Comments on: Scratching the Surface: When is a tablet not a tablet?

By: carnot

carnot — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 14:37:13 +0000

No doubt it will suffer from the usual Microsoft Blue screen of death – their tradecraft for sloppy software development. No doubt getting a wifi connection to work will be a never ending challenge. No doubt it will fail to deliver on just about every metric possible. No doubt it will be about a secure as a collander. Some idiots will buy it, but my guess is that Microsoft has has its day. I gave up on their offering years ago and it was the best day’s work I ever did.

By: WeWereWallSt

WeWereWallSt — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 12:26:27 +0000

Seriously, are Balmer and Bezos in some kind of ugly competition? No wonder their stuff can’t catch up to Apple. Jobs was only ugly, but these guys are double-ugly, as our grandmother used to say. Now with Cook on stage, Apple has a half-ugly guy out front.

You’d think these guys might outsource the whole caboodle to Asia and let some Japanese or Chinese car company handle the stage models for them. They can’t be any worse off than they are now.

By: Butch_from_PA

Butch_from_PA — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 20:51:32 +0000

Microsoft blew it on the name. They already have a surface – large table size screens. They should have called it mini-surf or surfs-up.

I guess the same guy who named the google version of their search engine named this tablet like thing. I am actually drawing a blank on it – would have to open an IE browser to get the name of it.

By: soldier777

soldier777 — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 16:25:39 +0000

I’ll have both an iPad and a Surface – no question. I can’t do flash or a whole list of other websites w/ my iPad and it annoys me like crazy. Now, it’s like I’ll have every app I ever had before and more – except now I’m 100% portable and can take my notes everywhere I go. Can’t wait – totally for business and play imo. Did you see the amount of genius behind it collaborating to build it? The goal was clear – and I’m sold. You know every intro has it’s bugs – those who CAN wait will. Those who have to have the latest and greatest toys are going to scoop them up. Buying it online = no line Good job MS! Looks freakin sweet.

By: BidnisMan

BidnisMan — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 08:02:10 +0000

Presuming that there is no on screen keyboard because they did not demo one is fairly presumptious. I see the top range one as a tablet AND and laptop. Want a tablet -leave the keyboard in your car.

By: From_California

From_California — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 19:11:48 +0000

Most of us don’t want or can’t afford two computers. We simply want the lightest, most portable and convenient tool consistent with our needs for both passive media consumption and document creation (or other work). Call it what you will — ultrabook, tablet, etc. — it’s just the hardware package people are rapidly evolving toward. Something very light and touchscreen oriented, but with a real keyboard that is either integrated or easily attached-detached. All of these distinction that the companies create for marketing purposes are nonsense. It’s just a computer, made to meet today’s needs and expectations. Two years from now, everyone will have one. Just like three years ago everyone moved to laptops. It’s just a natural evolution and no single company can “own” it.

By: scythe

scythe — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:57:19 +0000

the picture shows E.T. holding something superficially resembling a tablet

but actually sending your productivity to hell with same old viral windows and buggy office

stick with samsung, ipad, android if you want to produce something rather than “fix something” with endless msoft update vomitware spewing into your machine

By: mynamehear2

mynamehear2 — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 17:33:43 +0000

Sorry John, but you couldn’t be more wrong on most points. The most glaring inaccuracy is that Surface is not going to be a competitor to the ipad and will not cut into its sales- to which I say it absolutely will. This will cut into both ipad sales and ultrabook sales. What the Surface represents is the missing link. What I mean by that is that I have a tablet (both ipad and android), I also have a ultrabook & laptop. What I’ve been longing for in the tablet realm has less to do with form factors or how quickly I can stamp out emails- but rather can do those things – and – also unify these different platforms most seamlessly. And the answer to that (if you are one of the roughly 75% users who use a Windows product) will be a tablet that can run your desktop software, or Windows as is the case for me.

Because what I want to do most is run all my desktop apps on my tablet and have full access and synchronization to them, and vise verse. I want to be able to open my familiar desktop browser on my tablet with a touch interface and have complete access to my password form fill data fully accessible. I want all of my bookmarks and google buttons sitting there as I’ve got them on my desk/lap/ultra. I want to be able to buy a common software program and have license across multiple devices- the same with games.

But most importantly I want to have One Common Interface across all these devices. This is where Win8/Metro comes in on the tablet (time will tell with Windows Phone). And from what I’ve seen so far, in the tablet world, MS may have very well knocked it out of the park and if you are Apple or Google, you should be nervous- very nervous…

By: k3nn3th

k3nn3th — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:45:30 +0000

Mr. Abell,

I’m not sure the Microsoft tablet is the answer but they are on the right track. Unlike you, some of us have not drunk the Apple kool-aid. I say that as someone who using Macs for desktop publishing almost 20 years ago.

The iPad fails because some of us do not wish to have (and cannot afford) multiple devices that do roughly the same thing. It’s a bit like what’s happening to digital cameras. I own a camera, but I don’t use it because my phone(not an iphone) takes great pics.

I have a tablet but there are times I need to type out something quickly (without having to maneuver around the screen by constantly lifting my hands from a keyboard. There are times that I actually want to print out something. I do not want a separate device. I want a device that is flexible. Whatever manufacturer figures that out, and offers a quality device, will win quite a few consumers.