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Microsoft Surface Pro Reviews Arrive
The release date is approaching for Microsoft's Surface Pro tablet, and reviews for the new device have started appearing. The Surface Pro differs from the Surface in that it runs a full version of Windows 8 Pro, rather than the tablet-centric Windows RT. It also has much beefier hardware specs: 4GB RAM, an Intel Core i5 CPU, and a full HD display with 10-point multitouch. Ars describes it as having the expected good performance at the expected costs of heat, noise, and battery life. "This is not an all-day machine. Surface RT probably is. But Surface Pro is not." The review praises the screen and the stylus, but points out some odd scaling issues as well. The Verge's review also mentions the scaling, and notes the strangeness of dealing with issues inherent to a Windows desktop OS — like antivirus — on a tablet. BGR looks at the big picture, calling the Surface Pro Microsoft's "declaration of war" on its hardware partners. All three reviews dwell on how the Surface Pro exists at the intersection of laptop and tablet, and doesn't quite fulfill either role. Ars says, "From the tablet perspective, Surface Pro is not acceptable. It gets too hot for a hand-held device, its battery life is woefully inadequate, and it's too thick and heavy to be comfortable to hand hold for long sessions. ... From a laptop perspective, Surface Pro falls down too. The traditional laptop has a stiff hinge to hold the screen at an angle of your choosing. ... In practice, the Surface RT and Surface Pro have a bigger footprint on my lap even than my old 15-inch MacBook Pro. And if I move a little, whomp, the screen drops off the back of my knees and folds out of sight." The Verge adds, "The real dealbreaker for me was that it's just unusable in my most common position — sitting on my couch, feet on the coffee table, with the computer on my lap."
Instead of the FUD in the summary, head over to Anandtech for a better review. Or just continue supporting the dumbification of PCs by promoting iPads.
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6695/microsoft-surface-pro-review/
...with a crappy keyboard and a touch screen.
Microsoft invented the computer and the window and the Internet explorer and without Microsoft (and maybe apple if you are into artsy shit or whatever) we would have none of that so why do you people always complain about it? I think you should be greatful to Bill Gats, for his ultimate wisdom in compurtores and his glorious campaign to smash the teachers unions and replace teachers with fast food service associates, because Bill Gats cares about our children and our future like no other man on earth, he is the greatest, the messiah! Fuck Steve Jops!!!!!!
UNITE with the Campaign for a Free Internet because today, our future begins with tomorrow!
+1
The question is not whether it is perfect, the question is whether it is a good traihead; iPad looks like a good reader, film viewer and game console, but a dead-end for anyone who wants to write, program or get real work done. Surface looks like the beginnings of a usable Dynabook.
...different glitter
This has potential to rid me of having a separate computer and tablet. The current Pro seems like it will work as a development platform for future applications; the consumers will start buying it more once it gets thinner and lighter.
Why not buy a laptop? They weigh 5 lbs... that's light. They're usable. They run all the software desktops run because they're the same thing. Battery life can reach 6-10 hours depending on OS and model. They come with a USB port (Nexus 7 complaint).
The computer has existed since around 1941 or so, and the concept has existed since around 1850..
And windows were created by Xerox... copied by Apple, and then MS got a license from Apple..
IE was created by the "partner" company named Spyglass - that was put out of business by MS refusing to pay for the IE development...
Of course, you could just be sarcastic and I missed it...
If Google comes out with a phone or tablet it's simply fostering adoption and providing some reference for other hardware makers, if Micro$oft does it they're "declaring war" on their hardware partners. Utter stupidity.
Also, why would anyone think the Surface Pro was supposed to run on battery all day...? Clearly this is a workstation/tablet hybrid that leans farther to the tablet side.
In the longer run Intel will have move entirely into this market, and you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it - and by that time it will run 10 hours on a charge.
Personally I thought this was going to happen sooner via systems like the Atrix phone and dock - they tried this at SIEMENS a few years back but Android was really the blocking issue, not the hardware. I love my Android phone, but as a full blown operating system it's got a long way to go.
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The issue with the surface is, it isn't a tablet and it isn't a laptop. For the price of it, you can get an awesome ultrabook. You can also get a comparable tablet for a lot less.
I think people want a tablet that they can use a keyboard on, but I don't think that this is it. MS has tried for over a decade to convince us it's was of doing a tablet is the right way - and it has been a failure.
I haven't seen any enterprises adopting them, so I am unsure where they actually plan to sell them
I don't think the surface is a "bad idea" it is just terribly executed.
You'll take the crap we're shoving down your throat and you vill like it!
Please do not read this sig. Thank you.
I can't help thinking Microsoft still doesn't really get design. They talked a lot ahead of the launch of this device about the fact that their goal was a design without compromise - see this for example http://blogs.msdn.com/b/b8/archive/2011/08/31/designing-for-metro-style-and-the-desktop.aspx
But what the mean by no compromise is entirely different from what Apple means by no compromise. Apple designed the iPad to be the a compromise-free tablet - the best *tablet* they could come up with. And it was, and is a brilliant tablet. What it isn't is a laptop. Microsoft's idea of no compromise is a device that can be both a laptop and a tablet. What you end up with is an entirely compromised product - too heavy and power hungry to be any use as a tablet, it is also impossible to use on your lap making it an entirely rubbish laptop.
Every review I've seen says the same thing:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324900204578285963270503862.html?mod=djemptech_t
"It’s too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple’s full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap."
http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/05/microsoft-surface-pro-review/
"When trying to be productive, we wished we had a proper laptop and, when relaxing on the couch, we wished we had a more finger-friendly desktop interface"
http://techland.time.com/2013/02/05/review-microsoft-surface-pro-the-surface-thats-more-pc-than-tablet/
"It’s bulkier than Surface RT because its components require more interior space. Microsoft’s stated battery life is five hours, compared to eight for Surface RT. Even the AC adapter is portlier."
There's a key difference: Google devices are built by partners, though they are marketed (badly) by Google. Surface devices are built directly by MS.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
$1,100???? My daughter just got a Lenovo, about 3 lbs, 15" screen, delivered for $350. Why would I want to spend 3x the money for a smaller screen and a worse keyboard?
I can equip most of my family with nice laptops for the price of one Surface. :headscratch:
Just because it's called a laptop doesn't mean it's best to use it on your lap.
