Re:The missing link: Microsoft Surface
by MatthewPhillips on Tuesday June 19, 2012 @03:24PM
(#4133631)
Why would there be Surface-only apps? It just runs Windows RT/8. And why would there not be any other Windows 8 tablets?
Re:The missing link: Microsoft Surface
by filmgirlcw on Tuesday June 19, 2012 @03:36PM
(#4133694)
Well, if you're Lenovo and you're already struggling to keep margins in check with Windows RT (and you have to pay an $85 licensing fee for the software) and you're unsure of the consumer demand for a Windows 8 tablet, do you still go gangbusters after an unproven product segment when you have a huge competitor that is showing off a flagship version of the Windows 8 tablet experience?
I don't have the answer to that.
As for APIs, it doesn't seem impossible to think that there might be apps that take advantage of the Pen technology in the Intel version of Surface or the Touch Cover and Type Covers and that those APIs might only apply to the Surface devices. I really don't know. That's my point.
Re:The missing link: Microsoft Surface
by MatthewPhillips on Tuesday June 19, 2012 @03:50PM
(#4133779)
Lenovo sells 4 or 5 tablets today, why in the world would they not include Windows 8 in their lineup next year. Lenovo is a computer company, they have to sell computers or they don't have a business.
Our Deputy Editor was at the event and he described it as the most "controlled demo experience"[1] he's ever had -- and Chris has been at this since the late 1990s. That didn't surprise me at all because any time you spend most of your presentation talking about the engineering of the Touch Cover (which does look incredible) and not the apps, the battery life or the timeline, it's not ready.
I think this has potential -- especially at the Surface running Windows Pro level -- but it was curious to see them announce it SO early, when it's clear the device isn't ready in any way.
My gut tells me that the RT version will start at $500 and the Pro version will start at $1000. Knowing Microsoft, I've got to think they are aggressively aiming for a November release date for the first version and a February or March for the Pro. I don't think it's likely it will appear before then.
My bigger question is what specific APIs are they going to unveil to Windows 8 developers that take advantage of the Surface devices -- and will there be Surface-specific apps that won't work with the other Windows 8 tablets. As I wrote late last night, I expect that within a year of this thing's release, we won't see any other consumer-facing Windows 8 tablets on the market.
That to me is actually the most interesting part of this whole thing. Microsoft has taken Apple's approach to fully integrating the hardware (I don't think this is their version of the Nexus line of devices...I think they've created what they want to be THE Windows 8 tablet experience, not simply a flagship example).
[1]: http://mashable.com/2012/06/18/hands-on-with-microsofts-tabl...