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Microsoft Takes Another Stab At Tablets, Unveils Surface 2, Surface 2 Pro

Posted by samzenpus on from the let's-try-this-again dept.

Dputiger writes "Microsoft has unveiled both the Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro, updating the former with a Tegra 4 processor and the latter with a new Haswell chip. Among the additional improvements are a more comfortable kickstand with two height settings, 1080p displays for both devices, USB 3.0 support, better battery life, and a higher resolution camera. Pricing for the 32GB Surface without a Touch or Type Cover is set at $449."

36 of 381 comments (clear)

  1. Or alternatively by eclectro · · Score: 5, Funny

    "This isn't an iPad 2" and "This isn't an iPad 2 pro".

    --
    Take the cheese to sickbay, the doctor should see it as soon as possible - B'Elanna Torres, "Learning Curve"
    1. Re:Or alternatively by Capt.DrumkenBum · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was thinking "Epic fail 2, and Epic fail 2 pro".
      It is the price. They are still trying to sell at Apple prices, but MS is not, and has never been Apple. If they had released a tablet at around $300 they might have had a shot. There is a bit of a price gap at around $300.

      --
      If I were God, wouldn't I protect my churches from acts of me?
    2. Re: Or alternatively by hsmith · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Yeah, but it is making them lots of money instead of losing lots of money.

    3. Re:Or alternatively by iamhassi · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I was thinking "Epic fail 2, and Epic fail 2 pro". It is the price. They are still trying to sell at Apple prices, but MS is not, and has never been Apple. If they had released a tablet at around $300 they might have had a shot. There is a bit of a price gap at around $300.

      This. Microsoft needs to compete with Android tablets, not Apple. Microsoft needs a $199 tablet to compete with $199 Android tablets. Surface RT is still overpriced at $349. You're a software company, stop trying to make profit on hardware! Sell the hardware cheap and make the money from sales through the app store! You make the Xbox, haven't you learned anything from how console sales work yet? Or are you purposely pricing yourself far above market so you can lose money? Because that's exactly what this looks like, like you're not even trying.

      --
      my karma will be here long after I'm gone
    4. Re:Or alternatively by mlts · · Score: 4, Insightful

      MS could have just released both tablets as x86 ones, and they would have been decent replacements for primary PCs, especially if the tablets have a decent GPU/chipset.

      The Surface 2 is OK, but it has to fight against well-entrenched players.

      However, the Surface Pro 2 looks interesting as a primary computer, especially the one with 512GB of flash and 8GB of RAM. It won't win any benchmarks, but with the dock, it could be a decent desktop replacement, especially with USB 3.0 ports. In fact, it might have a long useful life, because it could run Windows Server 2012, Linux, or an OS of choice, and be easily tossed onto the top of a closet to act as a file or web server when it becomes too slow for mainstream software.

    5. Re:Or alternatively by jeffmflanagan · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Compared to Surface Pro, yes, but if the regular Surface is still running RT, it's more of a toy than the iPad.

    6. Re:Or alternatively by r1348 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Two words: no apps.

    7. Re:Or alternatively by gstoddart · · Score: 4, Insightful

      On spec, maybe it is less of a toy ... and unfortunately, that's what people buy tablets for. Toys.

      Is the tablet market grumbling and saying "gee, what we really want is something we can create a spreadsheet on"? Me, I think not and Microsoft may be missing on getting the market as, once again, the "I'm a PC" guys are talking about business uses and not entertainment.

      My tablet isn't what I do my work on, it's what I take travelling with me, surf the web, find restaurants, play some stupid games, send a few emails. I didn't buy it to do 'work' on, I bought it to play with, and to use it to look up stuff in the living room or amuse myself on a plane and give me connectivity without dragging my laptop.

      If what you're looking for is a small business machine, what you describe sounds pretty cool. But my tablet is more of an e-reader, video game, web surfing, play music and movies kinda thing.

      So I wonder if Microsoft is doing what they've always done, and envisioned a world where what people most want to have Office and Outlook -- when what people really want is anything but Office and Outlook. They want an oversized MP3 player that can play games and surf the web and watch videos on Facebook.

      They don't need to complete the TPS reports by Thursday.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    8. Re:Or alternatively by DaHat · · Score: 4, Informative

      ..what the fuck can you do in surface rt command line?

      A good chunk of what you can do otherwise, ditto with Powershell... though there are a few interop things which are locked out IIRC (such as P/Invoking from PS).

      what the fuck is the usb port good for when you have no drivers for anything?

      I dunno... transferring files via sneaker-net between an external thumb drive, HD or memory card?

      I'd respond to more of what you've said, but it would appear you are so hate filled that there is no point in trying much more to reason with you.

