Surface |OT|

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Release dates + ordering

Surface with Windows RT

Surface with Windows 8 Pro


Pricing

Surface with Windows RT
  • 32GB without Type Cover: USD$499 · GBP£399 · AUD$559 · CAD$519
  • 32GB with Type Cover: USD$599 · GBP£479 · AUD$679 · CAD$619
  • 64GB with Type Cover: USD$699 · GBP£559 · AUD$789 · CAD$719

Surface with Windows 8 Pro
  • 32GB without Type Cover: USD$899
  • 64GB without Type Cover: USD$999


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Introduction to Surface
Making of



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The Surface comes preloaded with one of two versions of Windows: Windows RT - designed to run on ARM processors - or Windows 8 Pro. Both of these include the new 'Metro' interface, a new user experience focused upon apps installed from the Windows Store designed to function using both touch and traditional inputs such as mice and keyboards. Windows RT is different from Windows 8 in that it can't install traditional desktop apps, only Metro apps sourced from the Store.

The new Windows also brings further unification between other Microsoft products such as the Xbox and Windows Phone. Here's the thread dedicated to Windows 8 and RT (for more information, etc).

Pre-installed on every Surface is a helping of Metro-style apps from Microsoft, including:
  • Store
  • Mail, People, Calendar, and Messaging
  • Internet Explorer 10
  • Skydrive
  • Xbox Music
  • Xbox Video
  • Games hub
  • Bing Finance, Weather, Sports and News

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A full version of Office 2013 is installed on every device with Windows RT (including the Surface with Windows RT!).

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The two covers available for the Surface - the Touch Cover and Type Cover - are IMO some of the coolest accessories available for any tablet. The Touch Cover is 3.25mm thick and attaches to the bottom of the tablet via a magnetic strip (similar to the iPad's Smart Cover), and when folded out it functions as a pressure-sensitive keyboard, complete with a trackpad.

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The Type Cover is slightly thicker at 6mm, but has the advantage of physical keys and touchpad buttons.

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  • The Verge · 7/10
    GOOD STUFF
    Ambitious new software
    Solidly made, handsome hardware
    Full Office suite with no compromise
    Excellent battery life

    BAD STUFF
    Performance is hit or miss
    Weak ecosystem
    Buggy software
    Doesn't live up to hybrid promise
    Click to expand...
  • Engadget
    The Microsoft Surface with Windows RT's $499 starting MSRP means those thinking about making the investment here will be carefully cross-shopping against same-priced offerings from Apple, ASUS and others. Where does this one rate? Very well -- but very differently. While those devices are primarily targeted at content-hungry consumers, the Surface is a slate upon which you can get some serious work done, and do so comfortably. You can't always say that of the competition.

    It's in the other half of the equation, that of the content consumption and entertainment, where the Surface is currently lacking. It needs a bigger pile of apps and games to make up for that and, while we're sure they're coming, we don't know when. If those apps arrive soon, then early adopters will feel vindicated. If, however, the Windows RT market is slow to mature, not truly getting hot for another six months or so, holding off will prove to have been the smarter option.

    So, if gaming and music and movies and reading are what you're looking to enjoy, then we might advise sitting this one out for a few months just to make sure that all your bases will indeed be covered. If, however, you're looking for an impeccably engineered tablet upon which you can do some serious work, a device that doesn't look, feel or act like a toy, then you should get yourself a Surface with Windows RT.
    Click to expand...
  • AnandTech
    Surface is the most flexible tablet I've ever used. Through two seemingly simple additions to the design (but incredibly complex to actually develop and implement), Microsoft took a tablet and turned it into something much more. If you're frustrated by productivity limits of currently available tablets, Surface really seems to be the right formula for a solution. It's important to note that Microsoft's execution with Surface establishes the company as a competitive powerhouse in the mobile design market. I can only imagine what multiple revs of the design will give us, not to mention what could happen if Microsoft set its obsessive sights on smartphones or notebooks.

    The Windows RT experience, in many senses, is clearly ahead of what many competitors offer in the tablet space today. Multitasking, task switching and the ability to have multiple applications active on the screen at once are all big advantages that Microsoft enjoys. For productivity workloads, Surface is without equal in the tablet space.