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
While you may be correct, in this case because of Microsoft's nearly 40 year history as not really being a computer hardware vendor (not talking about mice here), they are telling those they partnered with for decades that their products are inferior and Microsoft can do it better.
Google hasn't been around long enough to create that sort of legacy and has both partnered with and created their own hardware along the way.
I just don't see this as an apples to apples comparison for you to make. But hey, your opinion is as good as anyone's.
I think that's a case of semantics ;).
The Google 'partner' that builds the phone isn't making a profit anymore than the actual manufacturer making the RT and Pro, plus they aren't 'marketed badly' by Google - that's is not their purpose. Neither is it the purpose of the Surface RT or Surface Pro.
It's like complaining back when nVidia and ATI made cards that they were poisoning their hardware partners when nothing could be further from the truth (they no longer need to do this because of the ubiquity of their chipsets.)
Micro$oft is simply putting out a reference design to generate initiative.
I tell you, I'd love to find a way to dual boot the thing and get OpenSUSE on it - otherwise it's a 1080p touchscreen laptop (which is moderately cool.)
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Because I'm currently using a Fujitsu Stylistic ST-4121 running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and need to keep my Wacom stylus --- I use it for:
- annotating .pdfs
- drawing and sketching using ArtRage, Autodesk SketchBook, FutureWave SmartSketch, Creaturehouse Expression and Macromedia FreeHand
- designing fonts using FontForge
- lightweight programming using Runtime Revolution (I find drawing interface elements easier w/ the stylus)
- writing papers using LyX and WinTeXshell which are then typeset using LaTeX (I prefer to write rather than type)
- notetaking w/ handwriting recognition using Evernote
If the Surface Pro had longer battery life or a replaceable battery, I'd get one. If it's possible to run Mac OS X on it, I'd be tempted, until then, I guess I'm back to pricing a larger SSD for my current machine.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
I would have thought the issues with perching the Surface were obvious from the moment photos of it appeared that showed how the stand worked. It might be fine on a desk but it would be a nuisance perched on the lap, or a small lecture hall table, or a clipback tray, or sitting in bed etc. Eventually Asus transformer devices will appear for Windows 8 Pro and I think at that point people can enjoy the best of both worlds - providing the keyboard dock counteracts the weight of tablet bit and doesn't tip over.
I can't help thinking Microsoft still doesn't really get design.
Nothing to do with compromise. Its unashamedly, about using their Desktop [and Office] monopoly, to muscle there way onto mobile [smartphone and tablet] after failing have a compelling product to gain relevance in the new sector, by pretending they are an ecosystem(sic).
It hardly takes a genius to see that the a separation of both Tablet and Desktop for in both hardware and software, rather than some hybrid affair would be an improvement...but its not going to win against Android, or ironically ChromeOS.
Why defend crap?
I agree and the summary is very negatively biased. I clicked through to the BGR article expecting to find a scathing summary, when in fact it was quite the opposite.
"On an island, the Surface Pro is a fantastic premium computer that is portable, versatile and capable. It is priced fairly and it offers novel features that provide clear advantages over rival devices. But in a market where interest in personal computers is declining and Windows 8 is struggling to gain traction, I fear the Surface Pro might not be the right product right now.
The Surface Pro is not good fit for everyone, but those who do purchase Microsoft’s new tablet for work or for personal use — whether they number in the thousands, hundreds of thousands, or millions — will not be disappointed."
It's a shitty laptop and a shitty tablet. Oh and 41-43Gb of OS gobbling up your SSD is simply a frigging joke.
Nothing new here..... move along.
"TV, a medium as it is neither rare nor well done." Ernie Kovacs
and you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it - and by that time it will run 10 hours on a charge.
From what I've seen, I'm sure some technology execs are smoking the same thing you are. However, I see no point in the future where a tablet is going to replace my workstation. I can see myself having a tablet to augment my workstation (e.g. having manuals on a tablet instead of on paper), but the actual work is always going to be done on a proper computer.
http://blog.nexusuk.org
But hey, your opinion is as good as anyone's.
A man's reach should exceed his grasp... ;)
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dead-end for anyone who wants to write, program or get real work done
I don't think anyone is getting their best work done, on a Surface...I'm not really sure why anyone would imply real work cannot be done on a Nexus.
should have more ram or at least at upgrade choice.
4GB is small now days.
I think the idea has some promise but a lot of problems in this current form.
Unfortunately ARM solves many of those hardware problems (apart from needing a flat surface), but then that would be that other unsuccessful product Windows launched recently...the one with RT in its name.
Ballmer's Microsoft sat on a wall, Ballmer's Microsoft had a great fall. And all the Company's Fanbois and all the Company's Money, couldn't put Ballmer's Microsoft back together again. Linux be nimble, Linux be quick. Linux jumped over Microsoft's Candlestick.
If it indeed runs too hot to hold in hand, then no, there is no hyperbole.
Yeah, the imaginary tablet in your mind will perhaps be much better, if and when it exists, but Surface Pro, the product in actual existence, the product this submission is about, is a heavy, overheating piece of shit.
TL;DR No hyperbole, Surface pro is crap.
"The agriculture ministry is not in charge of Gundam" - Japanese ministry official.
A tablet with an Intel i5 CPU, HD4000 GPU and 4GB of RAM for less money, even without the digitiser? Pray, do enlighten us.
Absolutely the quieter, cooler, more portable, with an efficient CPU Nexus 7 for a sixth of the price.
"First they came for the communists, and I didn't speak out because I wasn't a communist..."
Plus, what exactly are you referring to as crap?
The hardware's not crap - although it doesn't serve my needs.
The OS isn't crap - although I primarily use *nix.
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My 2009 N900 had more disk space and (replaceable) battery life. How is this the pinnacle of the computing evolution? Could you use it today as main computer with 23-89gb of usable disk space? Did we hit Moore's law limit and bounced back?
Because I'm currently using a Fujitsu Stylistic ST-4121 running Windows XP Tablet PC Edition and need to keep my Wacom stylus
That's OK, you have an upgrade path to the extremely reasonably priced when refurbished Fujitsu Lifebook T900. ~900 for Core i7, 4GB RAM, Win7, and combo 8-way multitouch and wacom pen. After much hemming and hawing that's what I selected as my lady's next (now current) laptop and while it's a little chunky and heavy for a laptop, it's a fantastic machine for art, and it has a replaceable battery. This would be a much better move for you than Surface, because it's much less of a ripoff and you won't be forced into such a shitty OS.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
No, it's main selling point is that it isn't made by Apple.
