Microsoft Reveals Its iPad Rival: Surface

The tablet looks very good and as a mild at best fan of the iPad (I share a used iPad 2 with my girlfriend and basically use it for games when I'm treadmilling cause I hate the iOS experience), this looks like something I would potentially want to buy myself. As an IT guy at a place that uses a lot of specialised software, the Intel models excite me greatly as this is finally a tablet we could properly use at work, especially if it has a docking station.

I think the bungled this announcement though. No pricing, no release date and they should have had an army of big name app developers out there pledging their support to Windows 8 RT. I don't know why this had to be done now and why they couldn't have waited until the Fall where they could have pulled an Apple and gone "Here's the product, the price and by the way, it's in stores now." For all of Apple's faults, product announcements is something they do better than anyone and surely that formula can't be that hard to copy.

I wrote a little write-up of the announcement on my blog if anyone cares. I'm anxious for more details and hands-on.

That thing looks so fucking awesome. Seriously, it looks to be the tablet of my dreams. I'm glad I didn't go out and get some shitty old Android tablet because this thing will smoke the competition. And when I upgrade my WP7 to a WP8, and get the next Xbox, there will be interconnected goodness all around.

@KaosAngel said:

@SamFo said:

@KaosAngel said:

That shit going to flop.

No one is going to waste more money on a MS tablet than buy an iPad. Google tried it already and they still haven't made a dent.

Good luck with that, just like how Microsoft took out Apple and Google in the handset market!

I think this comment needs to be preserved for future laughs.

How's Windows Phone 7 doing with Google and Apple?

WP7 is on it's way to taking over iPhone in the largest cellular country in the world: China. So I'd say it's doing good. They love it out there. And it's a great phone. For a phone that has been out for only 1.5 years and in most regions it's in now, MUCH less time, it's doing good. It obviously won't be able to completely shatter an industry that has been built for years and years by Apple and Google, but it's slowly creeping. The Lumia's are one of the best phones, if not the best, I've ever used.

I'll buy it. I bought the stupid Zune HD (still works), so I'll buy the Surface. I just hope it isn't too expensive.

@MordeaniisChaos: Those same guys said the same thing 2 or 3 years ago but the year was 2014. They're analysts that seem to be spectating on the market and not really investigating any truth to it. It may happen but I wouldn't trust the words of people who change when it's going to happen as soon as the outcome doesn't fit their predictions. They're like doomsday people that think the world is going to end tomorrow but when the day goes by they then predict it to be the next day.

edit: referring to your first paragraph

@KaosAngel said:

@Demoskinos said:

Pretty much this.

Let me know when it makes a dent into Apple's market of selling over 500,000 tablets a day or close to Apple's 67 million iPads sold.

Defensive Apple fanboy much?

The concept of a tablet with a tactile keyboard on the cover is awesome, but I can't help seeing Microsoft flopping with this one just like they did with the Zune and their phone line.

And I really don't care about tablets.

@KaosAngel said:

@SamFo said:

@KaosAngel said:

That shit going to flop.

No one is going to waste more money on a MS tablet than buy an iPad. Google tried it already and they still haven't made a dent.

Good luck with that, just like how Microsoft took out Apple and Google in the handset market!

I think this comment needs to be preserved for future laughs.

How's Windows Phone 7 doing with Google and Apple?

Doing okay, actually. There's been a lot of growth in the Windows Phone market whereas Android has noticeably started stagnating. But hey, don't let a little thing like truth change your trolling!

I laughed at the buzzword spec sheet, what the fuck are they doing?

I wish the article actually had some useful links in it.

So I'm assuming unlike the original Microsoft Surface the tablet can't actually detect objects just points of touch like the iPad.

if its cheaper than a Ipad it wins

otherwise its a flop

I just don't care about tablets.

I can't wait to get my hands on one of these. Don't know what model, probably just the RT. Either way I see this year being a windows one for me. Too many great products coming out of Microsoft this year.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military.

What? We're the top percentage of the military. Are you honest to god a moron?

LOL. Its just a language institute for the ARMY, the top percentage are the ones on the front line, not arm chair soldiers.

