Preview: The Microsoft Surface Tablet
You hold a tablet in your hands, you work your fingers across the screen. Everything about a tablet should invite you to touch it, because that’s how you operate it. Making and marketing a tablet in ways that say “Hands off!” is like trying to sell steak by showing how it can be used to treat black eyes. Sure, that’s useful on rare occasion, but it’s not why people drool at the marbled ribeyes in the cooler at Whole Foods.
Dig beneath the surface, and things get weirder still. The no-touch tablet even comes in two form factors, for two different markets. There’s the little one, about the same thickness as an iPad, with a low-power ARM processor inside. Then there’s a significantly thicker version, with a full-fledged (and power-hungry and hot) Intel i5 CPU. So you have one model designed for people who want a tablet that thinks it’s a laptop, and another model for people who want a tablet that might as well be a laptop.
Then there are the things missing from Microsoft’s sales pitch. I’ll list them:
When you can buy one.
How much it will cost.
How long the battery will last.
The screen resolution.
Those are some pretty big holes, so let’s try to fill them.
And what sort of apps will be available to use with the nifty keyboard that ships with the Zune tablet?
If it’s an ARM tablet it comes with WinRT and you’ll have to settle, for example, for IE as your browser. If it uses an Intel chip it runs true Win8 and should support anything Win7 will support.
I do find this thingie interesting, but cloud services, as it turns out, really are making the OS less of an issue — at least for me. Still, as far as the app ecosystem goes, for me the only thing better than iOS would have to be full-featured Windows. On my Kindle the Android app market has left me disappointed and with no incentive to re-root after the last OS upgrade.
They’re Torx screws, available at any decent hardware store. And the commentary is rich coming from an Apple cheerleader. They glue the iPad shut, and use proprietary screws on their laptops.
And if it ends up in the bargin bin, so much the better for me. I like the design, I love the Metro UI, and I will be eagerly awaiting my chance to buy them.
Proprietary screws? The screws in my MacBook Pro are stock M1.7 flathead Philips screws. The ones in my iPhone are standard M1 flathead Philips screws–they’re about as special as the screws in my eyeglasses.
Of course they glue the iPad shut. Apple doesn’t provide you a ten-hour battery by wasting space with screws. So MS has wasted space and lended an ugly look of repairability to an unrepairable tablet.
I, too, am a fan of Metro. But the physical part of the device needs a rethink.
I get eight-plus hours on my new iPad on heavy 4G use. I suspect you (or your charming girls!) have the brightness kicked way up. Which, depending on the sun in your car, might make a whole lot of sense.
They’re fake torx screws. From a design standpoint, there’s absolutely no reason for a screw to be there, and certainly not one that large. If it’s not a “this is how we make something look all tough and rugged” design pressed into the case, I’ll eat my hat.
I hope you’re wrong, but I’m afraid you aren’t.
They’re probably fake. The chassis doesn’t seem to have enough depth to allow for adequate thread engagement.
Microsoft has made the same ergonomic error with the display that plagues the Android and RIM tablets, the 16:9 aspect ratio. That works OK for TVs or other large displays, but on a tablet displaying a typical web page, is sucks. In portrait mode the screen is too narrow. In landscape model, it’s too short. Apple got it right with the 4:3 ratio on the iPad. I scroll and zoom much less on my iPad than on my Android tablet.
Posted from my iPad.
It would appear that the Surface is tablet for guys like me who don’t really get the appeal of tablets. The question, is are there enough of us to carry a product?
Are you going to buy that tablet that you “don’t get”? Or are you just going to get a laptop, since that’s what you actually want?
Steven, I suspect you’re wrong about the kickstand and the beveled edges. My wife has both an Android tablet and an iPad (don’t ask), and both of them spend the majority of their on-time propped up against something so she can watch, read, or listen while doing something else.
In general, though, I agree that Microsoft isn’t going to burn up the world with this one. It’s a tablet for corporate IT departments. And the keyboard is just going to get in the way.
I’d happily buy the ARM version from the bargain bin, though.