Except Apples market share of the tablet market is already down to 43% its not like there are not better value than Apples re-badged foxconn range.
What exactly do you consider a proper computer?
What do you mean by actual work?
I have a dual hex core (24 hardware threads) 26GB dev box in my office, a new Mac Mini, and a Dell Touch screen all-in-one - I develop on all of them.
The majority of people at a company (that isn't an ISV) don't need anything more powerful than an iPad to do everything they've got to do.
The Surface Pro is going to give them an iPad-ish form factor except it will run Windows 7/8 software that already exists - That's a pretty huge win for IT departments, especially given that they can provision the devices with group policies/AD.
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If it indeed runs too hot to hold in hand, then no, there is no hyperbole.
I haven't seen a review that says anything bad about heat, I've read and heard that if you lay it down on a blanket it can get hot.
Hell, I have a Macbook Air that gets lava hot if you do any OpenGL work on it.
BTW, the hyperbole was in reference to the "declaring war" sentiment.
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I should hope they are, otherwise they're going to go out of business.
They may not be making all of the profits, but if they're doing manufacturing without making any profit, they'd be idiots.
But Microsoft has typically let their partners design the boxes to run Windows, with this Microsoft is entering actually designing and selling Microsoft branded hardware. Except for keyboards and Mice, they've never actually had their brand on the hardware for the most part.
'Declaring war' might be a little strong, but Microsoft is definitely moving into competing with their former partners.
Part of their reasoning for this is that they want to compete with Apple and get the money on the hardware too, but part of it might be that the manufacturers weren't lining up to create new devices around a platform they don't know if anybody wants -- so why should they take the risks ?
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
I live off a laptop when I'm in the office normally using it docked and often as nothing more than a portal to other remote PCs. When I'm elsewhere I'll do anything I can via a Nexus tablet.
If I could buy a tablet form factor device that could be used in the same manner as my laptop I could easily see me moving to that model. One less device and more consistency between my desk and mobile enviroment. Is the surface pro that device? I doubt it but I think dismissing the entire market before it really has had a chance to exist is a little premature (much like someone dismissing the tablet market a year before the first iPad was released).
Is that a jacuzzi in your lap or are you just happily computing?
It's why I said "any more". Neither group is getting the types of profits that would expected from a direct retail offering of their own.
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Paying 2-3 times as much for running legacy software that won't have any advantages from "iPad-ish form factor"?..
Yeah, real value proposition.
If you need to do actual office work, cheap laptops will be better, if you need to do actual warehouse work, Androids in rugged cases (or old trusty WinCE PDAs) would be better, and if you need something for your representatives to show off, iPads will be better.
The only somewhat plausible use-case is that artist guy here in the comments.
I don't want chunky and heavy --- I see no reason to haul around a keyboard and optical drive I almost never use (I have docking stations for when I want to use it at a desk at work or home) and it wouldn't fit in my favourite laptop bag which I've been using for about 2 decades now, and don't want to replace.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
How does the Nexus perform running PhotoShop? What's its multitasking capabilties like? Does it support USB 3.0? Storage expansion options? Etc. Etc.
It multi-tasks great, In fact far better than the crippled Metro interface. In fact I have a large variety of photo editing programs suitable for quick editing on the move. I do design work on the 23" screen Desktop. With which I have networked to my Nexus, Which has available about 30GB and 100GB in the cloud,...again for about a sixth of the price, and has longer lasting battery, more portable, and has more mobile applications available for it, with a consistent popular (soon to be the most popular) OS.
In the longer run Intel will have move entirely into this market, and you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it - and by that time it will run 10 hours on a charge.
But this is slashdot, we must ignore the fact that it's a first-gen device and a unique one at that. There couldn't possibly be another, better, iteration later.
Given that the lowest end (12WX) cintiq is around $900, and this seems to have much of the functionality of that, without the need to lug a laptop or desktop around as well, this suddenly becomes more interesting. I'd like to see more info about it's usability in that respect.
However, I see no point in the future where a tablet is going to replace my workstation.
It won't replace a workstation, it will replace a desktop. If you are doing any computationally significant work, you will still have a box plugged into a wall. However, there are a lot of jobs where the only tech requirement is email, spreadsheets, and a color display. Having a sufficient computer that is more acessible than a laptop will win in those jobs.
Do keep in mind that as technology advances, the line of "computationally significant" will drift. 14 years ago, you couldn't buy something half as powerful as this tablet without looking at rack-mounted server bundles.
You've obviously never put lava in your lap!
"fully functional and resourced PC in a tablet form factor"
That is exactly how I would describe the Nexus. Its not how I would describe the Surface [either of them]
surfaces biggest problem is marketing..
I think you need another quick look at those reviews
Too bad all the reviews disagree with you. You know, the ones in TFS.
The hardware is crap.
The OS is crap.
Haven't had anything but the MSSE loaded for, well, years. And I haven't bothered with real time monitoring of email since I moved to google apps and run from a dedicated chrome session. Am I shirking my responsibility by relying on the "cloud" and MS to do the checking for me? Well, yes, I am. And it's working exceptionally well. I'm sorry if I don't have a dozen scanners running in the background at all times. I do a point check with malwarebytes on occasion, but that's about it.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
You should go get an iPad and a capacitive stylus. It's practically as good, with inexpensive apps that can do all your creating and editing just like a styles!
**BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAH**
Yeah, I couldn't stop laughing at that either. It is, imho, the most massive failure of the iPad line not to have pressure sensitive, pixel accurate input from the company that made its mark wooing creative types. I've been hoping that the Surface Pro would be enough to take over the duties of both my tablet and my netbook-sized laptop. Of course, then Panasonic showed their 20" version (A3 baby!), but they won't have pressure sensitivity, and that's a hella-fat pen they need to use.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
Forget the Surface Pro - get an Atom-based Win8 tablet. I'm quite satisfied with mine (ATIV Smart PC): easily gets 10 hours of battery life during PDF annotation or OneNote (usually more - I haven't gotten it below 50% in a workday yet), sufficiently thin and light so as not to be noticeable in a bag, and Wacom stylus tech.