Uh...I'm in the USAF and I'm Aircrew. I fly, you retard, which also means I do SERE training. My training is over 3 years, first year and half is at DLI and after that it's all Aircrew Special Operations.

It's unfortunate that a member of the USAF whom should be a respectable person argues on the internet with the mentality of a five year old.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

Never wanted a iPad but want this, USB!

iPad is just so boring, its just a big iPhone, I have a iPhone. This looks like a decent laptop replacement and a tablet all in one. I can see this owning the business tablet market, as it has a keyboard, MS Office and USB ports to upload data. Also Xbox controller support would be neat!

Totally this. Everything I do has USB. I carry a phone, camera, mp3 player and data stick that all have standard USB "removable-drive-with-no-specialized-drivers-required" interfaces. Pretty much everywhere I go. So do most of the people I know, even some of the diehard Apple apologists.

How great would it be if you could just hand somebody your USB stick and say "check out my latest song/picture/video on your tablet", or vice versa?

It seems to me that if you create content of any kind, or associate with people who do, an iPad just isn't really useful for getting any kind of sharing or collaborating done in person. This is actually the main reason I haven't bought one.

@RadixNegative2 said:

I want nothing to do with Window 8.

On PC hell no! Windows 7 will serve me fine for years.

On Tablets Yes! A full OS with the simple touch navigation sounds great, Diablo 3 would rock on this thing!

"The company could have knocked it out of the park with details on pricing and availability, but instead chose to punt that information down the line."

Patrick's sports metaphors have me picturing a bunch of football players running around the field with baseball bats.

@vinsanityv22 said:

Why the fuck does Microsoft do this all the time now? They develop the technology years ahead of competitors, and then sits on their asses. It never reaches consumer level until, like, 4 years after OTHER people have ripped them off. Idiots.

watching the other guys do it first is free research.

If the stylus in the Pro version is good I'm all in. I like my iPad, but I'll replace it in a heartbeat if the Win8 tablet delivers on that and on battery life.

@Dizzmotron: I've been using Windows 8 (release preview) on my PC without a touch interface at all since it was launched. I originally installed it thinking that I would switch back to Windows 7 when I needed to do something "Real", but in actuality I haven't had a reason to do that at all. I'm enjoying the experience greatly.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military.

What? We're the top percentage of the military. Are you honest to god a moron?

LOL. Its just a language institute for the ARMY, the top percentage are the ones on the front line, not arm chair soldiers.

Uh...I'm in the USAF and I'm Aircrew. I fly, you retard, which also means I do SERE training. My training is over 3 years, first year and half is at DLI and after that it's all Aircrew Special Operations.

Cool bro! You didn't say that in your first post, you just said you were at DLI, don't get so defensive!

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military.

What? We're the top percentage of the military. Are you honest to god a moron?

LOL. Its just a language institute for the ARMY, the top percentage are the ones on the front line, not arm chair soldiers.

Uh...I'm in the USAF and I'm Aircrew. I fly, you retard, which also means I do SERE training. My training is over 3 years, first year and half is at DLI and after that it's all Aircrew Special Operations.

I want nothing to do with Window 8.

I'm interested in the digitizer.. hope it's wacom or equivalent.. would die for 2000dpi and 1024 pressure levels.. but would be ok with sub1000dpi and 256 levels .. it's a huge plus on top of ipad anyway.

Who cares if MS makes money off it or not? If it's the best tablet on the market, I'll buy it. That's why I have a WP7 phone. MS loses money on it? Not my problem. You don't have one? Enjoy pretending your phone is better just because more people have one and it has more fart apps to choose from. When I pay for something, all I care about is my experience with it. I don't root for companies. Why do you?

@vinsanityv22 said:

What a dumb move. When will Microsoft figure out that following Apple is not the way to destroy them? Did they learn nothing from the Zune? The Microsoft Phones? Morons.

The thing that makes this extra disgusting is that Surface was some genuinely amazing tech in a previous life. Fucking TABLES that could display touch sensitive images - and this was years before shitty Apple-produced tablets began to emerge. Now, they're just re-purposing the name for something that's doomed to fail.