I’m less sure about the edges, although I’m dead certain they’re less appealing to look at. I am certain about the kickstand, however.
At .7 millimieters thick, t’s yet another nice bit of engineering — based on bad priorities. It detracts from the internal volume of the Surface, meaning the battery is smaller, and shorter-lived. Choices like that probably have a lot to do with why MS is keeping its mouth shut about battery life.
There is another reason they may be keeping mum about the battery life–they may not have a deal with the battery manufacturer yet. Which would, itself, be a strategy fail. But I’ll wait to hear about battery life to pass judgement on their design priorities.
I am an iPad owner and I can say that I’ll almost certainly be buying a Surface, maybe both models. Right now I love using my iPad for light chores, like browsing the web or going through email. But for more heavy duty work, like crafting longer responses to emails, or working with Word or Excel, I have to bust out my laptop (which happens to have a touch screen and is running Windows 8…) The whole point of the Surface, especially the Windows 8 Pro version, is that now I can have a tablet that functions beautifully as a tablet, but then also works like a laptop when I need to get some real work done. As much as I like my iPad, it’s just not as well suited for that.
I love ya, Steve, but I think Microsoft is a lot less confused on this than you are…
Re: things not spoken of… Apps? What runs on this thing? What’s the ecosystem? Amazon? MS App Store?
Speaking of, how do I get my movies on this thing? Does it use a file system or something iOS like? Is there an MS app that organizes/transfers all my stuff to and from?
But thank god it’s got a keyboard. Cause thats whats missing from my tablet, it being a laptop.
BAD Microsoft marketing! No doughnut!
See here. The thing to remember is it’s Windows. Just because it’s on a tablet doesn’t mean it’s not Windows.
Unless it’s an ARM tablet, in which case it’s Windows CE.
But then you have the same problem that Microsoft had years ago when they first ventured into the mobile mark w/ wince, er… WinCE.
Just porting over a program to a small mobile device, a program designed to work w/ a mouse and full keyboard and large, separate monitor, DOES NOT WORK.
Well, Mr. Green this was one of the better (critical) reviews I’ve seen of the Surface. I like the ‘the tablet you don’t touch’ angle. Brilliant. But, largely wrong. They’ll be pushing the touch with Windows 8 marketing.
You say they don’t get the tablet market. That is fair criticism but actually kind of short sighted. Is the iPad really all a tablet is meant to be? Let’s look at the current tablet market:
- the ‘new’ iPad: the hot (literally) souped-up version of the iPad 2 with the display that makes text look like it’s on paper (when viewed in artificially lighting without a source of glare that is)
- the iPad 2: still the 2nd best tablet on the market
- the Transformer – the Android tablet that people who buy it wish it ran Windows
- the Kindle – nice, cheap, tablet running heavily custom version of Android
- And every other Android flavor made by a baker’s dozen of hardware makers. But its full blown Android, unlike the Fire, so its an OS with more freedom, more hacks, and frankly doesn’t work near as well as iOS.
- The few Windows 7 tablets (shudder) – a multi-touch tablet that REALLY doesn’t get the tablet market
The iPad is the single best content consumption device ever conceived and nothing else currently on the market comes close. And almost no iPad owner uses it as their primary computing device, or rather their computing device they most trust with their ‘important’ stuff. It’s a complementary device. The critique that was prominent when the iPad was released still stands: while it may be the best combination of a bunch of different computing functions, it doesn’t really replace any other device. The e-Ink Kindle is still the best reader. It’s not a laptop. It’s not a phone. Chrome and Firefox are better browsers. I pity anyone who uses it as their primary camera. But, it’s exceptional at combining a bunch of consumption tasks in one device.
This is probably where I should give full disclosure. I sell Microsoft ERP software for a living, enjoy using Windows, loath iTunes with a passion of a thousand suns, but I own 5 iDevices (an iPad 2, 2 iPhones, an old iPhone 3G and an iPod touch) and am quite happy with them, well except the 3G but that’s now the kids’ problem. I’m also someone who read the iOS 6 specs and was downright giddy (ALMOST fanbois cult giddy) that is…until I read what iDevices were not actually going to get all the cool features (remember that when people say that Android and Windows have too many flavors and Apple just has one). My MS ties, notwithstanding, this analysis has no inside information.
