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Microsoft To Launch At Least One Surface All-In-One PC Next Month (zdnet.com)

Microsoft plans to launch at least one Surface all-in-one PC next month, reports ZDNet. The company has been testing 21-inch, 24-inch, and 27-inch models for quite some time, but it is unclear which variant it plans to launch at its event in October. ZDNet reports:I've heard that Surface Cardinal could be positioned as a product that can turn your desk into "a studio." My bet: Cardinal is the rumored Surface All-in-One device running Windows 10, which may come in one, two and/or three different screen sizes (21, 24 or 27), as first reported by Windows Central. This may be the consumer-focused version of Microsoft's Surface Hub, as Windows Central speculated, using the Perceptive Pixel screen technology that's at the core of Surface Hub.

67 comments

  1. FFS don't let SpaceX launch it. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Learn from Facebook's mistake.

  2. I can't wait by 110010001000 · · Score: 1, Insightful

    They have been selling so many Surface tablets. I see them everywhere! On the street, on the subway, coffee shops. Why not introduce a line of PC's based on such a successful product. It is just good business*.


    *Warning: may be overstated. Sales of Surface tablets may be in the single digits. No Surface Tablet has actually been spotted outside of a store.

    1. Re:I can't wait by 0100010001010011 · · Score: 1

      They must have all been given to the NFL and CBS for gratuitous Windows logo placement.

    2. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At which point they were called iPads.

    3. Re:I can't wait by nomadic · · Score: 2

      I know, slashdot, M$, BSOD, blah blah blah, but I see them around plenty. I have a Surface 4 and I love it, and even some of the Mac websites were conceding that it's actually a pretty slick machine. And not just targeting you, but it's so weird when Linux and Mac fans both argue that sales figures are probative of quality, considering Mac's pre-2000 history, and Linux's entire history.

    4. Re:I can't wait by 110010001000 · · Score: 2

      No you don't see them. I live in one of the most populated areas in the US and I never see them, ever.

    5. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Are you a developmentally disabled person?

    6. Re:I can't wait by bazorg · · Score: 1

      Are there offices in the most populated parts of the US, or did you survey coffee shops only?

    7. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      but I see them around plenty

      no shit when you work in the microsoft warehouse where they store the stuff

    8. Re:I can't wait by RandomSurfer314 · · Score: 1

      Well, I for one would take one for free, provided that the boot loader is not locked. Go Microsoft, go!

    9. Re:I can't wait by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      I checked the offices around here too. Never seen one in any office.

    10. Re:I can't wait by Jeff+Hornby · · Score: 1

      Really, that's odd: where I live they don't let strange people just wander in and out of offices because they want to "check out what computers you're using"

      --
      Why doesn't Slashdot ever get slashdotted?
    11. Re: I can't wait by bazorg · · Score: 2

      Maybe he just had a peek through the windows. In any case, I'd say it's odd to never/rarely see Surface pros out there. Less common than macbooks, yes, but not exactly hard to find in my experience.

    12. Re:I can't wait by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      I'm not strange though. I am perfectly normal.

    13. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Funny I spot one in my living room every evening.

    14. Re:I can't wait by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      At which point they were called iPads.

      EXCEPT during the Super Bowl from two years ago (or was it was last year's?). Towards the end of the game one of the teams was trying to use their Surfaces to disseminate some information on the sideline but they were locking up and not working - in that instance, the guys in the booth repeatedly and correctly referred to them as "Microsoft Surface".

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    15. Re:I can't wait by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      No Surface Tablet has actually been spotted outside of a store.

      I saw one at the library yesterday. They've been selling in the category of 'poor person's laptop.' At least, that's what I think whenever I see one.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    16. Re:I can't wait by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

      No Surface Tablet has actually been spotted outside of a store

      Things must be different where you are. I see them everywhere - Coffee shops, airports, trains, hotel lobbies...

    17. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      There was a friggin Surface on one of the front rows in Apple's yesterday event. No Lenovos, no Dells -- the only thing other than MacBooks in that picture is a Surface.