Why the fuck does Microsoft do this all the time now? They develop the technology years ahead of competitors, and then sits on their asses. It never reaches consumer level until, like, 4 years after OTHER people have ripped them off. Idiots.

WP7 is doing well enough for itself. There was someone saying that WP7 could pass iOS by 2016 in market share. They seem to be the only ones GAINING market share, so there is that. It's also a really good product, and very young. These markets can't be won over as quickly as when the original iPhone launched. That thing launched unopposed, essentially, by similar devices, and as a result it gained a lot of traction and loyalty very fast. WP7 is fighting an uphill battle, and especially when W8 comes along and you can make use of the synergy between the two, I get the feeling that OS is going to be awesome. It's certainly the OS I've liked the best of all mobile platforms I tried, and as someone making a new PC around the time that W8 comes out and has been running the W8 preview build, I'm pretty excited to see the services work together. It's going to be awesome having notifications pop up when I need to workout or get in the shower all all of my devices, pushing things to the same service regardless of device, etc.

@KaosAngel: 1080p is fine for a tablet. Anything higher than that is a luxury, and an extra cost, ESPECIALLY for anyone who isn't Apple because they don't have the ridiculous control and influence over manufacturing. Most Tablets on the market probably have less than that kind of resolution, just because it isn't the absolute highest doesn't mean it's a shit screen. You're a fucking child if you think that 1080p is a disgusting screen for a tablet. It's fine, it works well for my 24" screen, why the hell would it be shitty on a tablet? If that means lower prices, and better battery, I'm happy to take 1080p.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military.

What? We're the top percentage of the military. Are you honest to god a moron?

LOL. Its just a language institute for the ARMY, the top percentage are the ones on the front line, not arm chair soldiers.

Looks alright, but c'mon, they haven't succeeded by copying apple in a long time.

@Brad said:

@Skytylz said:

@Cyrisaurus said:

That keyboard looks soooo unsatisfying. if you're going to add keyboard hardware, I want actually buttons to press.

I read somewhere that it has like 1.5 mm action on the keys, so there is a press. Not a huge one but it's there.

True, but there are actually two keyboard models, and one of them is pure multitouch.

That's sort of unfortunate, I'm assuming if they include one with the tablet it will be the multitouch one that is likely thinner.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military.

What? We're the top percentage of the military. Are you honest to god a moron?

To clarify: Windows RT used to be called Windows On ARM and due to the new processor architecture (ARM SoCs) cannot run any old Windows programs. It therefore is a new ecosystem (coded to via the Windows Store delivery of Metro apps) like WinPho7 was.

Windows 8 is the new version of Windows for Intel/x86 CPUs and the new Intel Surface announced is running the 17W of ULV i5 (Ultrabook/MacBook Air CPUs) so is going to give you that zone of performance and due to the OS being a full-fat offering and CPU being the same x86 that has slowly evolved over the past few decades all your old Windows programs (including games) will run as well as they do on Windows 7. This may look like a tablet but you're actually dealing with a MacBook Air performance (and existing program compatibility) system with a 1080p screen. The Intel iGPU isn't great for gaming but you're going to have a lot of GOG.com content to enjoy on the go and even some nice 3D.

There are also incoming Intel (next-gen) Intel Atom designs. That means a dual-core x86 SoC that uses 3W of power rather than 17W (at max power use, they all crank back when you're not loading the SoC/CPUs and a lot of the power being eaten is for the screen - not to mention the batteries in all these tablets are as big as a Ultrabook/MacBook Air so give equivalent use times even with a 17W CPU). That means there may be a Surface (and there will certainly be 3rd party manufacturers selling them) with the compatibility (all your old PC games) of the Intel model but a price much closer to the ARM (WinRT) model and lower weight (drop the battery capacity to match the lower power use). Using a $10-30 SoC (ARM and the planned Intel 3W Clover Trail) rather than a $200+ 17W ULV premium CPU will really make a difference in the final price.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

Imagine if it didnt have the overkill screen, it might actually last more than a day.

My iPad 3 runs great at my military training using it daily for classes. I charge it every couple days.

How do you use a iPad at military training? Not being snarky.

