for me. Typing in an airport, for instance (or just a recliner, or bed, or wherever)... I want it to be able to sit in my lap.
A cheaper Surface Pro in the future will appeal just for the portable photography workstation aspect. A laptop-based 3rd-party alternative with as good a digitizer, at about the same price, would appeal as my next laptop. Not sure this version 1 hits what I want, though.
Re: Surface with Windows 8 Pro – Pricing
#19Classic Microsoft rear-guard move to protect margins for Intel and their hardware chain (and consequently trying to prop up their desktop OS appeal as well) by trying to "tablet-ify" their existing offerings. Expect a bunch of Surface clones (MS approved) to hit the market soon afterwards.
This strategy won't work. Many folks who would buy a Win8 Pro surface are likely going to just buy an ultrabook or netbook + iPad/Nexus/Fire instead.
Microsoft shouldn't even be competing against Apple. They should be deathly afraid of Android. Apple doesn't want to turn iOS into a desktop-like experience, however a Asus Transformer did Surface before Microsoft did.