      --
      Help Brendan pay off his student loans
  2. MS Tablet Strategy by tgeek · · Score: 5, Funny

    Is like a broken Coke machine . . . maybe if they keep putting one more quarter in it, they'll finally get a cool refreshing drink . . .

    1. Re:MS Tablet Strategy by bitt3n · · Score: 4, Funny

      Is like a broken Coke machine . . . maybe if they keep putting one more quarter in it, they'll finally get a cool refreshing drink . . .

      To be fair, at least since the 70's you've needed to use the same process to get a Coke from a working machine. I'd say it's more like they jammed a fork in an electrical socket, and when they got shocked they decided they better try turning the fork around first.

      --
      how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
    2. Re:MS Tablet Strategy by Zero__Kelvin · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's like if Ford tried to increase Pinto sales by putting a bigger gas tank in it and selling it for more money.

      --
      Guns don't kill people; Physics kills people! - John Lithgow as Dick Solomon on Third Rock From The Sun
    3. Re:MS Tablet Strategy by steelfood · · Score: 5, Funny

      Actually, the way I envision it, Microsoft is on the third 10-minute break from a 6-10 night class. It missed dinner right before class, and it's starting to get hungry. There's actually a full meal in Microsoft's bag cooked by its live-in chef. But it's lasagna, and Microsoft doesn't want to disturb the rest of the class with the pungent aroma of parmesean cheese and tomato sauce. Besides, class is almost over. There's only another hour left, and then Microsoft gets to eat its dinner to its heart's desire.

      Instead, Microsoft opts for a small snack, one that'd be good enough to satisfy it for the rest of class. It didn't bring one, but it saw classmates Apple and Google heading off in some direction down the hall and then coming back with snacks like hostess cupcakes and twinkies and pop tarts and pretzels and tons of other snack items. Apple and Google have been eating these little things during the previous hours of the lecture, and this made Microsoft hungrier.

      So during this third, final break, as Apple and Google head to the vending machine once again for more food, Microsoft decides to follow. Microsoft hides around the corner as Apple and Google are picking up some snacks. This being night time, the lights in the halls are off, giving Microsoft the perfect environment to remain hidden. Microsoft has had a lot of practice hiding away from the plain sight of others, watching them and then doing as they did, which helps now. It waits for Apple and Google to return to the classroom, and then goes up to the machine. Microsoft sees a brand of chips it likes. Microsoft doesn't normally each chips, preferring gourmet food over small snacks inthe past, but it sees that the bag is bigger than the other bags, and it's cheaper than most of the other comparable items in the machine. So after it punches the number in, the first bag comes out. But to Microsoft's surprise, the bag promptly gets stuck against the glass. The bag of chips in question is actually too big to fit between the rack and the glass.

      Now, Microsoft's standing in front of the machine, staring at it, wondering why its chips haven't fallen. From having observed others buy food at vending machines, it knows that it can just buy a second bag when the first gets stuck, and both bags will fall. So Microsoft puts in the requisite amount again and punches in the code for a second bag of the same brand. The second bag just gets stuck behind the first bag. It did dislodge the first bag a little, so Microsoft thinks this is a success.

      But Microsoft hears Apple and Google coming back for some more food, probably stocking up for the next hour or so of class. And so Microsoft runs to hide around the corner again. It notices that Apple and Google see the stuck bags through the window. They point at it and laugh and wonder who the poor sap was who tried unsuccessfully to get not one, but two bags of chips. Then they put money in, punch for their desired items, and walk away with carrying their loot.

      Now Microsoft is a bit angry, jealous and upset over being ridiculed, and a bit frustrated that the chips it chose is still stuck between the rack and the glass. So it puts more money in, and punches the code for a third bag, hoping that this might dislodge the first and second bags. But this does not help. In fact, no matter how many times Microsoft puts money in, nothing falls out. Everything just gets stick. After a while, even the motor stops turning.

      But it doesn't matter. There are already four loose bags of chips ready to fall down, more than Microsoft can reasonably eat in the last hour of class. Microsoft has no more cash to spend. And class probably has resumed. Hungry, frustrated, broke, and in a hurry, Microsoft kicks the bottom of the machine, succeeding in only bruising its big toe. The bags of chips are still stuck. Then, after a moment of standing there thinking, even as class has certainly resumed for Apple and Google, a lightbulb goes off in Microsoft's head.

      Microsoft grabs the top of the vending machine, and pulls.

      --
      "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be."
    4. Re:MS Tablet Strategy by tooslickvan · · Score: 5, Funny

      I have no clue what you're trying to say but now I'm hungry.

    5. Re:MS Tablet Strategy by nytes · · Score: 5, Funny

      You must have carried that analogy in here with a forklift.