I'm stationed at DLI, it's like 4 years of college into one 60 weeks. I can't talk about it, but it's hard. We use iPads a lot here.

OK its just a translator school, cool. I thought you were in the real military. Which made me laugh thinking you were carrying around your iPad at rifle training.

What a cool piece of kit. Norm has the details - http://www.tested.com/news/44824-microsoft-announces-/

I am genuinely interested in this. I've always despised all apple products on a philosophical level and beyond so a decent competitor for the Ipad I may actually be interested in is a welcome sight.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

Imagine if it didnt have the overkill screen, it might actually last more than a day.

My iPad 3 runs great at my military training using it daily for classes. I charge it every couple days.

How do you use a iPad at military training? Not being snarky.

I'm stationed at DLI, it's like 4 years of college into one 60 weeks. I can't talk about it, but it's hard. We use iPads a lot here.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

Imagine if it didnt have the overkill screen, it might actually last more than a day.

My iPad 3 runs great at my military training using it daily for classes. I charge it every couple days.

How do you use a iPad at military training? Not being snarky.

@SubChin said:

This will sell a 100 times more than the Zune! It will be such a success! Oh wait....

...so maybe 100,000 tops? Apple sells over 500k iPads a day. Microsoft making a huge dent, yo.

@Skytylz said:

@Cyrisaurus said:

That keyboard looks soooo unsatisfying. if you're going to add keyboard hardware, I want actually buttons to press.

I read somewhere that it has like 1.5 mm action on the keys, so there is a press. Not a huge one but it's there.

True, but there are actually two keyboard models, and one of them is pure multitouch.

This will sell a 100 times more than the Zune! It will be such a success! Oh wait....

@goatmilk said:

Here we go again. A lesson that Microsoft never learns.

Yeah, the Zune was technically superior to the iPods at the time but it flopped, and I'm guessing the same thing will happen with this. Why? Because MS can't market for shit. They just throw money at products and will them to succeed. Plus they come into the game late. How many iPads & Android tablets are already out there? Millions. I know this has more functionality than a normal tablet etc but it still won't get anywhere near the level of success the iPad has. One reason being the terrible interface (Metro) but mainly because Apple is EVERYWHERE. The people who don't want to pay the premium for an iPad already have a brilliant open alternative in Android.

If they launched this at $200 it might have a chance, otherwise it'll just be a relatively small group of people who buy it - just like the Zune. Just like Windows phones.

The Zune's failure is because Zune appeared when the dedicated MP3 player market was waning and MP3 was already synonymous with iPod. I think Microsoft has changed since then. We're seeing a lot more convergence between their "silos" (hardware, Xbox, Windows, web) in an Apple AND a Google way. Microsoft is creating iOS and Android apps now.. we wouldn't see that from Microsoft in the Zune-era. Android has yet to have their "defacto" tablet (No, Kindle Fire doesn't count) and has very little market share. Microsoft isn't aiming for Apple, it's aiming to take out Google first.

I think the RT tablet is probably going to be iPad's price point and the Windows 8 version is going to compete with ultrabooks. This "Xbox Surface" may compete with the ~$200-250 Kindle Fire price.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

Imagine if it didnt have the overkill screen, it might actually last more than a day.

My iPad 3 runs great at my military training using it daily for classes. I charge it every couple days.

@KaosAngel said:

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Atrus3 said:

@KaosAngel said:

How the hell Microsoft have such a low resolution? This shit is only 1080p from the specs, Apple's already been doing well above that.

Sooooo if it's not from Apple, you're going to go ahead and write it off?

I swear, it's like you people WANT there to be one company that dominates the market. It's sad.

Nah dude it's basic history.

Zune and WP7 are already proof of this. 3 years too late.

Basic history like the Xbox that is the no1 selling console now? And 1080p is far than enough, I still think 1080p looks great on my 40inch TV so it will look amazing on a 11 inch tablet. Plus all that added resolution eats battery life. To me any way Battery Life > Resolution.

...but that point is moot as the iPad 3 still has the best battery life out of all tablets and has the best resolution.

Imagine if it didnt have the overkill screen, it might actually last more than a day.