    Content consumption is also great on the device. Surface's display isn't industry leading but it's still good. Reading emails, browsing the web flipping through photos and watching videos are all good fits for the platform - just as good as competing solutions from Apple or Google.

    The biggest issue I have with recommending Surface is that you know the next iteration of the device is likely going to be appreciably better, with faster/more efficient hardware and perhaps even a better chassis.

    If you're ok being an early adopter, and ok dealing with the fact that mobile devices are still being significantly revved every year, Surface is worth your consideration. If you've wanted a tablet that could really bridge the content consumption and productivity device, Surface is it.
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  • Gizmodo · 2.5/5 (!)
    Should you buy it?
    No. The Surface, with an obligatory Touch Cover, is $600. That's a lot of money. Especially given that it's no laptop replacement, no matter how it looks or what Microsoft says. It's a tablet-plus, priced right alongside the iPad and in most ways inferior.

    That could change. Maybe there will be a new Touch Cover that retains the original's terrific physical qualities while actually allowing good typing. Maybe the quasi-vaporware Surface Pro, which eschews Windows RT in favor of the real-deal Win 8, will make all the difference, opening itself up to the open seas of PC software (for several hundred dollars more). Maybe the app store will look different in a month, or a year, and have anything to offer. Maybe. But remember that Windows Phone—which has swelled from mere hundreds, to tens of thousands, to over a hundred thousand app offerings over the past two years—is still a wasteland compared to iOS and Android. Poor precedent. Maybe Windows RT will be different. Maybe.

    But those maybes aren't worth putting money on. As much as it looked (and even felt) like it for a bit, the future isn't here quite yet.
    Click to expand...
  • ABC News
    The Surface isn't a laptop as the TSA agent thought, but it isn't a tablet either. It's a whole new category of computer, one of many coming out with Windows 8 this week. It has the potential to change how we use our devices – to be a tablet to lean back with on the couch and a full computer when you click in the keyboard.

    But only part of its potential is fully realized at this point, and that's the hardware -- ironic for Microsoft, a software company. Windows RT is new and it shows; there are still performance kinks and the disappointing app selection limits the tablet in its functionality, despite its full version of Microsoft Office. Other full Windows 8 tablets and computers, like Acer's W510 and even the Surface Pro coming in January, are more appealing at this point because of their full Windows 8 software.

    The Surface is full of potential, but until its software performance and apps are as strong as its hardware, I, unfortunately, will still drag both a laptop and an iPad through security.
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  • Slashgear
    The Surface team has cribbed some of Apple’s notorious attention to detail and applied it with its own spin, and the result is a well-constructed slate with legitimately useful design elements like the kickstand. You could argue that the focus on the Touch Cover and Type Cover are Microsoft proving reluctant to let go of physical keyboards, but using Surface without them is undoubtedly practical and their convenience (and the fact that Office is preloaded, albeit in preview form) means you get the best of both worlds.

    Windows RT will undoubtedly prove the sticking point. That it comes late to the tablet game and thus with fewer apps than competing platforms is a given. That there are some for whom Windows itself is anathema is no surprise. However, the poorly-explained – and not easy to ascertain at first glance – differences in abilities between RT and Windows 8 will need time to bed down before Surface finds its niche. That will happen, but with headaches along the way, and it may not be until Surface Pro arrives with its higher-resolution screen and digital pen that Microsoft’s tablet gets the respect it deserves.
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  • ArsTechnica
    The Good
    Top notch build quality
    Touch Cover really does work
    Type Cover is a good solution for high volume text entry
    Clear, bright screen with good viewing angles
    First-rate Wi-Fi reliability

    The Bad
    Touch Cover and Type Cover alike have poor touchpads
    No NFC, no GPS, no 3G or 4G
    There's no escaping that 1366×768 is a low resolution
    $499 unit lacks the all-important Touch Cover
    For $599, the Asus VivoTab RT gives you a package that's more versatile and better connected

    The Ugly
    Windows RT is a gamble at this point in time
    Click to expand...
  • ZDNet
    For a first-generation product, the Surface with Windows RT is astonishingly polished. It’s not a replacement for a full-strength PC, but as a companion device that offers light weight, excellent entertainment options, and the ability to use full-featured Office apps, it’s irresistible.