      --
      -- I have monkeys in my pants.
  3. Key differences by DougOtto · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The main thing that both Android and Apple based tablets have that Microsoft doesn't, is customers.

    --
    Solving Unix problems since 1989...
    1. Re:Key differences by symbolset · · Score: 4, Funny

      Also, a non-Windows OS. I wonder if Microsoft considered selling a tablet that didn't have Windows on it? Those seem to do well.

      --
      Help stamp out iliturcy.
  4. Microsoft seems not to understand. by intermodal · · Score: 5, Insightful

    People don't want Microsoft on their tablet. They've lost this war. Ironically, they're losing for the same reason IBM lost control of the PC: They can make all the products they want, but the software that people want runs on an OS owned by someone else.

    --
    In SOVIET RUSSIA... erm...NSA AMERICA, the Internet logs onto YOU!
    1. Re:Microsoft seems not to understand. by jedidiah · · Score: 4, Insightful

      No. It's the inverse of that. There are no legacy apps trapping people on the new platform. No one has any 20 year old Microsoft apps tying them to Microsoft's tablet.

      It's an open field and Microsoft has to compete on it's own merits including all of the ill will they have generated over the last 30 years.

      --
      A Pirate and a Puritan look the same on a balance sheet.
    2. Re:Microsoft seems not to understand. by vux984 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      People don't want Microsoft on their tablet.

      The only people that care are the ipad buyers who want to buy an ipad because its an ipad, and few could even articulate why they want an ipad instead of an alternative, except that they "know" that's the one they want.

      The people buying droid tablets largely don't care that its droid. Sure, some of US do, but that's beside the point.

      MS can easily take a bite out of the android market by competing on price, if they want.

      MS can also go after the premium market with the competitive advantage the Surface 2 Pro has -- the ability to run windows / desktop apps.

      And -yes- this IS something there is a market for. One company I work with for example has all it's outbound reps using laptops to enter sales etc. The reps are clamoring to switch to a tablet for portability etc. Sure the point of sale system vendor could come around with a web interface or ios/droid client at some point, but today that doesn't exist.

      So the surface pro works for them today. Microsoft can go after and capture that market, even at 'premium' prices.

      They can make all the products they want, but the software that people want runs on an OS owned by someone else.

      What software is there that's exclusively on ios or droid that you think "people want to run"? Reality is people don't care about that. ipad has its brand name cachet, and droid has the open community, but the average person? Doesn't REALLY care; and the business user? Could very well see a lot of advantages to windows tablets if microsoft puts out a competent product.

    3. Re:Microsoft seems not to understand. by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 4, Informative

      People don't want Microsoft on their tablet.

      ...anyone who works in an office environment does.

      I have a Surface Pro (NOT RT. Repeat after me NOT RT) tablet at work - and it works like a charm. It's a Core i5 running Metro + Win 8 pro. Runs full MS Office and has access to all network resources. At my desk it has its desktop extended to another monitor (try doing that with an iPad) with attached keyboard & mouse. Away from my desk it's got a detachable proper clicky keyboard and a nifty stylus.

      If I'm "tableting" with it and I just want to check something or watch something on the train I tap a metro tile's app and pull it up

      If I need to do 'real' work I go to the Windows desktop.

      All my colleagues carry two devices (iPad + Note/ultrabook PC) - I carry one. Every time I pull it out at a meeting or at the airport people say "oooh... what's *that*?" The RT noise is distracting people from what is otherwise a very cool machine.

      You couldn't pay me to lug a laptop around anymore.

    4. Re:Microsoft seems not to understand. by fwarren · · Score: 4, Insightful

      This works because of your usage case. "I need a 10 inch tablet and would be willing to run office in metro mode, and want to be able to plug a monitor keyboard and mouse into it and am willing to spend $1000-$1200 to do so."

      That is NOT a large market at this time. The sweet spot for tablets is 7 to 8 inches. The display is to small to use office effectively. My CFO chokes on $1,000 plus work stations for people that need them for AutoCAD and Photoshop. Since a standard desktop computer is less than $700, that is a hard sell.

      There is not a large market for $1000 tablets that would be great on the road AND as a primary workstation.

      --
      vi + /etc over regedit any day of the week.
  5. Lighting $100 bills would be faster by JoeyRox · · Score: 5, Funny

    If they're looking to rid themselves of excess cash.

  6. Why aim for shrinking Market share. by tuppe666 · · Score: 4, Informative

    "This isn't an iPad 2" and "This isn't an iPad 2 pro".

    The iPad Market share of tablets is shrinking (down to 30%), they actual sell less than last year. Android are now dominant in tablets.