Tablets are still a luxury item. Apple saturated the luxury market as they tend to do but that leaves the people who still don't have tablets and someone has to fill the lower-end affordable market as tablets become a ubiquitous item. Google and Microsoft are the two best bets to do that as Apple can't do that without harming their brand. I just hope "priced to compete" doesn't mean priced to compete with the iPad because they simply can't win that market with their brand and the market doesn't need any more expensive tablets.

@Cyrisaurus said:

That keyboard looks soooo unsatisfying. if you're going to add keyboard hardware, I want actually buttons to press.

I read somewhere that it has like 1.5 mm action on the keys, so there is a press. Not a huge one but it's there.

@gesi1223 said:

@DoctorWelch said:

@KaosAngel said:

That shit going to flop.

No one is going to waste more money on a MS tablet than buy an iPad. Google tried it already and they still haven't made a dent.

Good luck with that, just like how Microsoft took out Apple and Google in the handset market!

You clearly don't understand the point of this tablet combined with Windows 8. It's not just a tablet, it's a legitimate laptop unlike all other tablets, that's the big difference. This combines the ultrabook and tablet market into one.

Maybe so, but that doesn't necessarily mean it will sell well. It has to appeal to the mass market. Especially the people who already have an iPad or even the ones who don't but just want a new Tablet for the novelty. Apple has already saturated the market, I don't expect the Windows 8 tablet to compete with iPads as well as people are hoping.

They have saturated the market with a product that no one can actually use for anything other than leisure. Take that and the fact that Apple's products and marketing strategy with apps purposefully try to kill off old products there is no reason why this would not sell if it is a better product. If they have "saturated the market" than even Apple would not be able to sell more iPads, but they do. You are also thinking way to small. This is not going straight at the iPad, it's combining two or more markets into one in order to create a whole new market that makes iPads and ultrabooks obsolete. The only question now is usability and execution. If they manage to make a product that feels great to use, it will essentially destroy the tablet and possibly even the low-mid end laptop. The big deal is that companies always play catch-up with Apple, but Microsoft is actually creating something completely new, and actually positioning something innovative and new rather than a mimic of what is already out there. For the last point though, this entire thing is going to appeal to every single person that uses any laptop or tablet other than people that use laptops over the $1000 range. If the price starts at $500 it kills of the low level laptop market, kills the tablet market, and kills the ultrabook market if they upper range gets to about $800 or so.

This is all just the facts of positioning in the market. The only real thing to debate now is the execution of this product. If the keyboard feels shitty, if it runs worse than an iPad, and if you can't use it like a laptop then it will fail. However, if they execute on everything they are going for there is no denying that this will be a great product that will probably go on to be extremely successful.

Again, the main point here is cutting into markets by creating a whole new market instead of playing catch-up.

I can see this doing well in the suit and tie market. Business men conducting serious business.

USB and Keyboard attachment are both suited well for this market.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

iPad is just so boring, its just a big iPhone, I have a iPhone.

Yes it is, but that larger screen gives it a whole lot more of usability over the iPhone, which is all that matters.

@MrMazz said:

IF I buy a tablet why would I want a keyboard?

This is for people wanting to replace a laptop, it's really not even an iPad competitor so I don't know why it's on this website, even if it was an iPad competitor I don't get why it's posted about on here.

The standalone Windows 8 slates will be iPad competitors though.

@Bourbon_Warrior said:

@KaosAngel said:

@Atrus3 said:

@KaosAngel said:

How the hell Microsoft have such a low resolution? This shit is only 1080p from the specs, Apple's already been doing well above that.

Sooooo if it's not from Apple, you're going to go ahead and write it off?

I swear, it's like you people WANT there to be one company that dominates the market. It's sad.

Nah dude it's basic history.

Zune and WP7 are already proof of this. 3 years too late.

Basic history like the Xbox that is the no1 selling console now? And 1080p is far than enough, I still think 1080p looks great on my 40inch TV so it will look amazing on a 11 inch tablet. Plus all that added resolution eats battery life. To me any way Battery Life > Resolution.

...but that point is moot as the iPad 3 still has the best battery life out of all tablets and has the best resolution.

IF I buy a tablet why would I want a keyboard?