    I also expect the ecosystem around the Surface, notably productivity apps, to improve by leaps and bounds in the next year or so. This is a product that will get better with age.

    Enthusiastically recommended.
    Click to expand...

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MS is probably not really expecting this launch to be as successful as Win 7. This is the gigantic ocean liner breaking ice to steer in a new direction. I don't think they will lose a lot of money but their hardware partners probably will. This is reflecting a change in the consumer IT industry.
I'm moderately interested in the Pro's launching later. Depends on how much a monthly nut will be for any essential subscriptions.
MS really loved how XB Live brought in the cash in the last 7 years. Office may approach that success but I don't see how Xbox music or other MS services will make much cash.
 
verbum said:
MS is probably not really expecting this launch to be as successful as Win 7. This is the gigantic ocean liner breaking ice to steer in a new direction. I don't think they will lose a lot of money but their hardware partners probably will. This is reflecting a change in the consumer IT industry.
I'm moderately interested in the Pro's launching later. Depends on how much a monthly nut will be for any essential subscriptions.
MS really loved how XB Live brought in the cash in the last 7 years. Office may approach that success but I don't see how Xbox music or other MS services will make much cash.
Click to expand...

the unified UI at least has a chance to provide a meaningful alternative to ipad, where android instead provided a bunch of customised front ends and a relatively old OS at the time.

But it will take time to gain traction. I do like the widgety/glancable view. How does it handle apps compared to windows phone? Giant long annoying list, or folders/pages of icons? that area could do with improving over WP IMO

How on earth do they do that type cover? does it make a physical connection in the hinge, or does it have some kind of superthin bluetooth circuitry in it? I'd love one for the ipad (although I'm usually typing on my lap)
 
Is probably not even going to release in my country. Neither is Nexus 7. When you can only deliver to the few big countries, you are making sure that it will never be as big as iPad.
 
RT is probably gonna fail. I'd want a pro if they release one that can handle new games tho
 
I love tablets, and will gladly give MS a shot with this. Maybe it'll even get me to give up the ipad.

I didn't expect MS to have a compelling tablet after their last few products have been duds really.
 
mrklaw said:
But it will take time to gain traction. I do like the widgety/glancable view. How does it handle apps compared to windows phone? Giant long annoying list, or folders/pages of icons? that area could do with improving over WP IMO
Click to expand...

Still no folders, but you can group applications of the start screen. The app list is something akin to the 'tiles' view in the Windows 7 explorer.

mrklaw said:
How on earth do they do that type cover? does it make a physical connection in the hinge, or does it have some kind of superthin bluetooth circuitry in it? I'd love one for the ipad (although I'm usually typing on my lap)
Click to expand...

Physical connection. I'd love to know how they get it to align properly, though.
 
Subbed.

I'm tempted, but will wait for reviews. Also: "32 GB without Black Touch Cover - Temporarily sold out" (Australia)

Kinda want a coloured cover and that option isn't available unless I get a black cover and a coloured cover, which isn't gonna happen.
 
Free Office or the ability to download any program?

If you want a proper laptop I would go with the pro version. If you just want a tablet then the RT with Office will probably be good enough.

I'm interested. Might sell my Air for a hybrid or interchangeable Windows 8 laptop/tablet. We'll see how the reviews go.
 
Totakeke said:
Predictions for reviews?
Click to expand...

- "It's Windows"
- "I don't understand why the desktop is there - I don't want to manage my files"
- "Who needs full Microsoft Office when I have Google docs?"
- "Doesn't run iTunes"
- "There are only 5,000 apps on day 1"
- "Screen resolution is too low, it's like living in Mario Land (the 1st one)"
- "Has internet explorer and I can't change the default browser"
- "Xbox music pass is too expensive, when iTunes match is only $25 a year"

7.4

I went a bit overboard.



hwalker84 said:
awesome job. Can't wait for reviews.
Click to expand...

Today at some point apparently.
 
Really like the keyboard cover, especially given it even includes a trackpad - meaning Office will be actually usable on the move. With me travelling more in my new job role, I don't want to carry a full Windows laptop around. This might do nicely.

As I said in the other thread, my only concern with Surface is the lower-resolution screen, meaning it's probably not going to be as good as iPad 3 for browsing and magazine reading etc.