I'm coming from a Thinkpad X41T, which had a bit more CPU grunt than that ST-4121 of yours, and the Clover Trail Atom is quite a bit faster than the Pentium M in the X41T... so you should be fine in terms of processing power as well.
... on companies that have already been in a huge race to the bottom.
Right.
I hope they enjoy eating their own poo for a change.
Also, why would anyone think the Surface Pro was supposed to run on battery all day...? Clearly this is a workstation/tablet hybrid that leans farther to the tablet side.
Because carrying around a power supply is antiquated. Why would you buy a device that needs to be charged more than once a day (i.e. over night)?
Also Google only puts out hardware mostly as a reference design for their partners. They sell some but are not in it to dominate the market. MS wants to be like Apple because they see the money and control Apple has.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
When did they finally make the leap to x86?
You say it as though its important! It isn't; a large software bank is, something Microsoft lacks on ARM, My main conclusion is x86 is not suitable for tablets...or laptops. In fact it pushed me towards a ChromeOS running ARM.
Also, why would anyone think the Surface Pro was supposed to run on battery all day...?
Because that's what other tablets do. Either live up to your competition's baseline specs, or don't expect to beat them in the market. Sorry, but I question how many people will be willing to put up with half the battery life and an extra pound of weight just for the ability to run Windows legacy apps on this form factor.
Ever hear that old joke that a camel is a horse designed by committee? Surface is the new horse. It's not quite a tablet, it's not quite a laptop, it's not quite...I don't know what the hell it is I just know I don't want one. It's too hot, it's too heavy, the battery life sucks (compared to an iPad anyhow), and it's way too expensive. If I wanted to run old Windows programs then why not just get a laptop at about half the price and not have to deal with the overheating issues? This thing is DOA.
The new atoms seem pretty much designed for Windows 8 tablets. Lower power, cooler, much cheaper, they'll fix a whole load of problems with a core i5 based tablet. It won't be as fast but it'll run office, skype, a browser, 1080p vids and angry birds.
I believe you can get an EEE Slate with an i5 and a combo digitizer, but it might be a little pricy to be worth it. Still, it's a more svelte windows/pc-based tablet with a wacom digitizer and multitouch. Naturally the 3d support is beyond pathetic, but if you don't care then it's not a problem.
I looked into this quite a while from the perspective of expecting to run Painter, so my expectations were fairly high (since I wanted it to run smoothly...) I didn't think the EEE Slate would do the job as well as I wanted to see it done. But if you're just sketching it is probably great.
"You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
It's a tablet. A tablet with a screen that bests every single tablet out there in quality, and nearly every single laptop on the market. And has a pressure sensitive stylus input like an expensive Wacom Cintiq. And you can ditch the keyboard and go full tablet mode on the Metro (when the apps store catches up) Remember that the Android app market sucked donkey balls 3 years ago, which is why I have iOS gear - because iOS was the only place to get certain useful apps. Now it doesn't matter.
Or, you can clip on a "real" keyboard and touch pad and do actual, real work - like AutoCAD or Lightroom or Office or, well, anything that runs under windows...because it has the guts to be a full blown computer.
Is the OS really ready? Well, considering that everybody seems to gush over the 1080HD panels that are on 11-13" ultrabooks and nobody seems to have a problem with the scaling there, it's hard to complain that it's a unique problem for the Surface.
Will I get one? I don't know...I'll probably skip v1, either so see a lower power processor (my current laptop is a 1.3GHz single core, and runs all my Apps fine), a larger SSD (256 please), maybe an LTE option (not necessary, but convenient)...or to see what Panasonic really does with their 20" version. Still, for a grand I might get one to try it out - it's half of what I paid for the 8086 IBM I bought when I was a freshman in college.
Is it just my observation, or are there way too many stupid people in the world?
... and you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it - and by that time it will run 10 hours on a charge.
Why focus on one device, when the variety of devices will only grow. The OS can be streamed as an interactive video on to whatever device you might have, and you'll be able to use any software of any platform. The ultimate thin client will only have a screen and the necessary connectivity. Even the processing power can be outsourced and shared between devices. The wireless communication tech is not quite there yet, but it's a pretty sure eventuality that the devices become lighter, diverse in design and size - and energy efficient. Well, almost anything can act as a necessary screen too..
how light and cheap your Nexus 7 is all day long, but it doesn't fill the niche that the Surface is intended to fill, and that makes it useless for those in that niche.
The Surface is not supposed to be a niche. Its meant to be the template for all windows products, and I'm sorry even Microsoft call it a tablet...so don't be surprised when the rest of us compare it as one.
You can dual boot without any trouble at all. Surface Pros do not enforce Secure Boot.
What is this I don't even...
You realize that the Surface Pro doesn't run Windows RT?
...I think customers will be equally confused :)
Rally, I don't see any reviews saying anything like the hardware is crap. Actually most like the hardware, they just see no use for the design. If the hardware is crap then so is every other ultrabook out there.
Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
Also a ATIV 500T owner. The Atom processor is surprisingly powerful. With the exception of gaming, it's been able to handle everything I've thrown at it. There is an issue with the keyboard dock that has been noticed by myself and others (The pads that hold the tablet in place are not sufficient and cause disconnects; there are a number of fixes for it), but apart from this I am very happy with the device. The screen is large enough to be used as a workstation, but not so big that it cannot function as a tablet, which fills my specifications quite nicely.
Microsoft decided to share all their products with the world: http://msdn.itellyou.cn/?lang=en-us
Why would you carry around a power supply? Surface Pro is not intended for Starbucks socialites, it's intended for offices.
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I agree, and to be honest I don't think it is likely but it could happen.
Speaking only for the US here, if the fiber infrastructure was prevalent enough and bandwidth costs low enough I would think that large corporate environments would do just that - virtualized workstations for everyone, the ultimate in floating profiles.
That being said, it's a little 'utopian' in a way. ;)
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Micro$oft does it they're "declaring war" on their hardware partners.
I think it's an apt analogy, and a good thing (at least from Microsoft's perspective). The "hardware partners" have failed to deliver the mobile goods several times now; they're either incompetent or purposely delivering crap tablets/convertables to preserve their existing laptop lines. Either way, best to route around them if MS wants Win8 to have any chance at all against iOS/Android.
