The Surface RT needs that USB port for additional space given that the dang OS takes up a stupid amount of it's storage. Alright joking aside, the Win RT ads are just not appealing to me. They brag about features and functionality that people willingly gave up without much complaint with the original iPad. The keyboard cover is a great value feature, but it's been proven time and time again that you can throw the truck at a customer but if your core product isn't great, who cares? Do I want a Playstation 4 or do I want a Nokia NGage with 10 games and a car charger? Ok maybe not a great analogy, but Microsoft's RT tablets are garbage at the moment so whatever added value features you have, it's just not going to work.
if Microsoft wants to play in this arena they need to do the Amazon trick. Sell RT's at $300 or lower, sell Pro's starting at $499 and go up. Work on saturating the market first, create an actual ecosystem. Then they can focus on profitable machines. Microsoft shouldn't be surprised about taking losses to gain a foothold in a market, that's been the Xbox since day one.
On a side note: I really wish the iPad's had an SD card slot. The touch interface and retina really make for a nice way to touch up pictures on my compact camera.
This is just sad and is more showing that they took IPad accessory and thought just add them built in, If you calculate thing through you get different data:
$750 29 gb IPad. $450 15 gb surface
Still cheaper but -100 IPad brings much more realistic price ratio from apple at $200 more for your quality but you also have all you need!!!
If you have surface you still need IPad mini for icloud and iMessage/FaceTime /s
I think what Microsoft and Samsung fail to realize is that it is really, almost impossible to go brand vs brand when your brand is running a, far from close, second or fifth place against a juggernaut like Apple. Even in their famous 'I'm a Mac, I'm a PC' spots, it wasn't actually brand vs brand because PC isn't a 'brand'. It's hard to win the argument that your features are better than the ones everyone else seems to be enjoying, or that your features are being missed. And to make matters worse, Apple advertisements don't even acknowledge the existence of other brands at all. And to further complicate matters, they don't seem to understand that Apple's tablet dominance isn't because of 'features'. The iPad is more like a portal, than a computer, it is the modern 'magic mirror', a gentle reflection of the user, as well as a portal to all other sorts if media.
They may want to reconsider going after Android users who are much more 'feature' oriented or not able/wanting to make the investment in an iPad or other Apple device, or at least not wanting to admit they'd rather have gotten an iPad. As a pretty dedicated Apple user, when I see all those 'features' I am seeing more things that can break. David can kill Goliath, but you need the right rock, good aim and God on your side. 0 for 3 isn't a good look. Things will change, and one day Apple will not be at the top of the hill, but looking at the commercials of their competitors, that day is a long way off.
<span style="line-height:18px;">Uhhh, the Surface will rotate the screen. In fact, it's quite annoying about this. I really like the fact that the iPad has the lock switch on it so you can prevent screen rotations when you don't want to have them happen. AFAIKT, the SP has nothing like this (though it might be buried in the bowels of Win 8 where I've yet to find it -- PITA).</span>
It's not buried, bring up the Charms on the right and just tap the little icon of the screen once, done.
Mini-USB doesn't provide the same charging capabilities of a lightning connector and is therefore inferior. You Fandroids just moan and groan about it because if the iPhone had gone to Mini-USB then you'd be able to have a decent accessory market to ride on. Just shut up and accept it. Apple whipped theirs out and guess what it was bigger!!!!
EDIT: I just realized your comment may have been tongue-in-cheek. If so, please ignore me and move along (some would suggest that's the best strategy in ANY circumstances!).If you were actually serious, please see below:
Oh jeez, you're one of those, are you? Okay, yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Apple can do no wrong, everything Apple does is better than what anyone else does, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, I don't know how you guys prevent your head from exploding when Apple improves a product, because everything they do is already perfect, right?
As for the fandroid comment, how you get from preferring conventional USB connectors over Lightning to anything to do with Android is a complete mystery to me. There are no Android devices in this house. In fact, now that I think about it, all our phones and computers are Apple. Somehow we missed the indoctrination into the cult though.
[...] it is only a matter of time before the industry moves on to the next iteration of USB which may not may not stay backwards compatible with existing USB ports.