Definitely seems like this is far more geared up towards productivity though, rather than just content consumption. The keyboard cover also means gaming should be better - BUTTONS!!

It's the only real viable alternative to the iPad for me and I'm impatiently awaiting the reviews. In fact, the iPad's wall of icons looks awfully outdated after seeing RT.

CRD90 said:
I just read that the OS takes up 12GB. Yikes!
Click to expand...
No, that's the space taken for the OS + all the pre-installed apps (including Office), which you can delete to free up space. Also, unlike iPad, the memory is expandable via SD and it supports USB devices via the integral full sized USB port.
 
Wafflecakes said:
Same.

Looks like a good tablet but will probably go with a Nook tablet or Kindle fire. I really don't think MS can compete head to head with apple.
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I think Microsoft is trying to push the Surface as something more than just a tablet like the Kindle Fire, iPad, or Nexus, and in some ways it really is.
 
NotTarts said:
I think Microsoft is trying to push the Surface as something more than just a tablet like the Kindle Fire, iPad, or Nexus, and in some ways it really is.
Click to expand...

I have a hard time with the concept I suppose. For almost all tasks I would prefer either a standard tablet or a full PC. Not sure I am interested in a device that does both....but half as well. (hyperbole yes.....but you get my drift)
 
pswii60 said:
No, that's the space taken for the OS + all the pre-installed apps (including Office), which you can delete to free up space. Also, unlike iPad, the memory is expandable.
Click to expand...

While you can delete all the metro apps, I doubt they will let you uninstall Office.

Some of that space will also be the recovery files to refresh/reinstall Windows.
 
pswii60 said:
No, that's the space taken for the OS + all the pre-installed apps (including Office), which you can delete to free up space. Also, unlike iPad, the memory is expandable via SD and it supports USB devices via the integral full sized USB port.
Click to expand...

Still seems a lot for a mobile OS, and presumably you'd want to keep most of the pre-loaded apps. I did forget that there's a memory stick port you can use to cheaply add capacity, so that's not so bad.
 
Wafflecakes said:
I have a hard time with the concept I suppose. For almost all tasks I would prefer either a standard tablet or a full PC. Not sure I am interested in a device that does both....but half as well. (hyperbole yes.....but you get my drift)
Click to expand...

I can see what you mean. Personally I've moved away from desktops and almost use a tablet/laptop full-time so you can understand how something like the Surface appeals to me.
 
CRD90 said:
I just read that the OS takes up 12GB. Yikes!
Click to expand...

That also includes the full Office and things like printer drivers. Right now it might seem like a lot but in the long run it's not going to be an issue. The memory footprint of the OS will stay largely constant whereas memory prices are going down and capacities are going up.

If I were getting a Surface, I'd just take the 32 GB version and wouldn't worry about it. 20 GB is a lot of space for Windows 8 apps.
 
Nero3000 said:
- "It's Windows"
- "I don't understand why the desktop is there - I don't want to manage my files"
- "Who needs full Microsoft Office when I have Google docs?"
- "Doesn't run iTunes"
- "There are only 5,000 apps on day 1"
- "Screen resolution is too low, it's like living in Mario Land (the 1st one)"
- "Has internet explorer and I can't change the default browser"
- "Xbox music pass is too expensive, when iTunes match is only $25 a year"

7.4

I went a bit overboard.
Click to expand...

That would be a perfect summary of a review done by The Verge.
 
When the dust settles I think you will see that there is still room for OEMs because of lighter, smaller form factors being possible etc, Surface fits a strange niche in the middle of tablet and notebook...we will see if there is demand for that niche or not
 
I suppose 32GB might be fine for the RT since it's pretty much a tablet.

If you want the Pro and a proper desktop experience then 32GB is absolutely useless. Need a good 250GB HDD for a true laptop. Nothing less than 100GB will cut it.
 
Enco said:
I suppose 32GB might be fine for the RT since it's pretty much a tablet.

If you want the Pro and a proper desktop experience then 32GB is absolutely useless. Need a good 250GB HDD for a true laptop. Nothing less than 100GB will cut it.
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There is no 32GB version of the Pro anyway.
 
Think I'm gonna grab the Pro.

My wife can use the iPad 2, iPhone 4S and Mac Pro, I'll go the Lumia 920, Surface Pro and MacBook Pro.
 
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