      I know that Slashdot lives in its own bubble, but at this point arguing that the Surface sales have been in "single digits" is outright ridiculous.

    18. Re:I can't wait by MightyMartian · · Score: 1

      I've seen a couple in the wild at conferences, which is usually a good place to get a notion of what's out in the wild. The overwhelming majority of tablets were iPads, with a few Androids out there.

      --
      The world's burning. Moped Jesus spotted on I50. Details at 11.
    19. Re:I can't wait by ChunderDownunder · · Score: 1

      'poor"? Hardly.

      They're several times the price of those brightly coloured netbooks that HP pumps out with specs barely changed in a decade - WXGA.

    20. Re:I can't wait by nyquil+superstar · · Score: 1

      I see a lot of them, too. I have a Surface Book (that I'm actually quite enamored with), and have a co-worker that has a Pro 4. She seems to like it well enough. I see them at airports a lot these days, but that could also be that I notice them because I have one (kinda like you buy a brand x car, then you see it EVERYWHERE), and they are very common at the conferences I attend as a vendor. Those are mostly government-worker attended conferences, though, and I think Microsoft still has excellent penetration into that market space.

    21. Re:I can't wait by SirSlud · · Score: 1

      They didn't sell like hotcakes, but they also didn't sell poorly enough to work as the subject of the joke you're trying to make: http://betanews.com/2016/03/08...

      --
      "Old man yells at systemd"
    22. Re: I can't wait by Billly+Gates · · Score: 1

      Bahaha

      Funny how I and all of IT here own them. Many former clients buy them for executives too.

      Really? Yes this is an anti ms site but the surface makes MS billions in revenue and is a top generator of income behind Azure and office. The large surface hub sold out within 1 week and MS has tons of back orders.

      Keep dreaming.

      Oh and they make great Ubuntu tablets too I may add so this is not a pro MS troll as I dual boot mine

    23. Re: I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > the surface makes MS billions in revenue

      Except that a couple of years ago they wrote off $900 million of Surface stock*.

      * About 6 million Surface RTs were written down by $150 and then dumped because nobody bought them at normal price.

      Wow: captcha is 'embrace', which RT failed to do. Who issues these?

    24. Re:I can't wait by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I don't mind MS bashing at the best of times, but IIRC, this particular issue was a network problem at the stadium for about 20 minutes... not a hardware problem with the surface devices:

    25. Re:I can't wait by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      I saw one at the library yesterday. They've been selling in the category of 'poor person's laptop.' At least, that's what I think whenever I see one.

      Well, hardly. The SP4 starts at $750, which is $150 less than the starting MBP. I really doubt at that price anyone is picking the SP to save $150.

      I have to say though, Apple Marketing has worked well on you. Judging people as "poor" for using a MSFT product. You are s shining example of what Apple wants to make all of us.

    26. Re:I can't wait by phantomfive · · Score: 0

      Judging people as "poor" for using a MSFT product.

      If you want to know, I usually judge them as ignorant more than anything.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    27. Re:I can't wait by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 1

      I don't mind MS bashing at the best of times ...

      Okay, here's another one then! :-D

      I watch the Seattle Mariners baseball broadcasts on a somewhat regular basis. After each game, there's a postgame show with two guys - one reporter and one former player - who analyze what went right or (more often, with the Mariners) what went wrong. Anyway, during this season two Microsoft Surface tablets suddenly started showing up on the table in front of them - obviously the idea is we're supposed to think they're using them. But the reporter (Brad Adam) is quite obviously just continuing to follow his handwritten notes on a pad of paper he's got right next to the Surface, and the ex-player (usually Bill Krueger) is just riffing from memory.

      I wouldn't be surprised if this gets corrected at some point, though - someone will tell the guys "at least fake it".

      Apropos of nothing... some of us refer to Kreuger as "The Count" because of his slicked back hair and sharp features - very much Count Dracula in appearance.

      P.S. I agree the Super Bowl issue wasn't really MS's fault; but it's all about perception - and it was simply funny that the one time the announcers got the device name correct was when the users of the device were having issues.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    28. Re:I can't wait by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      If you want to know, I usually judge them as ignorant more than anything.