For the record I don't think Lightning vs. Mini-USB is a big enough deal to care about all that much, BUT:
USB has only been updated twice in 17 years, and both times the improved version was backward compatible. I don't think that's a strong argument in favor of Lightning.
Well, this is funny, because I remember Steve Ballmer making fun of people who come to meetings with their iPads, because they have to unfold some keyboard case and thus he believed it was stupid to get a tablet and then spend time setting it up to become similar to a laptop. It is funny how Microsoft now advertises exactly this behaviour of transforming your tablet into some desktop replacement and plugging external devices into it.
Sure, some people might think this is great but it is simply illogical from a consumer perspective. If you got a tablet, or let's better say an iPad, you want a light, all in one device. You don't buy an iPad because you want a vast range of connectable peripherals.
Micro USB is grossly inferior to Apple's connector. That is why Apple, after endorsing the Micro USB format, went their own way. The problem with Micro USB 3.0 is its speed. Moving data that quickly doesn't allow the user to savor the transfer. In comparison, the Apple connector, operating at USB 2.0 speeds, is for connoisseurs who appreciate the moment, and recognize that there is no better way to remember life's milestones than the appreciation of a well-designed cable. I mean, you can plug it in right-side-up or up-side-down. Who can ever forget their first time with something like that?
What is the point in having a data transfer rate faster than the speed at which the device can read/write? Just creates a bottle neck. USB2 speeds are already faster than the ipad can physically transfer the data. Making your comment pointless.
What is the point in having a data transfer rate faster than the speed at which the device can read/write? Just creates a bottle neck. USB2 speeds are already faster than the ipad can physically transfer the data. Making your comment pointless.
Not only that but the Lightning adaptor has a USB 2.0 adapter on one end so whatever advantages speed wise are completely lost. I would have much prefered a Micro-USB adaptor and a dedicated HDMI out. The whole reason behind the Lightning idea was so Apple could charge accessory manufactures a licensing fee. They could have easily been one of the first companies to support the new Micro-USB 3 standard which has the same power output as Lighting with much quicker data transfer speeds. Yes Apple will support USB 3.0 soon enough with their Lightning adaptor but standardization is much more beneficial to the consumer.
It's a fatal mistake to put price at $499 and then slice it down to $350 after realizing that the market don't buy, it's a mistake that way too late to correct. Slashing price prompts a lot of suspicious thinking in consumer's mind with various speculation, most of it toward a conclusion of the product being inferior. A small fine print is something a lot of informed consumers hated the most. My personal opinion about this is to say that this product is imperfect in delivering the service I need, and at the end I will just left and said to myself "thanks but no thanks".
And all the MS fanboys say this is the real Smart Cover compared to Apple's dumb cover. Clearly anyone tha wants to do extensive typing on the keyboard won't be very productive with the touch cover. Certainly not worth $120.
Those who type with one finger will see no difference in efficiency between a touch keyboard and a mechanical one. Those of us who type efficiently as "tough typists", in excess of 60 wpm, find a touch keyboard unusable. Sadly, both companies seem to be targeting the one-finger typists.
hm, I do like the bassline in the ad.... thats about it hahahahaha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot
Those who type with one finger will see no difference in efficiency between a touch keyboard and a mechanical one. Those of us who type efficiently as "tough typists", in excess of 60 wpm, find a touch keyboard unusable. Sadly, both companies seem to be targeting the one-finger typists.
YES, THIS!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
The whole reason behind the Lightning idea was so Apple could charge accessory manufactures a licensing fee. They could have easily been one of the first companies to support the new Micro-USB 3 standard which has the same power output as Lighting with much quicker data transfer speeds.
Huh? Apple chose it because they like to have full control of their hardware and software experience. What if someone made a Micro-USB 3 device which did not meet Apple's standard to be used as a charger? Like, it would slowly drain the device if it was being pushed to the limits (max brightness + demanding game/application).
Huh? Apple chose it because they like to have full control of their hardware and software experience. What if someone made a Micro-USB 3 device which did not meet Apple's standard to be used as a charger? Like, it would slowly drain the device if it was being pushed to the limits (max brightness + demanding game/application).