    Current share from IDC http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS24253413

    1. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by the+computer+guy+nex · · Score: 4, Informative

      IDC counts shipments, not sales. The original galaxy tab was estimated by the IDC at over 2 million shipments, but later we learned it sold more like 50k. Web browsing numbers show the ipad at around 88% of marketshare, which counts actual purchased devices.

    2. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by organgtool · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Web browsing numbers show the ipad at around 88% of marketshare, which counts actual purchased devices.

      No, it doesn't. It counts the number of visitors of a particular web site that have content strings that claim they are using an iPad.

    3. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why is this marked insightful? Are even 1% of users spoofing their user agent string? Are 0.01%?

    4. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by sootman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      > No, it doesn't. It counts the number of visitors of a
      > particular web site that have content strings that
      > claim they are using an iPad.

      Yes! I'm sure TONS of people are using Android tablets or Surfaces but changing their user agents to make it look like they're using iPads. Because then it will look like iPads are more popular and then... sorry, I couldn't think of a single reason that anyone would do that. Someone who loves Apple but is forced to use a competing tablet by their employer? Seriously, I got nothing. Get a better version of a page? If anything, you change your UA to say "something on Desktop", not "something on iPad".

      Even if some people are doing it, I can't imagine it's enough to throw off the numbers. "Number of people setting non-iPads to send 'iPad' in their user agent string" divided by "about 90 million" equals a very, very small number.

      --
      Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
    5. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Why is this marked insightful? Are even 1% of users spoofing their user agent string? Are 0.01%?

      No, but it made the poster feel better about his personal biases.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    6. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by AlphaWolf_HK · · Score: 4, Informative

      I think what he's getting at is that particular website may just be more popular among ipad users.

      Looking at user agent statistics really is a bad way of measuring device market share in general as it can't possibly tabulate a reliable sample of users. I guarantee you for example that bing.com would report far more windows phone users than android users, whereas google.com would probably report the opposite, and I don't think it really necessitates explaining why that is.

      --
      Careful with names containing L slashdot.org/~AiphaWolf_HK slashdot.org/~AlphaWoif_HK slashdot.org/~AiphaWoif_HK
    7. Re: Why aim for shrinking Market share. by Gavagai80 · · Score: 4, Informative

      It's not the user, it's the device manufacturer doing the spoofing. The user agent of my [very cheap mass market walmart] android tablet's default browser is "Mozilla/5.0 (iPad; U; CPU OS 3_2 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/531.21.10 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.4 Mobile/7B367 Safari/531.21.10". I guess they do that to get tablet versions of pages served by websites designed for ipads.

      --
      This space intentionally left blank
  7. GOOD MONEY AFTER BAD by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Funny

    Or is it bad money, after worse?

    Either way, get ready for the "great landfill contribution of 2014" from Microsoft.

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  8. Microsoft Make a Stab at Tablets by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 5, Funny

    But they just can't kill the beast.

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."
  9. hardware vs software by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Posting as AC for employment reasons. A few months ago, the corporate powers gave us all shiny new Surfaces. Every employee got one, and the lines were an hour deep at times. But I would estimate as of now, 1/3 of them are still in their boxes, and only 1 in 5 are seeing regular use. The problem is that the Win8 IFKAM blinky-tile interface is a hard sell even inside the company, and 8-RT's limited auth model just adds to the confusion. Presented with an RT device in a thoroughly AD-managed environment, it's still totally unclear how to associate the Live/MSN/MSID account with a domain account, and corp versus personal-id usage. Most employees still can't explain how it works. I can't imagine how customers figure this out if the mothership can't get it right.

    The real twist is that the Surface hardware is GREAT. I was a fan of the Archos android tablet design (first with a kickstand), and the Surface RT did it better. The Surface RT also kicked ass wrt build quality (partly because initial refurbs were unloaded to internal employees -- you're welcome), screen and sensor quality, speed and memory right up there with Samsung and Asus high-end arm products The Surface Pro screen is top-tier, and the performance is excellent for the form and battery life. The problem is the OS. If I could run Android on the RT hardware, I would use it every day. If I could put *ANY* other OS on the RT hardware, I would. At least on the Surface Pro you can turn off the EUFI cruft and install Windows 7 or Ubuntu or Mint or whatever else floats your boat.... If only the marketing wasn't openly hostile to the way that a lot of users want to use computers.

  10. 1080P? by Osgeld · · Score: 5, Interesting

    My fucking nook has a 1920 x 1280 screen and cost 150 bucks

  11. Re:Yes, but... by Jeremiah+Cornelius · · Score: 4, Funny

    If it ran Android I'd buy it for the hardware specs it has... if only it had wifi!

    If we had meat, we could make a sandwich, if we had bread...

    --
    "Flyin' in just a sweet place,
    Never been known to fail..."