      Considering you were so far off on the price and didn't bothering looking it up, I'm judging you ignorant and lazy.

    29. Re:I can't wait by phantomfive · · Score: 1

      I'm judging you ignorant and lazy.

      That's ok.

      --
      "First they came for the slanderers and i said nothing."
    30. Re:I can't wait by nomadic · · Score: 1

      Eh, this is basically the average slashdot poster: https://www.penny-arcade.com/S...

    31. Re:I can't wait by unixisc · · Score: 1

      I have on occasion seen passengers on planes using these things. I do think they are neat, but I'd want a 16GB RAM, 64GB core i5 Flash drive configuration at $500 before I'd consider one.

      On this thing, if it is a 20"+ screen, I'd want to know whether I can put a matte sheet protector on it. If I can't, I'm not interested. All my phones & tablets have that, and there's no way I'm doing w/o it. Even w/ the protectors, I use a stylus on them, not my smudgy fingers. And I hate it that I can't have those on my laptops, even though they are non-touch. For a touch surface, it's even more out of the question

  3. Crickets by EvilEddie · · Score: 2

    and no one cared

  4. Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Too bad Microsoft is banned from my networks.

    1. Re:Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Same here. My kids are pissed that the Xbox can't connect to the wifi.

    2. Re: Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Watch out! We got some badasses over here!

    3. Re: Too Bad by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      > They couldn't bridge from another device.

  5. im thinking about it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ... but i'm afraid of the ancient evils that lurk in its firmware, software and "telemetry"-gathering circuitry.

    It is rather decent hardware, although too bad its glued together cos it has to be so thin...

    But the software, the shoggoths and the tentacles... the eldritch horrors that swim in inky depths of the murk that is whatever is its BIOS and chipset.

    What happens if I break one of the lines in the protective pentagram, while using this device?

    1. Re:im thinking about it... by Fieryphoenix · · Score: 1

      No worries, you already lost your soul just buying it!

  6. I think I can hear the screaming coming from Wacom by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    If these are pen-enabled, they pretty much just snuffed Wacom's long-standing multiple-grand Cintiq tablet monitor line.
    Which is probably okay.

  7. That's nice... by pushing-robot · · Score: 1

    ...but will we be able to fix them when they stop working?

    The iMac has been king in this space for nearly two decades now; it uses proprietary parts and is a pain to repair but is at least popular enough that you can find replacement parts for a long time.

    These also-rans have the same flaws, plus they are built in small quantities; the channels for their proprietary parts dry up fast and then you've got a doorstop when something decides to fail.

    Until another company is willing to go toe-to-toe with Apple in the AIO space I can't recommend anything besides the iMac, and even it only conditionally.

    (note: somebody needs to develop a super-flat form factor for PCs that can be clipped to the back of a monitor)

    --
    How can I believe you when you tell me what I don't want to hear?
    1. Re:That's nice... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I was removing a hard drive from a 2005 iMac. The damn thing was harder to take apart than a laptop (and I'd done it a ~2006/2007 Apple laptop). It's a good thing the iMac was ~10 years old at the point and simply being scrapped. I don't think I could put it back together correctly.

      There are a few small form factors out there. Dell sells a Micro Inspiron, but it doesn't have a VESA mount (and is currently overpriced, it's been as low as $180). The only VESA mount boxes I've seen were Atoms barebones or running Linux. It should be possible to get Windows OEM on them considering Microsoft no longer charges a license fee on low-end devices (to kill Chrome Boxes).

      Other than that, Raspberry Pi all the way. There are cases for it with VESA mounts.

  8. Re:I think I can hear the screaming coming from Wa by spire3661 · · Score: 1

    SO far the Surface line hasnt quite caught up to Wacom's fidelity with pens.

    --
    Good-bye
  9. Too late by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Apple has Mario.

  10. I have been waiting for this by bigman2003 · · Score: 1

    I've actually been looking for a high-quality All-In-One.

