Microsoft Surface Announced (Windows 8)
- Details
- Category: Industry News
- Published on Thursday, 21 June 2012 19:44
- Written by Christian Dunn
This week Microsoft announced Microsoft Surface!!
Microsoft Surface is a new tablet range to be designed and sold by Microsoft specifically for Windows 8. At last, a real iPad competitor.
This is a very interesting play by microsoft. It now pitches them against their own hardware distributors. Apart from the XBOX, Microsoft has generally worked with vendors to produce hardware for their software, but this time they are doing it themselves.
I am sure there will be a few HP, Lenovo, Dell execs not very happy with this decision as it will now pit their tablets against those from Microsoft.
So what is Surface and is it all it's cracked up to be. Well first impressions look fantastic. This is a tablet, like the Ipad that will be available in two versions RT and PRO both running Windows 8.
So what's the difference? RT runs on an ARM processor, cannot run normal windows applications and is designed to provide a competitor to the Android/eeePC market of netbooks. This is mainly targeted at home users. This model is actually thinner than an iPad. PRO is an intel based version that is slightly thicker than an iPad but is designed to run all your normal windows applications, yes, this is a full blown windows computer, and yes it is targeted at the enterprise.
Business has been Apple's downfall. Their device doesn't run Windows, can't run Office, can't store files etc etc... We have workarounds such as online applications and Citrix but this isn't suitable for all Windows Enterprise users. The PRO tablet is designed to be the iPad for business and I want one. Admittedly I use my Android tablet more than my iPad because it has free Documents To Go so I can create and edit Word, Excel documents when I need, so I can't wait for Surface.
I love the form factor and there is a soft (pictured) and hard keyboard available that can attach to the device with magnets, just like iPad covers.
Microsoft have really thought this through.
There is only one thing they got wrong... Announce then DELIVER. Apple has a great track record of saying, we have a new product, on sale today/tomorrow/next week. Microsoft said, we have a new tablet, on sale when Windows 8 is... hmm. Give us a date and announce it when it is ready to ship. You have just given your competitors a few months to try to catch up before you hit the market. Bad Bulmer!
So if Windows 8 is due in October, then that is when these will hit the market. This is definitely the product to watch for Christmas 2012 and I can't wait to get my hands on the surface.