Look, Microsoft would be stupid to try to come out with a me-too iPad competitor. Let Android continue to try that (and fail). That this is not obvious to so many in critical tech press is rather surprising. So, they have to do what businesses have been doing for eons. They DIFFERENTIATE. Is Microsoft trying to sell you laptops that double as a tablet? Of course they are. What else could they or should they do? The same people who are bitching about Microsoft having two flavors of the Surface are the same people who bitch when new versions of Windows don’t run Windows 95 apps. No doubt Microsoft is a victim of their own success. They’ve learned on the PC side that competing against (older versions of) yourself sucks. But, eventually you simply are not going to always have an upgrade path. With the tablet, Microsoft is finally forced to compete against others who have surpassed them. Is it too late to ‘topple’ Apple? Probably. Can it eat what little bit of share Android has? Hell yes. Will it? I think eventually it will. Can it gain a big share of a growing market? Absolutely. Will it slow the iPads growth. In share yes, but probably not in volume? But they have to hit on the feature set. The infrastructure is there. The apps? Well, that’s the wild card isn’t it.
The iPad slowed laptop (and desktop) replacements but it didn’t replace the laptop. The Surface could change that dynamic.
All caveats are obvious: Steve’s aforementioned unknowns are valid to be concerned about. Especially the RT resolution and battery life. Ultrabooks, while not having iPad battery life, can pull off 6-8 hours. So, if the Pro matches that, it can be ‘OK.’ I guarantee you that the Surface (or the Dell and HP hybrid counterparts) will become big corporate sellers within a year. The RT (ARM) version of the tablet is the big risk in my opinion because its aimed squarely at the consumer market. The App store has to rock and the ‘legacy’ Windows software makers have to upgrade/support the new architecture or RT will fail. Because, more than a few people will buy the RT wanting a laptop replacement instead of a Microsoft iPad and they’ll be pissed if they can’t run the software they’re used to.
Does 16:9 work on a tablet? If you want to read books and surf then the iPad’s dimensions are better. If you want to do spreadsheets and watch movies and have more than one app displayed, then 16:9 could be a boon. Again, it’s a laptop that can double as a tablet. Does the market actually want that? I think it eventually will. The iPad is not the pinnacle of the tablet market, only the best at what is currently expected.
As for the lack of touch at yesterday’s briefing, we’ll be hearing plenty about touch from Microsoft. Windows 8 is all about touch (possibly to the rest of the OS’s detriment). I really don’t think this is a vaporware issue. This is the biggest bet in the company’s history because it’s betting the farm on redoing their bread and butter, Windows. Make no mistake: Microsoft’s goal is that Surface is Windows, Windows is Surface. If Dell or HP jump out of the traditional laptop market, so be it. Microsoft could certainly botch it, but the risk is too great if they do. If they don’t deliver, it’ll be the biggest flop they’ve ever had because people have other, imperfect, options. If they miss, they could be IBM v2 in five years (i.e. a profitable enterprise software and services company that please their shareholders, but for consumers it’ll be like ‘oh that’s the guys who make the Xbox right’?).
Russ, I agree with you completely that “would be stupid to try to come out with a me-too iPad competitor.”
But you’re lucky I read that far, because when you used the phrase “content consumption device,” I immediately went MEGO. That sort of ignorance — and you sell MS stuff for a living — lies at the heart of Microsoft’s tablet misfire.
Well I appreciate whatever you did read. At the risk of further displaying my ignorance, what is wrong with ‘content consumption device’? Is it pretentious? I don’t know, maybe. But, my central point is that MS is differentiating itself by making a laptop that doubles as a tablet. A device that can create stuff. Please, don’t get me started on capacitive stylus’s. If you have replaced your computer (desktop or laptop) with an iPad, then I’ll simply note that you are fortunate to not have to do a lot of work or writing that requires creating anything longer than a Twitter post.