0 1 - just my two bits
I'm failing to see ...how "Cortex A9"(sic) is remotely similar to "Core i5"
One requires requires two fans and an air vent and still fails to cool a mobile device effectively (described as uncomfortable)....and the other is a Tegra 3.
One gets about 4 hours battery life (Surface Pro)...the other gets 10 that would be the Nexus 7.
Guess which CPU I want in a *mobile* device :)
... which is why I bought mine without the keyboard :p
I find the screen much too large for regular tablet use, BTW - very nice size for inking though (allows me to put OneNote only on one half of the screen). Great for watching videos though :)
They sell some but are not in it to dominate the market. MS wants to be like Apple because they see the money and control Apple has.
The way Microsoft is rolling out Surface, they're not in it to dominate either. Surface is available in Microsoft Stores, a couple retailers, and in a handful of countries. This isn't exactly a massive global roll-out of the device. Ballmer himself even said the hoped to sell just "a few million" in all of 2013.
1: wtf your stupid
2. apple did what? everyone i know that has a laptop its NON apple
3. and everyone i know that has a laptop is a non executive
in fact your reasons aren't reasons they are star trek bably gook
you get a laptop for these reasons
1. if you have a brain you can open it and fix parts
2 if you have a brain you can put software you like or make onto it
3. you have so much in this way a freedom that tablets and phones just wont do.
sorry im not wanting to jailbreak or get forced into buying some lamers apps
A proper computer has a full size wired keyboard, a wired mouse, at least 21" IPS monitor (preferably two, but I suppose one could be replaced by a tablet), a wired network connection, a wired power supply, at least 1TB of storage, at least 8GB of RAM, and at least 4 CPU cores.
Proper work means CAD, 3D design, photo and video editing, and software development (not including "apps", web design, or dev-ops nonsense.)
However, I see no point in the future where a tablet is going to replace my workstation. I can see myself having a tablet to augment my workstation
No such future is being suggested by the Surface. If your work involves sitting in front of a powerful, stationary computer plugged into a wall, then stick with your workstation. The Surface is for people like me, who do not work in front of a desk and use a tablet for writing notes but also need an ultrabook to run desktop applications, and need a little more power than the average user.
... on companies that have already been in a huge race to the bottom.
That is simply an Apple line used to justify Apples massive mark-up on re-badged Foxconn electronics. The reality is its simply competing on price. In context of this article, Apples computers have dropped last quarter by 20%. guess competing using magic just ran out of steam.
Who does MS think will buy the Surface? I got a great Asus Win8 laptop for $550. It has a 15.6" screen. This Surface netbook costs twice as much. It has a 10" screen. The only people who buy netbooks are people who can't afford real laptops. That's why Wal-Mart sells netbooks. So.... who does MS see as the target audience for their $1100 netbook? Since the Surface RT/Surface Pro were announced, I have not seen an answer to this question. With the iPad, it's a status thing - but the Surface is not. I can't imagine anyone saying "I got this new netbook - no, not from Wal-Mart - no, I can afford a laptop, but this is Microsoft's netbook that can run Excel - so I can work at home when I'm not at the office!"
didn't he put the original tablet company out of business in 1990(Go Inc) and declare he invented the idea? What was it called, Pen for Windows or something like that and it sucked. For years he'd declare the tablet computer was the future only to show another heavy, hot and short lived device running bloated Windows and every time it would fail in the market. Good thing Bill Gates is gone but it seems like his idea of Windows on everything keeps coming up again and again. But it looks like these are now getting shot down like a true blue AR15 welding NRA members' clay pigeons.
The editors here would've came a few times and the headlines would've been "World Saviour Tabtop Released!"
I don't believe this.
I don't see Microsoft as suddenly seeing it in its best interests to take on all the risk associated with every Windows release simply because Apple has a profitable niche market.
Everything about Surface screams "Look guys, this is our vision for how tablets should work. Now go away and make your own". It's sufficiently different from generic Android tablets to be obviously an attempt to introduce something new, while sufficiently niche - priced high, sold without encroaching on competitors - to obviously not be a sign Microsoft intends to take over hardware sales.
Moreover, it's necessary for Microsoft to do this. Google tried to do something similar when Honeycomb was released, but didn't go the whole distance, instead leaving it to third parties to produce the tablets according to a restricted specification that was compromized by having to be something every manufacturer could support. It was a disaster. The common platform appeared, but with minimal innovation (the Transformer was pretty much the only tablet that showed signs of the latter) and Honeycomb tablets sold poorly. It took Amazon, who basically told Google to go take a running jump from a short pier, to produce an Android device that actually had mass appeal.
Before this, Microsoft has only once been able to persuade a third party to do the hardware innovation necessary to create a first class platform for the software they want to sell, and in that case Microsoft was increadibly lucky, with the dominos set up right for them. That was in 1981. And IBM did the heavy lifting. There is no IBM in 2013. If Microsoft wants to popularize a new computing platform, it has to do it itself. It can, eventually, sit back and let third parties produce future Windows tablets, but right now it has to present to the world the full package, so people know what kind of tablet a Windows tablet is. And if third parties also want to produce Windows tablets, that's great and Microsoft will be happy to support them, even if it results in poor Surface sales.
You are not alone. This is not normal. None of this is normal.
Riiight, that quote really is at right use against negative review of product that clearly deserves negative review.
In capitalist USA corporations control the government.
The main issue with this statement? MS has done nothing to indicate they want to be the "One and Only" provider of hardware + software.
Reference design? Trying something new? Pushing the envelope? Sure... Trying to be controlling like Apple? No doubt they want to incorporate some of what made Apple successful... But to say they are going down the same road, and more importantly going all in... that's a bit of a stretch.
MS has to many moving parts - server, office, xbox, etc - to become the sole provider of everything A-Z. To think they'd even attempt is silly.
I'd like to see more support for "Other" app stores on Windows (like Amazon App Store), but on the same token... I'll probably never buy an RT device, personally... I also don't see any issue with them releasing devices that act as some sort of measuring stick.
Well... when the partners are releasing the same ole garbage (laptops/desktops), maybe it's time for MS to "break the mold" and shake things up.
You can't honestly say you wouldn't be afraid of falling behind, and becoming another Palm or RIM?
Kick those tires... shake shit up... get some more variety AND competition. Isn't that what we want anyways?
I am not saying that it's a good or bad idea for Microsoft; I was simply replying in general as to why they were being demonized for this.
