OS and Software > All Things Macintosh > [OT] iPad v. Surface

[OT] iPad v. Surface

Just scratching the Surface...

Hmm...magnetic cover--WOW!

I was following along the live feed too and I'm pretty up in the air about it so far. I think it's odd that Microsoft doesn't even know how to market it (no pricing, no specs, routinely called it a "PC" and then a "tablet" and then a "tablet PC"), but it is very much different than what others have been trying and I applaud them for trying something different. The keyboard cover is an interesting idea, but I hate the kickstand. From first glance, Android has nothing to compare to this - Asus and the rest of them should be very nervous about this. Apple, probably not so much at this point.

I can see business-type people/executives seeing the Intel version as something everybody should have (insert buzz word here), but I don't know if consumers will flock to the ARM version.

Apple keeps things simple. You have two choices - How much crap you want to store and do you want to download that crap without WiFi? As usual, MS has more choices, but I don't think consumers will understand all the differences so it'll turn into the usual confusing feature checklist comparison table.

Edit: I think another important point is how this will affect other Windows tablet makers. I know HP was interested in doing one. Will they all now reconsider being that Microsoft is rolling their own? I would...
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reply to BellBoy
ROFL! We were joking in the office earlier today that the announcement was a new ZunePad. Who knew! The only iPad killer in the future is another iteration of the iPad from Apple. Evaluating countless knockoffs of the iPad from companies who obviously didn't spend much on R&D (like Apple) gets old and tiring fast.
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reply to BellBoy
I'd just like to point out that one meaning of surface is "superficial," for those who think the only meaning of pad is "sanitary napkin."

reply to BellBoy

reply to Thinkdiff
100% agreement with you TD. I mean look at the RIM tablet--it's pretty much been put out to pasture.

If this doesn't deliver from the start AND at a lower price point than the iPad, it's DOA...IMO.
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"When the day comes that anyone can bend our country's laws and lawmakers to serve selfish, competitive ends, that day democratic government dies." -- Preston Tucker, June 1948

reply to BellBoy
After comparing so many different units, it became quite clear why Apple products are held in such high regard. I just wish they weren't so pricey. Competition is good and I really wish there was a cheaper reasonable alternative.
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reply to BellBoy
Anyone else notice that Google and now Microsoft are also trying to clone a Stevenote?

However it does have something that couldn't fit on an iPad... vents and a fan.
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reply to BellBoy

reply to BellBoy
Article on an interesting approach to the "table" market.

reply to Soho97UK

reply to BellBoy
Hmm.. As a windows user, this might be enough to move me from the Ipad, to a windows tablet.
You mac users have enjoyed the integration between all the Apple products. Now Windows users get a shot at it.
Do I see it as an Ipad kiler? Depends mainly on 3 things:
How well it integrates with my windows PC, the price, and ease of use.
Any word on if Microsoft will run a store?
Where they take 30% off the top of every program sold, and also sell ebooks, music, movies?
IMO, that is what has been the bread winner for Apple, the skimming off the top of app prices and offering media through Itunes.

*edit* Wasn't Surface the name of the Windows table?
**Edit2** Hmm, I wonder if the windows tablet will have a program/ability to bee used to control the Xbox 360?

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reply to BellBoy
I think it looks better than some crappy android tablet.

reply to BellBoy
Read a couple of articles that posted first reactions from technical writers around the world. Mostly glossed over fluff comments but it seems the best they could say about it was:

1) It looks pretty.
2) It comes with a USB 2.0 port (isn't 2.0 obsolete?)
3) It doesn't have 3G built in (or did I mis-read that?)
4) It has a keyboard that may be too flimsy for constant use.

Beyond that, I didn't read a thing that makes it stand out in any other way. Some may say having Word as an app is important but you don't need Word to use a tablet and there are plenty of other equivalents.

More funny is the lack of a ship date and pricing. THAT should make you highly suspicious. Microsoft is just dipping its toe in the water to see the reaction. Where is the commitment? What happens if, over the coming days, it gets raked over the coals? Will they pull it like the Kin?

reply to BellBoy
I thought it look pretty nice and I think it will be a big hit with the enterprise customer. I don't know why it has to be an iPad killer to be successful, and I don't think it will hurt Apple either. Isn't the tablet market big enough for more then one tablet?

Folks who want an iPad aren't going to give the Surface a second look. But Microsoft faithful who want a tablet now seem to have a choice, jump ship to an iPad or pick up a Surface.
The Pro version seem like it was made especially for the Enterprise customer while the RT should fit in nicely with the consumer market.

I thought Microsoft was smart to introduce their own tablet, now it raises the bar for their partners like Dell, HP, Lenovo. They are forced to produce something better or cheaper to be competitive in the Windows 8 tablet market.

Can't figure out that keyboard. Is it attached? If so, it makes using it away from a desktop somewhat cumbersome, no? If it's used at a desktop, wouldn't an ultrabook be better (albeit a bit more pricey).

reply to BellBoy
I think Microsoft has missed the boat just like all the Android tablets. It's not the hardware it's the infrastructure behind the device. Itunes may not be the best software around especially on windows but it makes using and consuming media on the Ipad so simple that even the grandmas and grandpas can use it.
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THE ROAD: Romans 3:23, 6:23, 5:8, 10:9