Its possible voice is the input of the future but I think we’re still a few years from that.
I haven’t used my laptop once in the two years or so since I bought my first-gen iPad.
I use my desktop Mac Pro from heavy lifting, like ripping movies and managing the family photo archives. For most everything else, including editing all those thousands of photos, I rely on my iPad more than anything else.
Oh, and that includes the 1,300-word Surface review, and all the accompanying images..
“Content consumption” my ass.
Touche.
Clearly you have the patience of Job because I bet good money it took much longer than it would have with a keyboard and mouse. I’ve tried long posts on the thing. I also type pseudo extensively, usually on planes, using OneNote. Its not fun. Still, point taken.
You can bet all you like, but as Cal Coolidge said: You lose.
I had a Mac Pro within easy reach, and yet I chose to use the iPad. My time is no less valuable than yours, so either I’m an idiot or you’re suffering from a Microsoft-wide disease concerning tablets.
When you consider how well Apple has done with tablets, and compare that with Mixrosoft’s ten-year history of fail…
Well, even the market says I’m not e idiot.
So, umm, not to imply anything but how fast do you type normally? I can’t touch-type on the iPad (or Android, or Windows 7 in tablet mode) to save my life. I can’t fathom doing a lot of document creation on a tablet, unless it has a keyboard.
Granted, there’s probably a lot of people out there doing hunt-and-peck anyway who won’t care about having a real keyboard.
Mostly, I use the on-screen keyboard. For longer prices, usually anything over 400 words, I haul out Apple’s Bluetooth keyboard. I wrote the review on-screen in Pages, but used the hardware keyboard for editing.
There is obviously some preference issues here. But, I type quite fast. I’m a QWERTY guy. I rarely look at the keyboard when typing. Is that rare? I don’t know. It’s been over 20 years since I took typing in High School. Not sure what they are teaching the youngins nowadays. Apple keyboards are smaller than I prefer. Speaking of full disclosure, I still miss my radiator sized IBM keyboard. So, perhaps I’m incurable. I also know that I can highlight and move text a lot faster with a mouse than I can with touch even if I think the iPad’s tools for doing that are great.
Vodkaman, I’m not calling you an idiot or even calling bullsh*t (must resist urge to make Kool-aid martini wise crack). But, I know that it does not work for me. The combination of keyboard and mouse work much better for me.
Moreover, I’ve had enough iCloud and iTunes sync problems where documents went bye-bye to not trust the iPad with vital content. Of course, the apps I use for this have finally got wifi file access but this is, um, imperfect because it usually has a web interface. And while I appreciate the cloud, I don’t trust the cloud. I fully admit that I’m more of a PC snob control freak (as opposed to a Microsoft fanbois) than anything else. And I know Mac guys got comfortable giving up control to Cupertino eons ago. As someone who likes my ‘it just works’ iPad and iPhone, I sympathize with this, but only up to a point. We’ll see if Microsoft delivers a laptop that can be a tablet that a PC guy like me desires (and render text and be as smooth as an iPad). Microsoft is certainly capable of botching it. I work with dozens of Microsot apps of various complexity on a daily basis and their ‘awesome innovative idea’ to ‘what were they thinking’ ratio of design decisions is much higher than it should be. Don’t even get me started on the abyss that is their partner websites. Clearly, I’m rooting for them for both personal and professional reasons. And I’m not getting rid of my iPad anytime soon (though the ‘new iPad’ purchase is on hold).
Russ, you do know that you can use the exact same wireless keyboard that comes w/ most Mac desktops to type stuff on an iPad, right? So except for a smaller screen, typing on my iPad is the same as my 27″ iMac.
The Surface is no “iPad killer” in the traditional sense. Microsoft is not as hardware company, it is a software company. That said:
Do I want to buy an iPad and a MacBook or a Windows tablet and a docking station/peripherals?
Do I want to buy an app and an application or just one app for all (by all I mean one) device?
Do I want to learn and understand two separate operating systems or just one?