But this is slashdot, we must ignore the fact that it's a first-gen device and a unique one at that. There couldn't possibly be another, better, iteration later.
A first generation device? Well, not really.
Microsoft has tried time and again to enter the tablet market. They tried to create a tablet market way before iPhone, let alone iPad. Before iPod, really.
And every time they had failed.
Every. Single. Fscking. Time.
Microsoft’s first attempts at tablets brought a keyboard-and-mouse OS onto a crappy-touchscreen device. Wonder why that never worked out.
In the meantime, Apple happened. The iPod (which was a success from the start, and rather good for its time) brought a failed reaction in the shape of assho er, the Zune. The iPhone showed Microsoft (also in the very first try) what Windows CE phones should have been and, probably, wanted to be. But couldn’t have. The iPad was a good tablet from the get-go, and everything Microsoft’s first tablets should have been.
During all that time, Microsoft attempted to force a desktop OS and its paradigms onto devices just not built for that. Then, after both iOS and Android happened, Microsoft decided on a paradigm shift. Boy, I don’t see what could ever go wrong with that.
So what did MS do? After the Windows desktop, which had started copying from KDE in Vista and added OS X elements in 7, which finally made it fairly usable (you may disagree with that point, but I refuse to be dragged into a discussion about it), they decided to sacrifice the declining desktop market (i.e., use their monopoly on the desktop as leverage upon their entry on the tablet market) and put everything on the Metro interface (or whatever it’s called today). It is a tablet/smartphone interface forced on the desktop. At the same time, the desktop metaphor is available on (some?) tablets and tabletoid devices. Which means that their radical paradigm shift isn’t, but it’s still enough of an inconvenience.
The tablet market is not all that new. In fact, it is fairly mature, albeit with room to grow. There is an established duopoly of iOS and Android. And Microsoft just can’t afford to enter that market with sub-par devices. Because the iPad was good, and is now better. Because Galaxy Tab was good, and is now better. Because there are Nexus, Kindle Fire, Transformer Pad, and various other devices working on tried and tested platforms (alright, platform; iOS is restricted to Apple devices). Microsoft has nothing: not a good device, not an OS which people would want all that much (and let’s not get into Windows Phone), not an app store full of various applications. Nothing. They are betting on legacy app compatibility even though the current tablet market thrives without Windows compatibility and, apparently, bringing the desktop experience to tablets. And the tablet experience to desktops.
I still don’t see how that could possibly go wrong.
Ignore this signature. By order.
Ok, so basically the reviews are ripping it to shreds. Just re-read the last few sentences of the summary. That's the nice way of saying "This is total trash, stay away from it. I don't know who would want one, because either you need a tablet, or a notebook, and this one tries to be both and fails at both."
Assorted stuff I do sometimes: Lemuria.org
Also, why would anyone think the Surface Pro was supposed to run on battery all day...? Clearly this is a workstation/tablet hybrid that leans farther to the tablet side.
Because that’s what tablets do. Because that’s what ultrabooks (want to) do. Because Surface Pro has a shorter battery life than many laptops.
This is a hybrid that does nothing right, taking the worst parts from both worlds.
In the longer run Intel will have move entirely into this market, and you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it - and by that time it will run 10 hours on a charge.
And by that time, other devices will run two days on a single charge. The competition innovates, too. And much more so than Microsoft.
Ignore this signature. By order.
I was thinking about waiting for a Surface Pro, but just bought a Lenovo Twist for my wife. Similar specs, cheaper, and you can use it like a normal laptop. I win.
She tried a Surface RT and really liked it, but MS in its infinite wisdom hasn't released Outlook for RT, which is a deal breaker for a LOT of us enterprise folks. Way to shoot yourself in the foot, geniuses.
Never let a lack of data get in the way of a good rant.
A big screen, a mouse and keyboard, many connectors (half a dozen USBs minimum, plus card readers, eSATA etc.), optical disk drive, ability to run software without it being signed or from an approved source, and good high-spec CPU, GPU, RAM, internal storage, and so forth. Probably more things, but that's a good starter for 10.
It may be true that you can take a tablet (such as the Surface) and make it all of these things with add on peripherals- in which case, assuming it is painless, then I'm all for it. But if it means squinting at a 7" screen trying to use a touch-screen GUI with a mouse and waiting 25 seconds every time I try to sort a column on a spreadsheet, then it isn't going to do for me.
BGR is quite positive, but as I recall they're typically quite favorable towards MS. The other two reviews are much less favorable and I think the summary's tone is pretty much in line. I mean heck, the article at Ars is entitled "Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro: Hotter, Thicker, Faster, Louder" - you don't even really need to read it to get the not-so-rosy picture.
What exactly do you consider a proper computer?
Something with a decent sized pair of screens, a good keyboard, a good mouse, plenty of memory, fast wired ethernet and a fast CPU. And yes, I know you can plug keyboards, monitors, mice, etc into a tablet, but once you've done that you've bought everything you need for a workstation except the cheap bit (the computer itself); and rather than having a cheap but powerful machine to run it all, you have an expensive and slow tablet.
A stand alone tablet would be handy, a tablet that you can't take with you because you have to leave it docked while it processes something that should've been done on a desktop machine is not useful.
What do you mean by actual work?
I'm a software developer, but the same would seem to apply to many disciplines.
I have a dual hex core (24 hardware threads) 26GB dev box in my office, a new Mac Mini, and a Dell Touch screen all-in-one - I develop on all of them.
Ok, so would you be happy to have your dev box replaced by a tablet (since that's what you proposed - "people no longer have PCs at the office")? I didn't say people wouldn't have tablets, I said they wouldn't have them _instead_ of a PC, rather, as well as it.
The majority of people at a company (that isn't an ISV) don't need anything more powerful than an iPad to do everything they've got to do.
I'm not sure I'll agree there - software developers have a great ability to squander hardware upgrades in inefficencies (for example, the current trend of doing *everything* in javascript is nutty and requires more powerful hardware to do the same job that we were already doing in native compiled code years ago).
However, even if you're right, why would you give the secretary an ipad instead of a PC? Sure, it might be useful to have a tablet as well, but when I worked at a company that had a policy of giving everyone only a laptop (rather than a desktop as well) I frequently found myself unable to take the laptop to meetings because I would be in the middle of doing something that would preclude undocking it.
