Microsoft Surface First Reactions
Microsoft took a page out of Apple’s marking book and invited the tech press to a announcement event, with no indication on what would be announced.
What was announced was Microsoft Surface, a tablet made by Microsoft and which will run two different versions of the upcoming Windows 8 platform.
This is my initial thoughts on the product in the few hours since the announcement.
Microsoft decided to design the Surface in-house instead of having other manufactures make hardware for it’s software. This is again a page out of Apple’s book and allows for them to allow greater integration both hardware and software is controlled by the same company.
It’s a 10.6 inch 16:9 HD display which is slightly larger then the current iPad. It also includes a USB 2 or 3 port, bluetooth and HDMI ports.
The item I found most interesting was the two different screen covers which both include a built in keyboard and trackpad. They connect to the Surface using bluetooth and have an accelerometer in them to aid in battery life.
With the usb and video ports, one could plug a keyboard/mouse/monitor into the unit and have a perfectly acceptable workstations for most general uses.
Some initial concerns relate to the two very different models, myself and several others have already commented that this may confuse the market. Apple by aiming towards the consumer side has captured a vast slice of that market and in many ways driven the BYOD (Bring Your Own Device) trend in some corporate environments. As twitter colleague Mike Battista tweeted, perhaps the Pro tablet is aimed at the corporate market, with the RT going for the consumer side.
All of this continues what myself and many others are saying, computers are getting smaller and moving away from the desktop, most people don’t care about the inside specs or performance numbers. They just want something that works. Depending on how seamless the experience is with the Surface it will be interesting to see if Microsoft can have something notable here.
Here the raw specs courtesy of Engadget.
Windows RT tablet
- Processor: NVIDIA Tegra-based ARM chip
- Weight: 676 grams
- Thickness: 9.3 millimeters
- Display: 10.6-inch ClearType HD capactive touchpanel
- Battery: 31.5Wh
- I/O: microSD, USB 2.0, Micro HD Video, 2×2 MIMO antennae
- Software: Windows RT + Office Home & Student 2013 RT
- Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand
- Capacity: 32GB / 64GB
- Availability: “Around” the Windows 8 launch (fall 2012)
- Pricing: To be determined
Windows 8 Pro tablet
- Processor: Intel Core i5 (Ivy Bridge)
- Weight: 903 grams
- Thickness: 13.5 millimeters
- Display: 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD (1080p) capactive touchpanel
- Battery: 42Wh
- I/O: microSDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort, 2×2 MIMO antennae
- Software: Windows 8 Pro
- Accessories: Touch Cover, Type Cover, VaporMg Case & Stand, Pen with Palm Block
- Capacity: 64GB / 128GB
- Availability: “Three months after” the Windows 8 launch this fall
- Pricing: To be determined
Question: What are your first impressions of Microsoft’s new Surface Tablet?
Great first take on Microsoft’s new babies! I’m impressed with the hardware execution, as well as Microsoft’s fundamental decision to go it alone and build its own hardware. It puts it in direct competition with its hardware vendor-partners, but I’m guessing MS sees this as a necessary part of shifting its focus. And survival, frankly.
I’m most concerned about the dual-channel approach. If iPad can survive and thrive with essentially one offering that covers all bases, I’m not sure why Microsoft thinks a confusing two-tiered, differently-compatible lineup is necessarily better. It isn’t.
Thanks for your comments Carmi, I agree with your concerns about confusing the market. It will be interesting to watch as this evolves.