    I use a nice workstation at work...two high quality 24 inch displays on a monsterous dual-mount. Giant tower, etc. It's at work and I don't mind it taking all the space. (Coding and photo editing)

    I don't want a giant set of monitors and a noisy tower at home. I have a nice office, and I want to keep it that way. I was looking for an All-In-One, and I was actually resigned to buying a Mac, because of the screen. For photo editing the screen is the primary component...not the 'power' of the computer, or even the OS. I just want a nice big screen in an attractive package, with the fewest cords possible.

    The 5K iMac is evidently at the top of the heap right now.

    There is a market for a high-end AIO. I'm glad Microsoft is providing a product to fill the space. I am a photographer, and I see clients in my office. So it has to look good on my desk. Having touch is a big bonus, and zero cords (a battery would be wonderful) would top off the dream.

    Under $1,800 and you can pretty much sign me up right now.

    --
    No reason to lie.
    1. Re:I have been waiting for this by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      The Surface TABLETS are more than $1,800. I think $4,000 is more likely.

    2. Re:I have been waiting for this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You have not a clue of what you speak.
      The most expensive version of the Surface 4 tablet is $1800

      https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/Surface-Pro-4/productID.325711500

    3. Re:I have been waiting for this by geeper · · Score: 1

      Actually, the tablets start at $700 at Amazon. Depends on the specs you need.

      --
      Error reading device 'Signature'. (A)bort, (R)etry, (F)ail?
    4. Re:I have been waiting for this by Solandri · · Score: 1
      All-in-ones use the same parts as a laptop or desktop. So they're no quieter than a desktop or tower. The tower is only noisier if it's been designed as a server with excessive and aggressive cooling. In most situations the tower will actually be quieter because you can shove it under or even behind the desk, while the AIO will be sitting on your desk close to your ears. If you're not building it yourself, try the Dell desktops. A Dell my friend bought was quieter than the system I custom-built using low-noise fans and components. When I researched to find out why, I learned that noise signature is one of the criteria Dell designs and tests for in their systems.

      For professional photo work, a good screen will run you upwards of $1000. This is not a component you want to have to throw away and replace in 3-5 years when it's time to upgrade the computer. You want to buy it once, then use it for 10-15 years (how long a monitor typically lasts). AIOs don't allow you to reuse the screen, unless you want a kludge where you end up using the AIO as just a monitor for your next computer (thus losing out on resale value of the computer portion).

      I am a photographer, and I see clients in my office. So it has to look good on my desk.

      Not much you can do about cords (except a wireless mouse and keyboard). But I've always been able to shove the power and monitor cable out of sight behind the desk. The better desks have a hole on the top for cables.

      A friend solved the client problem by getting a second monitor facing the client (sitting on the opposite side of the desk as him) and having it mirror his monitor. That way he wasn't stuck having to turn his monitor sideways so both he and the client could view the screen at the same time.

    5. Re:I have been waiting for this by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      The Surface TABLETS are more than $1,800.

      Surface Pro 4 starts at ~780USD.
      https://www.amazon.com/Microso...

      Seriously though, you can't be bothered to spend 5 seconds on Amazon before posting?

    6. Re:I have been waiting for this by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Oh right...except no one is going to get the lowest i5 model wth 4GB of memory. The i7 model is $2,000-$2,400.

    7. Re:I have been waiting for this by 110010001000 · · Score: 1

      Its more than $1800 once you actually get it. They aren't going to sell this all in one for less than $4000.

    8. Re:I have been waiting for this by farble1670 · · Score: 1

      Right, because a latest gen Core i5 isn't really enough to do real work, right? Go do a little Googling, and come back and apologize when you see how many laptops, and mid range GAMING systems ship with i5's.

  11. All-in-One?, more like... by hyperar · · Score: 0

    All-in-No thanks

  12. I see lots of them by HBI · · Score: 1

    ...in the hands of Microsoft. MCS contractors who work for us seem to have a few. No one else, though.

    --
    HBI's Law: Frequency of calling others Nazis is directly correlated with the likelihood of the accuser being Communist.
  13. yes, but... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    can it run linux? (Serious question. I really want to know if this would be good hardware for Linux?)