The Surface Pro is going to give them an iPad-ish form factor except it will run Windows 7/8 software that already exists - That's a pretty huge win for IT departments, especially given that they can provision the devices with group policies/AD.
Don't get me wrong, I thought that Windows RT seemed like a crazy idea because the only possible reason I can think for people buying a Windows tablet is so it can be provisioned with AD (which RT can't do). However, the requirement for such meaty hardware just to get AD support is crazyness - having such a heavy weight OS on a tablet gives you the worst of both worlds (for the record, I don't see _why_ windows 8 needs such powerful hardware. My 6 year old laptop runs a perfectly capable linux desktop, and that's the same kind of performance as you could get out of top-end Android hardware these days, so I think MS have completely lost the plot by making Windows 8 so heavy it needs heavy hardware to go with it.
http://blog.nexusuk.org
There are two reasons why x86 Windows would eat battery.
First, Intel's processors are not power savers. They eat power. They consume power to perform computations, they consume power to cool themselves down to keep from overheating when computing. Just having to translate x86 CISC to RISC on the chip before doing the computation is an additional step that uses power. Even if Atom can turn itself off when idle, it cannot avoid the x86 overhead.
Second, Windows is a resource hog. It was never a very well-coded OS. It was open, and popular (due to its DOS legacy as a result of IBM), but not written with efficiency in mind. And not only that, but with Windows running, the machine will never sit idle. It'll always be doing something in the background.
But Windows 8 isn't going to replace desktops with tablets at work anytime soon. Hell, work machines aren't going to replace Windows XP and 7 with Windows 8 at all, whether on the desktop or some other form factor. It's not that Microsoft declared war on their hardware partners. Instead, I think they declared war on the user. Their hardware partners are just collateral damage.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
However, I see no point in the future where a tablet is going to replace my workstation. I can see myself having a tablet to augment my workstation
No such future is being suggested by the Surface.
Can you please go back and read the email I was replying to, which said:
you'll find that people no longer have PCs at the office, they've got 'surface pro 3' with full blown M$ Office on it
Clearly the poster was saying that the tablet would replace the workstation.
http://blog.nexusuk.org
Passive stylus?
I had my fill of those w/ the Stylistic C-500, and Point PT-510.
Active digitizer is a requirement for my purposes.
Sphinx of black quartz, judge my vow.
Apparently you missed the irony of replying on topic, but absurdly, to a clearly absurd comment.
First, it's not crap - although it's not for me.
Second, I'm not defending Micro$oft in any way, I'm pointing out the hypocrisy of people trying to always make Micro$oft sound evil despite virtually every other company (Google/Apple/Et cetera) doing the same things.
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Just regular old wacom tech... The stylus is passive, but I have yet to find anything better for taking notes and sketching on the go.
I'm sure MS and Google, who are software guys, are convinced that their difficulties with mobile (phones and/or tablets) are/were due to their hardware partners slacking off. They're both wrong though: Android tablets pre 3.x (arguable, pre 4.x) didn't have much success because *android*, not the hardware, was not up to snuff. And today, Windows RT and Windows Phone are having a hard time getting traction because the *software* is not very good, probably a bit bad actually, in terms of features, reliability, and apps.
The likes of Samsung, Asus, Acer, just have to port Windows RT/Phone to some of their *existing* Android hardware for Windows to have first-rate hardware to run on. But they can't do it, because Windows RT/Mobile doesn't support much hardware, can't use regular- or high-rez screens, doesn't run on all SoCs... And they don't even *want* to do it, because Windows Mobile sucks and very few people want it: it doesn't even have an all-terrain video player that can read anything you throw at it, it has a confusing/undiscoverable touch UI, and on tablets a second, a even more confusing, Desktop UI that's only for *ONE* app (Office). And it crashes. A lot.
Again, unless MS can clean up their code, finish up their UI, get some apps, and get market traction, they're better off doing the hardware too, because if I were a OEM right now, I wouldn't bother spending R&D on Windows Phone/RT.
The Cloud - because you don't care if your apps and data are up in the air.
The exact reason that they are only in MS stores is profit. If they sold in other stores, MS would make less as the distributors have to have their markup. Minus overhead for the store MS (and Apple) keeps more money for themselves.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
So MS cannot control their own hardware if they are not the only manufacurers? They don't have control over the entire Windows tablet market because other OEMs exist but they can control their own products. In fact, they are at a huge advantage in that they have access to inside information, pricing advantages, etc.
Well, there's spam egg sausage and spam, that's not got much spam in it.
I see many parallels too:
Apple: iPod/iPhone/iPad
Microsoft: Zune/Windows Phone/Surface
Yes indeed. Many parallels.
MMO Quests are like orgasms:
You may solo them, I prefer them in a group.
Wacoms are active digitizers. They actively sense where the stylus is with an antenna that sits behind the screen. The stylus itself is active as well, using induction. The pen's circuitry then sends back a signal indicating its rotation, angle, and tip pressure. You can make an active digitizer draw by pressing the tip without even touching the screen, and hover actions can be used due to being able to sense the pen above the screen.
Thanks for clearing that up. I was under the impression that the stylus actually needed to be battery powered to qualify as active :-)
What's the battery life on your lady's Fujitsu?
that the big fat thief , racist and ethical cheater known as bill gates lays eggs as routinely as expected.
It's a nice device, but with PDF Annotation & OneNote both available on Android. It has competition. And you lose anti-virus, gain a future OS upgrade (if you go with a top name), have a thinner, cooler (temperature) device with days of instant standby. All for about the same cost, or less if you can handle a smaller screen size (which Android works sufficiently with).
Science & open-source build trust from peer review. Learn systems you can trust.
I'm not sure that's the only reason (although it may be one), since they are available in limited retail stores like BestBuy and Staples, soon to be Costco I think was rumored.
They're not betting on legacy app compatibility. That's what RT is all about. They're trying to hedge their bets. And there's nothing wrong with RT. The problem is that it's just too late to the game. It's like the new Blackberry. Why would you get it over what's already dominant? Unless there is something so compelling that it's irresistable. And this is where product after product fails. Windows 8/RT, Blackberry 10, Barnes & Noble Nook, HP WebOS TouchPad, etc. They all have something to offer, but not enough to push the market into a new orbit.