There's no guarantee that couldn't happen anyway, even with an approved accessory. I had a Philips speaker dock that almost fried my iPad, thank goodness I was sitting next to it to see it smoking. The iPad felt like it was on fire.
There's no guarantee that couldn't happen anyway, even with an approved accessory. I had a Philips speaker dock that almost fried my iPad, thank goodness I was sitting next to it to see it smoking. The iPad felt like it was on fire.
Okay, it gives less of a chance of that happening, better?
For the record I don't think Lightning vs. Mini-USB is a big enough deal to care about all that much, BUT:
USB has only been updated twice in 17 years, and both times the improved version was backward compatible. I don't think that's a strong argument in favor of Lightning.
USB itself may be backwards compatible, but I can't stick mini USB cable into micro USB port.
I swear, there's like a half dozen "mini" USB connections. When going through the cable drawer, I can never find the right one.
USB itself may be backwards compatible, but I can't stick mini USB cable into micro USB port.
I swear, there's like a half dozen "mini" USB connections. When going through the cable drawer, I can never find the right one.
There's four, the "mini's" have been discontinued and the majority of devices now just use Micro-B. The new Micro USB 3 will just have one adapter type. There were a few companies that did make their own Mini USB adapters like HTC but they stopped doing it to adhere to a single standard, Micro-B.
Comments
The Surface RT needs that USB port for additional space given that the dang OS takes up a stupid amount of it's storage. Alright joking aside, the Win RT ads are just not appealing to me. They brag about features and functionality that people willingly gave up without much complaint with the original iPad. The keyboard cover is a great value feature, but it's been proven time and time again that you can throw the truck at a customer but if your core product isn't great, who cares? Do I want a Playstation 4 or do I want a Nokia NGage with 10 games and a car charger? Ok maybe not a great analogy, but Microsoft's RT tablets are garbage at the moment so whatever added value features you have, it's just not going to work.
if Microsoft wants to play in this arena they need to do the Amazon trick. Sell RT's at $300 or lower, sell Pro's starting at $499 and go up. Work on saturating the market first, create an actual ecosystem. Then they can focus on profitable machines. Microsoft shouldn't be surprised about taking losses to gain a foothold in a market, that's been the Xbox since day one.
On a side note: I really wish the iPad's had an SD card slot. The touch interface and retina really make for a nice way to touch up pictures on my compact camera.
$750 29 gb IPad. $450 15 gb surface
Still cheaper but -100 IPad brings much more realistic price ratio from apple at $200 more for your quality but you also have all you need!!!
If you have surface you still need IPad mini for icloud and iMessage/FaceTime /s
Get the picture however?
They may want to reconsider going after Android users who are much more 'feature' oriented or not able/wanting to make the investment in an iPad or other Apple device, or at least not wanting to admit they'd rather have gotten an iPad. As a pretty dedicated Apple user, when I see all those 'features' I am seeing more things that can break. David can kill Goliath, but you need the right rock, good aim and God on your side. 0 for 3 isn't a good look. Things will change, and one day Apple will not be at the top of the hill, but looking at the commercials of their competitors, that day is a long way off.
Quote:
Originally Posted by rhyde
(list of PC problems omitted)
Uh-huh. PC problems. In a "tablet."
That's Microsoft grand vision for tablet computing, folks.
It's not buried, bring up the Charms on the right and just tap the little icon of the screen once, done.
Quote:
Originally Posted by AppleTechSpot
Mini-USB doesn't provide the same charging capabilities of a lightning connector and is therefore inferior. You Fandroids just moan and groan about it because if the iPhone had gone to Mini-USB then you'd be able to have a decent accessory market to ride on. Just shut up and accept it. Apple whipped theirs out and guess what it was bigger!!!!
EDIT: I just realized your comment may have been tongue-in-cheek. If so, please ignore me and move along (some would suggest that's the best strategy in ANY circumstances!).If you were actually serious, please see below:
Oh jeez, you're one of those, are you? Okay, yeah, yeah, whatever you say, Apple can do no wrong, everything Apple does is better than what anyone else does, etc. etc. etc. Honestly, I don't know how you guys prevent your head from exploding when Apple improves a product, because everything they do is already perfect, right?