Am I buying an ecosystem of devices or am I buying a computer?
Windows is blending the pc and tablet markets which is to their advantage. Is the Surface the perfect hardware answer to the iPad? No. But what will win wallets and minds of IT Managers, home office users, and even media consumers:
The iPad plus an iPhone plus a pc/mactop or a windows phone plus a windows computer that is a slate, a laptop, a desktop?
I forgot to mention, take a significant percentage of windows desktop/laptop users and upgrade their pc… To a Surface that can function as a laptop/desktop or tablet. A large potential market share just lost the need for an iPad.
You mean like… netbooks? Because Apple already pulled the rug it from under that market. Or did you mean something like Uktrabooks, which are trying (and failing) to rob Apple to MacBook Air profits?
If MS is trying to fill the niche between the iPad and the Air, that would seem to be a tiny niche, not a giant one.
MS is not filling the gap between iPad and MacBook air, it is bridging the gap. You buy one device, one operating system. That one device works as a touch tablet when you need it (note taking and media) and a laptop/desktop when you need it (heavy duty tasks like the ones you mention using the MacBook pro for).
With Windows 8, the advantages of the desktop/laptop and the advantages of the tablet are in the same device. The Surface is the embodiment of this “one device to rule them all” approach.
The market will have the last word, as it always does — and should. But all previous attempts at hybrid devices haven’t accomplished much, other than to prove that people won’t buy many hybrid devices.
I’m of two minds when I look at the Surface. On the one hand, the capability of a device to play in either domain – pure tablet or laptop – is immensely appealing. I’ll be buying one as soon as they start shipping, if for no other reason than to test that notion.
On the other, suppose you do intend to use the Surface as your daily driver. I’ve got an Asus EP121 slate with a 12.1″ screen (bought expressly for the purpose of playing with the Windows 8 beta builds), and its non-Retina display is (IMHO) at the _absolute_lower_limit_ of the usable size for a practical daily use machine. For serious work use, I have to have a keyboard – and if I have to have a keyboard anyway, I’d much rather type on my 15″ MacBook Pro, whose screen is much kinder to my 55-year-old eyeballs than even my company-provided 14″ Dell E6400. (I put down my iPad and went over to the MBP to type this, because I didn’t want to tap it out on the iPad’s – or Win8′s – virtual keyboards.) The Surface, however, does not have the 12.1″ screen of the Asus – it’s a _10_inch (and a bit) screen. Moreover, unlike the latest iPad, it’s in all probability not a Retina type display. The eye fatigue on that screen during extended use as a main work machine is NOT going to be pleasant.
My two cents: from an ergonomic standpoint, Apple has chosen the superior approach – a device optimized for each purpose.
We’ll see what the market says.
Guess who IBM sold the Thinkpad to.
That right. A Chinese company called Lenovo.
IBM likes to get out of commodity products, because the margins are too low.
Just watched the Surface video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpzu3HM2CIo), and for comparison, the iPad 3rd Gen video (http://www.apple.com/ipad/#video). The more I think about it, and the more I play with both the iPad and the Asus, the more I find myself asking a single question: so what can the Surface – and, by extension, any Win8 tablet – do WITHOUT the keyboard?
The thing that defines the iPad is exactly as Stephen said: “You hold a tablet in your hands, you work your fingers across the screen. Everything about a tablet should invite you to touch it, because that’s how you operate it.”
But it’s not, at least for “serious work,” how you operate Windows 8. It’s a much more direct competitor for the MacBook Air than it is the iPad. (IMHO; YMMV.)
It’ll be interesting to watch how it plays out in the market.
I’d like to expand on my question about what apps will be available for the Zune tablet. What will I use if for? How will I use it?
After I watched the iPad intro presentation, I knew what I wanted it for. I knew what I would do with it, and I had seen various apps demoed. Jobs & company showed me.
Will the Zune tablet run Office locally, or is it limited to Office 365? Can the keyboard be detached or locked out of the way if the user wants to use it as a real tablet? Etc. etc … ?