Microsoft Surface

I know nothing about this device, but it looks kind of cool.

I've been looking to replace my laptop and had recently been considering going with an iPad with a BT keyboard, but I was mostly afraid about using Excel and what a mouseless interface would be like. But a Surface looks like a pretty solid idea, especially considering all our backend stuff is Windows-based.

Problem is all my personal media, which, let's face it, is part of what I'm looking for when I travel, is now iPhone-based.

Also, I own a Zune. You can imagine how that turned out for me.

Thoughts on this device?

Hardware looks nice and I'm a fan of the UI formally known as Metro.

My big concern is how Microsoft is handling the details. RT is going to cause a lot of consumer confusion once people realize they can't install their old Windows apps.

I'm also thinking that mixing a classic desktop environment with a completely different touch friendly UI won't work. It just feels jarring and I believe they should have kept these concepts separate instead of trying to shoehorn them into a single product.

Overall they have a shot of reclaiming the "post PC" ground lost to Apple, but that will mostly be due to the fact that buying Windows is many people's default habit.



Jr Mouse said:

Hardware looks nice and I'm a fan of the UI formally known as Metro.
My big concern is how Microsoft is handling the details. RT is going to cause a lot of consumer confusion once people realize they can't install their old Windows apps.

Click to expand...

They shouldn't have called it "Windows". Maybe Microsoft Metro is a better name for it?

Metro was the perfect name. Problem is a German company already owns it and MS decided to back down and let it go. Big mistake in my opinion. Metro had enough brand goodwill at that point that it would have been worth fighting for. They have enough money in the bank that They might have been able to work something out.

Also RT doesn't mean anything. In the lease people will think RT is the consumer version while Windows 8 Pro is the professional and that's not technically the case. They are two different operating systems and won't even be able to run the same software in a lot of cases.

Douglas, Verge just posted its Windows 8 review. It might be of aid to you in making your decision. Not sure when the formal Surface RT review will hit, but it should be soon.

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3537710/windows-8-review

Agreed on the RT being confusing as hell to most users

uh, yeah, i'm already confused. what's the difference? RT is like a new platform entirely, whereas 8 is just like a new touch-based "skin" on top of the original architecture? RT won't run my old legacy applications, only new apps?

If I use hosted apps through citrix, will it matter?

i haz a sad that Jr. Mouse didn't start this threak.

I'm waiting to see what the hardware details on the Surface are. I'm actually quite surprised that this hasn't leaked out at any point. Its a level of Apple style security that I never thought they'd be able to achieve.



Douglas said:

uh, yeah, i'm already confused. what's the difference? RT is like a new platform entirely, whereas 8 is just like a new touch-based "skin" on top of the original architecture? RT won't run my old legacy applications, only new apps?

If I use hosted apps through citrix, will it matter?

Click to expand...

These two links can explain the differences better then I can and I highly recommend giving them a read.

http://www.winsupersite.com/article/windows8/windows-rt-redmond-problem-144554

http://www.winsupersite.com/article...rface-rt-pro-specifications-comparison-144545


The gist of it is RT was designed for tablets and ARM processors. Because it doesn't run on Intel silicon you loose backwards compatibility with legacy Windows software. MS is including special versions of some Office programs that will run on the classic desktop, but that's about it. You won't get Outlook and forget about installing Photoshop or anything like that. Apps for RT will need to be bought and run from MS' new app store. Similar to Apple's app store.

Thanks Mouse. That's a helpful breakdown.

As it turns out, my desktop is also crapping out on me, so a dock-able, relatively full-featured tablet PC with multimedia and touch capability and a robust Outlook interface would be pretty ballin. We'll see if it turns out to be a possibility.

Review from The Verge. Worth a read if you're seriously considering it. Short version: they took this cake out of the oven too early:

http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/23/3540550/microsoft-surface-review



Douglas said:

Thanks Mouse. That's a helpful breakdown.

As it turns out, my desktop is also crapping out on me, so a dock-able, relatively full-featured tablet PC with multimedia and touch capability and a robust Outlook interface would be pretty ballin. We'll see if it turns out to be a possibility.

Click to expand...

Keep in mind RT will not have Outlook. Pro would be the version you are looking for.

Read the link Rambo just posted as they do some of my favorite reviews and take also take a look at this one for a different take. http://www.wired.com/reviews/2012/10/microsoft-surface/all/


EDIT: It's also worth keeping an eye on GDGT. They do a good job of aggregating all the review scores out there and giving you an average. The blurbs from various reviews can be helpful too. http://gdgt.com/microsoft/surface/with-windows-rt/

Yeah, I definitely need the pro version... if the Surface is for me, that is. I guess I have to wait and see.........

Thanks for the reviews all. Very informative.

Another review worth reading on the RT version of Surface. http://www.anandtech.com/show/6385/microsoft-surface-review

It looks like a device for a child. I can't imagine someone trying to use that in a professional setting and not getting laughed at.