June 19, 2012
The Surface: Celebrate the Competition, Question the Premise
Microsoft The Microsoft surface tablet.
On Monday at a Los Angeles media event that had been veiled in secrecy, Microsoft announced that it was going to make a gorgeous touchscreen tablet like the iPad. It’s called the Surface tablet. Its main differentiators from the iPad: It has a kickstand, it has real PC ports and it will run Windows 8.
In some ways, the announcement was a departure for Microsoft, which, for decades, has carefully stayed out of the PC business. There’s never been a Microsoft-branded computer.
On the other hand, the opening scenes of this movie sure look familiar. Apple comes up with a hit product (iPod, iPhone). Microsoft comes up with a rival that’s nicely designed (Zune, Windows Phone). Unfortunately, it doesn’t add anything attractive enough to lure people away from the safe choice, and nobody buys it.
There will actually be multiple Surface tablets; this is Microsoft, after all. There are already two basic models: a lighter, superthin one, with an ARM processor, that runs a modified version of Windows 8 called Windows RT, and a Pro version with an Intel chip that runs the full-blown Windows 8.
There are lots of questions. Microsoft didn’t tell us the ship date, battery life or price. The Pro version, which Microsoft hints will cost about the same as an ultrabook ($1,000), will run regular Windows apps like Office and Photoshop; so what apps, exactly, will be available for the Windows 8 RT version?
Won’t it anger Microsoft’s traditional “hardware partners” that Microsoft is now making its own competitive tablet?
Will there be a cellular version? The company demonstrated a magnetic screen cover that, ingeniously, doubles as a keyboard with trackpad. Will that be included, or sold separately?
I think that Windows 8 represents some of Microsoft’s best work. Fluid, fast, useful, easily grasped — and different from the old iPhone/Android concept of icons-on-black. I’ve been using a prerelease Windows 8 version on a Samsung tablet, and it works beautifully.
But the iPad’s been around for two years; it’s awfully late for Microsoft to begin its pursuit now. (See also: H.P.’s tablet, BlackBerry tablet, Zune.) To me, the most compelling model is the Intel version; imagine a gorgeous, sleek, thin tablet that can actually run Windows software.
That said, you need the detachable keyboard to get real work done, and no two-piece PC has ever caught on in a big way. (See also: convertible tablets, Motorola docking phones.)
And then there’s the elephant in the room. If you’re going to spend around $1,000 for a tablet with a detachable keyboard, why not just get an ultrabook, which is a more complete PC that weighs about the same?
So I mean no disrespect to Microsoft when I predict that the Surface will have a tough climb ahead.
But this is a week for celebration, not doomsday analysis. Because whether the Surface tablet sinks or swims, it represents competition, choice and some fresh ideas. For those contributions, we should wish it well.
The Surface: Celebrate the Competition, Question the Premise – NYTimes.com.
Related articles
- Pogue’s Posts Blog: The Surface: Celebrate the Competition, Question the Premise (pogue.blogs.nytimes.com)
- FAQ: What we don’t know about Microsoft’s Surface tablet – Computerworld (computerworld.com)
- 91mobiles knockout: Microsoft Surface vs new Apple iPad (91mobiles.com)
- The Only Post You Need To Read About Microsoft’s New Tablet (buzzfeed.com)
- Microsoft Is the Most Exciting Company in Tech, Hands Down [Windows 8] (gizmodo.com)
- 5 pros and cons of Microsoft Surface tablet (computerworld.co.nz)
- ‘Microsoft Surface’ Windows 8/RT tablets announced (neowin.net)
- Surface – New Tablet from Microsoft to compete iPad (kish.in)
- Microsoft unveils new Surface tablet for Windows 8 (telegraph.co.uk)
- Microsoft Surface could be the last straw for Android tablets (geek.com)