  14. Re:Why I now ban Windows... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    PEBKAC.

  15. Dumb.... by Lumpy · · Score: 1

    They need to sell an affordable 40" surface table. dell and HP already have sub $600 20 ish inch touch pc's running windows 10, there is zero reason for a microsoft one.

    They need to get off their ass and sell the table sized stuff at a price lower than that of a BMW M3.

    --
    Do not look at laser with remaining good eye.
  16. Hold their value... by CohibaVancouver · · Score: 1

    What impresses me is how well they hold their value.

    I was looking at picking up one of the older Surface Pros. A first-gen one (with keyboard and stylus) will show in eBay at $350 with 30 bids.

    1. Re:Hold their value... by Gilgaron · · Score: 1

      Maybe it was used with an embedded system? We have some old crappy barcode scanners and they cost just as much as nice new ones because if you haven't upgraded to the new ones it is because you can't be bothered with the expense of updating your back end and will pay the same price for the old hardware.

  17. Someone Needs To Be Fired by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The whole "Surface" branding is crap, far too confusing. Even half the current posts on this article are mixing up their use of Surface and the device they're trying to talk about. First it was Tablet PCs (touchscreen, swivel laptops decades before tablets were a thing). Then we got Surface (the table), Surface (the tablet/laptop), Surface RT (the failed tablet), Surface Pro (a good tablet/laptop hybrid), Surface 2/3/4 Pro/RIT, and Surface Hub (table or wall mounted).

    Now there's something 'journalists' are calling Surface All-In-One PC* which is actually called Surface Cardinal by Microsoft, but that's only the codename... There are far too many decides across the entire spectrum** called Surface.

    *Because Microsoft took out yet another patent on a modular computer. How many failed attempts do we have at that? Why can that idea still be patented? How did they get a full patent in only one year?
    ** Except a Surface phone

  18. All-in-one are dumb by danbob999 · · Score: 1

    The monitor (should) last much longer than the PC. There is a reason for having the two separated. Especially if we are talking about mid-range to high end monitors. They are an investment that should last for at least 2-3 PCs.
    All-in-ones have the downsides of both desktops and laptops. If you don't need the power and expandability, get a laptop. And get an external monitor if you want a large one.

  19. Re:Riunite on ice, That's nice... by TheRealHocusLocus · · Score: 1

    ...but will we be able to fix them when they stop working?

    You're so silly, asking all these questions!

    Microsoft has been studying Apple products but also filagree jellyfish brought up from the deeps of the world's oceans. When they saw that the beautiful and precious jellyfish had arrived at the surface rendered into sad shapeless ooze, it gave them an idea.

    It will be called a Surface Tablet because they intend to manufacture them deep in the ocean, press the pieces together into shells down there with hydraulic rams, then bring them up to the surface and sell them. Apple has been tormented by all those clever people who find ways into their products to replace batteries, and other horrors. Microsoft's Surface Tablet will be internally pressurized at over 1,000 atmospheres. If you crack the shell it will take out the walls of your house and your flattened remains will be intermixed with several cubic yards of electronic ooze.

    They'll have real jellyfish inside as a screen saver.

    --
    <blink>down the rabbit hole</blink>
  20. Exactly One Benefit by StormReaver · · Score: 1

    Where I work, the Surface has exactly one benefit: our Java programs can be installed on it as if it were just another computer. But once Android has that ability, the Surface's one advantage will evaporate; leaving only downsides.

  21. Useful in some fields by Ambvai · · Score: 1

    In a few of the real estate offices I've worked with, Surfaces have become standard equipment. They primarily want Office, strong PDF support, and support of various proprietary features on websites. The latter two are especially useful, since a single contract, including cancellations, edits, drafts, etc. can normally take a full ream of paper. By going digital, they can save on the paper and toner. Most of them already have some degree of experience working with Windows systems, so the familiar interface is useful and the pen is much more intuitive to work with than signing with a finger. And, more importantly, looks like an actual signature/faxed signature which means it's trivial to get legally recognized, even if it doesn't go through an official e-sign service.

    While it's not for everybody, there are definitely pockets where the Surface is popular and encouraged.