As for the fandroid comment, how you get from preferring conventional USB connectors over Lightning to anything to do with Android is a complete mystery to me. There are no Android devices in this house. In fact, now that I think about it, all our phones and computers are Apple. Somehow we missed the indoctrination into the cult though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by abazigal
[...] it is only a matter of time before the industry moves on to the next iteration of USB which may not may not stay backwards compatible with existing USB ports.
For the record I don't think Lightning vs. Mini-USB is a big enough deal to care about all that much, BUT:
USB has only been updated twice in 17 years, and both times the improved version was backward compatible. I don't think that's a strong argument in favor of Lightning.
Sure, some people might think this is great but it is simply illogical from a consumer perspective. If you got a tablet, or let's better say an iPad, you want a light, all in one device. You don't buy an iPad because you want a vast range of connectable peripherals.
What is the point in having a data transfer rate faster than the speed at which the device can read/write? Just creates a bottle neck. USB2 speeds are already faster than the ipad can physically transfer the data. Making your comment pointless.
Not only that but the Lightning adaptor has a USB 2.0 adapter on one end so whatever advantages speed wise are completely lost. I would have much prefered a Micro-USB adaptor and a dedicated HDMI out. The whole reason behind the Lightning idea was so Apple could charge accessory manufactures a licensing fee. They could have easily been one of the first companies to support the new Micro-USB 3 standard which has the same power output as Lighting with much quicker data transfer speeds. Yes Apple will support USB 3.0 soon enough with their Lightning adaptor but standardization is much more beneficial to the consumer.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rogifan
And all the MS fanboys say this is the real Smart Cover compared to Apple's dumb cover. Clearly anyone tha wants to do extensive typing on the keyboard won't be very productive with the touch cover. Certainly not worth $120.
Those who type with one finger will see no difference in efficiency between a touch keyboard and a mechanical one. Those of us who type efficiently as "tough typists", in excess of 60 wpm, find a touch keyboard unusable. Sadly, both companies seem to be targeting the one-finger typists.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xiao-zhi
When it gets to $99 will Balmer resign? Probably not.
If Ballmer does resign, or if he's outsted, I understand Léo Apotheker is available for that CEO post... maybe he can finish the job!
hm, I do like the bassline in the ad.... thats about it hahahahaha.
Quote:
Originally Posted by TeaEarleGreyHot
Those who type with one finger will see no difference in efficiency between a touch keyboard and a mechanical one. Those of us who type efficiently as "tough typists", in excess of 60 wpm, find a touch keyboard unusable. Sadly, both companies seem to be targeting the one-finger typists.
YES, THIS!
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
The whole reason behind the Lightning idea was so Apple could charge accessory manufactures a licensing fee. They could have easily been one of the first companies to support the new Micro-USB 3 standard which has the same power output as Lighting with much quicker data transfer speeds.
Huh? Apple chose it because they like to have full control of their hardware and software experience. What if someone made a Micro-USB 3 device which did not meet Apple's standard to be used as a charger? Like, it would slowly drain the device if it was being pushed to the limits (max brightness + demanding game/application).
At least, that is my understanding
-QAMF
There's no guarantee that couldn't happen anyway, even with an approved accessory. I had a Philips speaker dock that almost fried my iPad, thank goodness I was sitting next to it to see it smoking. The iPad felt like it was on fire.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Relic
There's no guarantee that couldn't happen anyway, even with an approved accessory. I had a Philips speaker dock that almost fried my iPad, thank goodness I was sitting next to it to see it smoking. The iPad felt like it was on fire.
Okay, it gives less of a chance of that happening, better?
-QAMF
USB itself may be backwards compatible, but I can't stick mini USB cable into micro USB port.
I swear, there's like a half dozen "mini" USB connections. When going through the cable drawer, I can never find the right one.
There's four, the "mini's" have been discontinued and the majority of devices now just use Micro-B. The new Micro USB 3 will just have one adapter type. There were a few companies that did make their own Mini USB adapters like HTC but they stopped doing it to adhere to a single standard, Micro-B.
USB Micro 3.0