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Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

microsoft.com

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Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#131
post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Haven't you tried XBox, Kinect, Office, Visual Studio?

A lot of people praise VS - I just don't see it. It's so bloated, so slow, and so ugly. It takes 60 seconds to open on my high quality workstation and it crashes if you click the mouse when you're not supposed to. Not my cup of tea.

If that is actually true, then you do not have a high quality workstation.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#133

I'm actually a Windows user (although I own an iPad), but you have to be a bit humored by all this. As usual where Apple has used a feather Microsoft have used the whole chicken with keyboards, screws, different versions, the whole enchilada. I'm only surprised there's no stickers. "ClearType display"? really, you felt you had to brand it just to compete with "Retina display". Despite all this the tablet might actual…

ClearType has been around for a very long time. It's basically subpixel-rendering that improves the visual quality of text (sort of effectively tripling the LCD resolution). Last I checked, Microsoft had patented the hell out of it (and I last checked a few years ago). I think they're right about touting a technology that effectively triples text-display resolution. And for your other observation about the whole ench…

Very true, big companies are usually as good as their despot. At least when it comes to taking risks and "saying no". Apple could go all-in because Jobs had the clout to give marching orders to the whole company. Microsoft has Ballmer, who is more of a salesman/business guy and probably with less clout (perhaps fortunately)

I too have a bit of worry for Apple now that Jobs is gone. Ive has taste and seems to have gotten some power to go with it. However, the next time it is time to go from evolution to revolution they won't have Jobs to kick them there.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#134
post #83

So they're not just going after the iPad, they're also going after the MacBook Air: The Intel version + Touch Cover was repeatedly shown with the regular desktop and apps on it, and generally spun as a sort of light laptop. Ambitious, and finally makes sense of their Metro/desktop combo OS strategy to a degree. The hardware to go along with it was a missing puzzle piece, and I guess shows just how important it can be…

It strikes me as an entirely natural development and something that will appeal to many consumers.

I get the feeling Apple have always wanted iPad to be an extra - an extension to the desktop experience. But the divisions between phone, tablet, "ultralight laptop" and "main laptop" are arbitrary and increasingly opaque. Many people are starting to see tablets and real possible replacements: for light users, it handles 90% of their computer usage (internet browser, video and photo viewing). Even for "serious" computer users, tablets offer many advantages. They are quiet, keep cool, look good, super portable, and last a long time. People seem quite content with the lower processing power if they afforded these big pluses.

This Surface with integrated keyboard and support for regular win 8 apps could take it the extra 10% for a lot of people.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#135
post #21

Is there some visual distortion going on or is that tablet really thick? Reminds me of the newton. http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/publishingimag...

It's .2mm thinner than the iPad.

Only if you don't count all the important bits they've crammed into the "cover" (e.g., the accelerometer).

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#138
post #7

They 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.

Re: Microsoft Introduces New "Surface" Tablet

#139
post #94

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…

On the about page: http://www.microsoft.com/global/surface/en/us/renderingasset...

Ha ha - on that sheet, the cover is listed as a "VaporMg Case".

Well, at least they're honest...

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