Originally Posted by phavalan

lol where did you find that image?

Originally Posted by Alexmahone

lol where did you find that image?

I made it lol

Originally Posted by phavalan

I made it lol

You should have deleted the 3rd frame and let Parker say that Microsoft released a tablet in the 2nd frame.

Originally Posted by Alexmahone

You should have deleted the 3rd frame and let Parker say that Microsoft released a tablet in the 2nd frame.

LOL I'll change it when I get home

I'm excited. An i5 in a tablet + Microsoft Office as part of the OS (including OneNote) + what looks like a usable keyboard cover = excuse to get a tablet for productivity and not only dicking around.

I'm sure there are quite a few people who couldn't justify spending the money on a tablet thinking of it as a shiny toy, but are now able to satisfy their consumerism under the guise of content creation/productivity.

Originally Posted by qwerty91

As long as it is priced the same as an iPad, it should do far better in business than iPads. Keep in mind that MS is really pushing metro app development meaning that within a short timespan it should have a massive app base. In addition EVERY windows RT tablet come with FULL office which isnt even available on a Mac, let alone iOS, Android, linux, WebOS, blackberry OS etc. It will also likely come with other basic windows software such a paint/photo editing, basic video editing, a full browser with full flash support (even if it is IE), and windows explorer. Just dont expect to install third party software

It also appears to have an active digitizer making it superior to every tablet except a few android models for note taking.

Android = iOS = a toy, or device of relatively limited use (i have one)
WindowsRT = a limited computer / productivity machine
Windows 7/8pro = Mac OS = linux = full computing experience.

I would say the surface tablet is a very good compromise between a fulling functioning desktop and a facebook/email/book/internet machine

Please never compare Windows to Mac OS or Linux. The internal design and filesystem management on Windows is extremely horrible.

Originally Posted by jon.john23

according to MS, the higher end unit will cost as much as an ultra book

I was referring to the WindowsRT version as the specs match that of an ipad. I would certainly expect to pay about $1000 for the full pro version as it IS an ultrabook essentially with better specs than many ultrabooks out there. That said I would be more inclined to get the RT version and a desktop rather than the pro.

Originally Posted by Afzal

Please never compare Windows to Mac OS or Linux. The internal design and filesystem management on Windows is extremely horrible.

I wasnt referring to windows vs linux vs mac. I was pointing out that mobile operating systems such as android and iOS do not provide a full computing experience that full operating systems can provide such as the ability to truly multi task within defined windows or workspaces.

Originally Posted by Afzal

Please never compare Windows to Mac OS or Linux. The internal design and filesystem management on Windows is extremely horrible.

http://arstechnica.com/information-t...dows-server-8/

Kind of interesting. Maybe a step in the right direction?

This is probably the best move I've seen Microsoft make since Windows Phone 7, for multiple reasons.

Firstly, they got their target markets spot on. The Windows RT tablet directly competes with the iPad in terms of ecosystem (not open, must purchase from Marketplace, no desktop environment, for more staple use). The likely specs (based on what they showed) included with the Windows 8 Pro tablet as well as the storage options is more than viable competition for the ultrabook market. Despite the obvious lower than normal voltage of the i5 core, it, along with the HD 4000 graphics, should still be more than suitable for everything up to the slightly demanding, which satisfies a huge, huge portion of the market. Everything lies on which side of the spectrum Microsoft decides to price it.

Again, in their favour, Windows 8's Metro interface is absolutely amazing when used on a touch interface. Microsoft knew they needed to provide a proper option to sell that side of Windows, and I think they nailed it. I honestly think it has a lot less to do with just trying to compete in the tablet market, and more with trying to sell Windows 8.

And hardware and design wise, it couldn't be much better. The keyboard cover is definitely one of the more ingenious, downright perfect in execution, and appealing ideas on the tablet front. It's not just a gimmick like a lot of the other accessories. It is going to make a huge difference in terms of viability to the customer as well as sales. The kickstand is nice. The venting system is another engineering feat. This is only the second time I've seen the brains behind Microsoft's R&D actually coming to market, after Project Natal. I'd love to see more of this side of Microsoft (seriously, search it up; they have some amazing stuff going on there).

We don't know much else about the product, but I'm hoping some of the stuff not mentioned would also be from their forefront R&D. They recently showcased an extremely low latency touch surface which is close enough to physical writing to the human eye. I'm hoping a less demanding (manufacturing and cost-wise) iteration of this ships with the product. For both Digital Ink as well as any sort of drawing (Photoshop, which already is viable), it would work wonders.

Whats so special about this keyboard? You can turn any tablet into something like that with a simple case.
And there are some amazingly designed cases out there.

I haven't taken a complete look at Windows 8 yet, but from what I have seen it looks like it is the same OS running on a tablet and laptops/desktops.

In all honesty I think Windows is making the same mistake again by putting a full blown OS onto their tablets. The consumer market is not ready for that, they are still getting used to the idea of tablets. I am curious to see how this turns out, there are to many variables that can contribute to a bad overall experience.

It will definitely be worth having if the Pro version of the tablet has full on desktop capabilities. They haven't given us any specifics in terms of the specs though so it is too early to say. Sounds promising though, will give up my iPad for a tablet that works like a desktop any day