On the other hand you've got the new Google Chrome devices. They may not necessarily hold much appeal to a geek, but they have two features that make them compelling: 1) Tablet-like OS simplicity in laptop form - no worrying about viruses and how to install updates, no worrying about backups, it's all taken care of. 2) Price. They are ridiculously low priced.
Microsoft could've done more to make Surface a success by actually listening to its focus groups and to the clamoring of the multitudes who have been saying for months that Windows 8's desktop experience is fatally flawed (I don't personally agree but the throngs have spoken). They could've included $100 in Windows Store app allowance with every tablet purchase, which would both have fed developers and given people a reason to wade into this new paradigm. They could've offered a third "hard case" keyboard with a proper hinge and more battery that would turn the Surface Pro into a bona fide laptop similar to the Asus Transformer. They could've done more to make the Windows Desktop experience more tablet friendly (you can't even adjust the scrollbar width to the extent that you used to.) There were many things they could've done that they chose not to do because they're not used to competing on a level playing field.
I was their target market. I'm interested in getting a laptop/tablet hybrid (I used to own an HP convertible laptop). I've been excited for the Surface Pro release. And even so, they did a lot right. It's a beautiful machine. Just not enough.
There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
They're not betting on legacy app compatibility. That's what RT is all about.
Yes, but this is not Surface RT. This is about Surface Pro. And if legacy app compatibility isn’t one of its perceived advantages, what is? The bigger, faster, hotter CPU?
They're trying to hedge their bets. And there's nothing wrong with RT. The problem is that it's just too late to the game.
Well, there is the matter of the screen, too. Much crappier than the competition.
It's like the new Blackberry. Why would you get it over what's already dominant? Unless there is something so compelling that it's irresistable. And this is where product after product fails. Windows 8/RT, Blackberry 10, Barnes & Noble Nook, HP WebOS TouchPad, etc. They all have something to offer, but not enough to push the market into a new orbit.
Precisely. This is, incidentally, why Linux on the desktop is still a pipe dream. It’s good, in parts even really good, but just not good enough for people to switch (and lose the apps they’re used to, whether they’d paid money for them or not).
Microsoft could've done more to make Surface a success by actually listening to its focus groups and to the clamoring of the multitudes who have been saying for months that Windows 8's desktop experience is fatally flawed (I don't personally agree but the throngs have spoken).
I do agree. After using everything from DOS 3.30 and up, Windows 3.0 and up (except for Vista), Mac OS from System 7 up, CDE under Solaris and literally dozens of GUI’s under Linux, I have to say the Metro experience on the desktop is one of the most unintuitive interfaces I’d tried. Not built for keyboard and mouse. At all.
Still, I don’t understand why they even had focus groups if they’d decided not to listen to them.
They could've included $100 in Windows Store app allowance with every tablet purchase, which would both have fed developers and given people a reason to wade into this new paradigm. They could've offered a third "hard case" keyboard with a proper hinge and more battery that would turn the Surface Pro into a bona fide laptop similar to the Asus Transformer.
They could have. They didn’t. And I fear it’s a bit too late now.
I mean, the second Zune was said to have been really good. Didn’t matter one bit, did it now?
They could've done more to make the Windows Desktop experience more tablet friendly (you can't even adjust the scrollbar width to the extent that you used to.)
So you’re saying it’s not even very tablet-friendly? Because I’d only tried it as a desktop (on a 17" laptop) and it was rather dreadful. It looked rather tablet-oriented, and my colleagues who’d tried it out as a tablet were fairly content.
There were many things they could've done that they chose not to do because they're not used to competing on a level playing field.
Well, and because they didn’t want to enrage their hardware-building partners who might not have been able to compete with $100 vouchers and whatnot. They might have got the reply “Want to make devices that we can’t price match? Fine, have a nice life.” Gabe Newell, for whatever reasons, has started looking for greener pastures. How many allies can Microsoft afford to lose right now?
I was their target market. I'm interested in getting a laptop/tablet hybrid (I used to own an HP convertible laptop). I've been excited for the Surface Pro release. And even so, they did a lot right. It's a beautiful machine. Just not enough.
That’s the problem. Not good enough.
Ignore this signature. By order.
> What exactly do you consider a proper computer?
A keyboard, mouse, and flat-screen 22"+ display. It should "be fast." Everything else is details.
> What do you mean by actual work?
Content creation, not consumption. This includes writing documents, working with spreadsheets or other analysis tools, writing code, composing music, creating art, etc.
quite a way but seriously, this company just keeps falling further behind under Ballmer's watch. They are playing catch up and not innovating.
Actually, the Atom tablets are on par with the Android devices in terms of battery life, and actually a bit better than most in terms of performance. The Atom blows Tegra3 out of the water (I have a Nexus 7 to compare to).
As for OneNote on Android: Last time I tried that, it wouldn't even display handwritten notes from my SkyDrive folder... let alone allow me to add any. Has this changed?
I highly doubt that the Android version has anywhere near caught up to the Windows version :). The same goes for PDF annotation - EZPDF and so on... they just don't cut it when compared to Bluebeam or Grahl.
"On an island, the Surface Pro is a fantastic premium computer that is portable, versatile and capable."
On an island, the Surface Pro will last three hours.
At bestbuy, long story short, I like it.
While you may be correct, in this case because of Microsoft's nearly 40 year history as not really being a computer hardware vendor (not talking about mice here), they are telling those they partnered with for decades that their products are inferior and Microsoft can do it better.
Google hasn't been around long enough to create that sort of legacy and has both partnered with and created their own hardware along the way.
I just don't see this as an apples to apples comparison for you to make. But hey, your opinion is as good as anyone's.
Microsoft wasn't making an OS compatible for touch-devices for anyone before they decided to release a piece of hardware. Maybe MS partners felt sad and left out, but it's not like MS is declaring war on hardware manufacturers. It's not apples to apples comparison, just noting one fact that discredits the statement that MS is declaring war.
Why do you find it suspect? Ah, because you do not know much about them and didn't realize that you can have an attached DVD via wire or wifi?
The point behind cubicle dwellers drooling over tablets is because they don't want to be sitting in the little cubes any more. And while that is just a wishful dream for many, there are many others who could be more productive by being able to move about and still have their computing resources in their hands. Not everyone is a code banger that has to be hunched over a keyboard with 2-3 27" screens and a PBX handset within reach at all times.