Microsoft Surface Tablet

[ShareShiz]

Microsoft Surface Tablet

Microsoft's event today was certainly surprising, and the devices they showed off were incredible. Now, you can see the Microsoft Surface tablet close up, complete with dubstep and fast-cutting shots.



[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo[/ame]

The Surface tablet is one of the biggest announcements made by the company in history and marks them leaping into a whole new industry that they've never attempted to get into before. OEM's could be upset about the move, or they could embrace it and take it as a challenge to create better devices.

Surfaces. Turns out, the plural form of Microsoft's new tablet range rolls off of the tongue with ease, but understanding the differences between the first two models may not be quite as easy -- particularly for the everyman, or folks intimately familiar with Microsoft's other Surface. Two editions -- Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 Pro -- were unveiled today in Los Angeles, and while the exterior of each one looks nearly identical, the innards expose major differences in architecture. Let's break it all down after the break, shall we?

Surface for 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, 2x2 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

Surface for 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, 2x2 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

So, what's the story? Well, for one, Microsoft's playing coy when it comes to both CPU speed and available memory. Not unlike Apple and its iPad, actually. We're guessing that the company will try to push the user experience instead of focusing on pure specifications, and it's frankly about time the industry started moving in that direction. Pure hardware attributes only get you so far, and judging by the amount of integration time that went into this project, Microsoft would be doing itself a huge disservice to launch anything even close to not smooth-as-butter.

It's worth pointing out that the ARM-based WinRT (psst -- you can catch up on what exactly Windows RT is here) model is both thinner and lighter than the version with Windows 8 Pro. Moreover, the battery is sized up in the latter, presumably to handle the higher power drain of the 1080p panel and the Core i5 processor. Strangely, microSDXC and USB 3.0 are only supported on the Win8 Pro model; we're guessing it's either a platform limitation, or just run-of-the-mill cost cutting. That said, bundling Office with the WinRT edition is apt to make Win8 Pro buyers salty; why not include it with the slate that'll be priced like a laptop (i.e. well north of what a lot of buyers will be willing to pay)? While we're comparing and contrasting, it's also vital to note that the WinRT variant won't ship with a 1080p panel; Microsoft didn't get specific on screen resolution, but a paltry 1366 x 768 is going to look mighty pixelated sitting next to a 1080p Win8 Pro sibling, a Retina-equipped iPad and ASUS' 1080p Zenbook / Transformer lines.

Those looking for a complete Windows experience in the form of a tablet will obviously need to pony up for the Windows 8 Pro model; those content with new, Metro-style apps engineered for Windows on ARM will likely save a few bucks by selecting that Surface. The real issue here is the murkiness when it comes to pricing. Microsoft is shying away from specifics, only saying that "pricing for Surface for Windows RT will be on par with other Windows RT tablets," and "pricing for Surface for Windows 8 Pro will be on par with Ultrabook-grade laptops." Unlike Apple, Amazon and Barnes & Noble, Microsoft is in a tricky situation; it can only do so much on its own before it ticks off those all-important OEMs that'll also be making Windows-based slates in the near future, and undercutting those guys on pricing won't go over well in terms of business relationships.

In fact, we'll be eagerly awaiting reactions from the likes of ASUS, Acer, HP, Toshiba, Dell and the rest of the lot -- Microsoft just made itself a rival in a lot of ways, and only time will tell how prudent that decision was. It's also bizarre that Microsoft isn't opening up pre-orders on these right away. As we've seen with Palm, announcing a hugely hyped product with no concrete launch path and no way to get dollars funneled in with pre-orders doesn't typically turn out well -- or, as well as it could have. It's also downright worrisome that no battery life figures were bandied about. Windows-based tablets of the past have always fallen short due to simply running out of gas in three to four hours, and today's tablet expectations are far different than even a few years ago. Is it possible for a Windows 8 Pro tablet to last 6+ hours on a single charge? Only time will tell, but we sure wish MS would've provided some sort of idea from the get-go.

ShareShiz Reviewed by ShareShiz on 19th Jun 2012. Microsoft Surface Tablet Microsoft Surface Tablet Microsoft's event today was certainly surprising, and the devices they showed off were incredible. Now, you can see the Microsoft Surface tablet close up, complete with dubstep and fast-cutting shots. http://i.imgur.com/9m8k3.jpg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo The Surface tablet is one of the biggest announcements made by the company in history and marks them leaping into a whole new industry that they've never attempted to get into before. OEM's Rating: 5

[Qoo]

Saw this a few hours ago. It's just plain sexy!

[ShareShiz]

This will probably be a "must have" on everyones Christmas list this year.

Im defiantly gonna grab one. Screw waiting for the Nexus tablet when this one looks so much more badass.

Also. One of the BEST commercials I've seen in years. I'd like to know who all put it together, and who did the dubstep.

[Xerosis]

They are testing waters. They are essentially competing with themselves. It's like how Apple kills off mac sales with iPads.
We might finally see a day when Linux is installed as a default platform.

[Mr Happy]

One of the most impressive things ever released by Microsoft. I watched it live last night and was blown away. Not only because it's a great product but because nobody knew anything about it. Just 5 hours before the presentation the Media only knew what City the event was in, but no venue and then half way through the presentation when they were talking about Windows 8 people still didn't know what was being launched. When the iPhone 5 will be released this fall we'll know all the specs; metal case, A6 processor, larger screen, iOS 6, LTE, NFC, etc. The fact Microsoft keept this so quiet is impressive from the start.

As for the device it's very masculine and very business looking which is emphasized as it comes with Office pre installed. That's not exactly a bad thing though as for an. My worry is the price. I can't see the pro version going for less than $1000 which is a big figure.

As for that (copy and paste) article saying Microsoft should have opened pre-orders to make money like Palm, it's just stupid. Microsoft aren't cash strapped like Palm were and accepting orders would put pressure on a launch date as well as pricing which is pressure they don't need. What they are doing is great and instead of pissing off it's OEM's like the above article suggests they are instead encouraging and putting pressure on them by giving them loads of advanced notice of this "Surface" launch. Remember this isn't coming for another few months unlike say an iPad which ships 2-3 weeks after it's announced. When Google released the Nexus it didn't piss off OEM's so why should Microsoft.

It's looks like a great product (although time will tell) and I'm very impressed by a company who I though it's best days were behind it.

[jayfella]

As a windows fan boy, and the owner of an android tablet, I cant fucking wait.

We have two ipads, an iphone and an ipod in my house. I decided then to go for an android (Asus ePad), since we were full of apple already. Flash support is a nightmare on android. iPlayer, 4OD, demand5, any of these services are fucking awful on it. I try to love it, but every time it crashes, a little piece of me wants to punch it.

SO. Bring on Microsoft. Everybody knows Windows, there are a million and one alternatives for pretty much any app, etc, etc..

Yay!

[Suhel]

I wonder how much they paid for the domain
anyways it looks good

[LEVAC109]

I wonder how much they paid for the domain
anyways it looks good

$9.95/year

[ipowerz]

nice one, i wish i could have!