Not a product I'd want, but I really do want Apple to offer an intelligent Wacom-style pen ("SmartPen" to go with your "SmartCover"?) for art apps and to solve the palm-rejection issue while using the pen on an upgraded and larger iPad. iPad Pro, my money is waiting.
I absolutely LOVE how he didn't even manage to include the fucking cloth keyboard when comparing the weight against the Macbook Air. He might as well compare the weight of the iPad to that of the Air, or any other laptop for that matter. I mean- really? The "replace all your devices with a surface" was the same main argument they made with the 1st version- it didnt work then, why would it work now?
The suggestion that those in the audience using a Macbook Air/iPad combo would jump at the opportunity to replace both those devices with one that is shittier than both is also hilarious. Does he think that maybe, just MAYBE people choose to use those products because of a few more factors? The surface 3 is in no way, shape or form a replacement for the Air. You cant even use the damn keyboard in your lap.
Okay, so now take your thumb off the MacBook Air side of the scale.
In reality, this is the latest Windows world incarnation of a netbook, but too cumbersome to use on your lap to be a laptop. Windows still requires a keyboard to be really usable. And they add a stylus. This is not a product which was designed to be a tablet. The iPad was.
As Tim Cook said, "Our competition is different - they're confused. They chased after netbooks. Now they're trying to make PCs into tablets and tablets into PCs. Who knows what they will do next?"
I have a Surface Pro 2 and, while I find it to be an extremely capable device, I never use it. Why? It sucks at being a tablet (too thick and heavy) and it sucks at being a laptop (it won't sit on your lap, and the flap stand is horrid). And Windows 8 makes me want to retch.
The full sized iPad is only now reaching the weight limit a tablet should be. Nearly double that weight is far too heavy to pretend this will ever replace a tablet. And it's certainly no MacBook Air replacement.
It's going to fail because they are still using gimmicks to trick people.
Like the picture shown above. The Macbook Air weighs more than the Surface? Of course it does. The Surface doesn't a have a keyboard. Who in that audience is going to blog without a keyboard? No one.
World's thinnest Core device (without a keyboard). Add a keyboard and the surface is $899. The same price as a Macbook Air, except the Air has an i5 processor, 128GB of flash and a full size keyboard.
So in the end, all Microsoft did was make the surface thinner.
Unfortunately, the parallax here is not an animation behavior in software, but the pen writing not where the tip "is". It's the result of the space between the glass, the touch layer, and the screen underneath all adding gap above the pen.
This is what they meant they solved, I believe.
I apologize, I wasn't clear. What if they are developing a pen that would sense where the input device is and subtly "pull the screen" for the lack of a better word? Even if the technology isn't used with a pen input device I could see some version of this idea being useful on the rumored curved displays. Maybe they found a way to track finger movement?
I always found the parallax feature by itself to be a bit odd. It was a feature(?) no one was asking for, and to me at least seemed like a first step towards something more.
I have a Surface Pro 2 and, while I find it to be an extremely capable device, I never use it. Why? It sucks at being a tablet (too thick and heavy) and it sucks at being a laptop (it won't sit on your lap, and the flap stand is horrid). And Windows 8 makes me want to retch.
If that's what you discovered why would you find it to be "an extremely capable device"? Don't make excuses. If it sucks a tablet and sucks a laptop it sucks. Period.
I watched the live stream. Where in the video does he say the pen solved the issue, as opposed to reducing the parallax between where the pen touches the glass and how far away the display is from that point?
Just to clarify, Panay did add the keyboard to the Surface Pro on the scale later in the presentation in order to show that it was still lighter than the 13-inch MacBook Air. The keyboard wasn't formally unveiled until after he had placed the Surface on the scale.
So a 12" device is lighter than a 13" device. Imagine that. But the 13" Air gets 12 hours battery life. According to Ars Technica the Surface Pro 3 gets 9.
It's going to fail because they are still using gimmicks to trick people.
Like the picture shown above. The Macbook Air weighs more than the Surface? Of course it does. The Surface doesn't a have a keyboard. Who in that audience is going to blog without a keyboard? No one.
World's thinnest Core device (without a keyboard). Add a keyboard and the surface is $899. The same price as a Macbook Air, except the Air has an i5 processor, 128GB of flash and a full size keyboard.
So in the end, all Microsoft did was make the surface thinner.
Ah but according to the Verge hype machine, this is Microsoft replacing the laptop as we know it.
Another accessory shown off by Microsoft was a new pen with 256 points of pressure compatible with the latest Surface Pro. Microsoft hyped the ability to place one's hand against the screen and write with a pen that feels natural for note taking and drawing.
One key use of the pen showcased by the company was for a new version of Photoshop CC designed for Windows 8 and Surface Pro 3. Adobe took the stage to demonstrate how users can combine the use of the pen and their fingers for multi-touch control when editing images.
Microsoft's pen also clicks on the top, much like a regular retractable pen that would be used for paper. Clicking it immediately opens up Microsoft OneNote on the Surface, so a user can begin writing down their thoughts instantly.
In another demonstration, Panay double-clicked the pen's button to take a screenshot, which was then immediately opened in OneNote. Panay then used the pen to crop the image, and began to draw on it. Once saved, the note then synced to Microsoft's cloud services.
Love these two features. Not for the general user, perhaps, for note taking and photoshop / graphics work it would be awesome to have this ability on an iPad. I love the fine pointed pen. I am not a fan of the fat rubber tipped iPad pens.
Comments
Keep pluckin' that chicken, Microsoft...
I absolutely LOVE how he didn't even manage to include the fucking cloth keyboard when comparing the weight against the Macbook Air. He might as well compare the weight of the iPad to that of the Air, or any other laptop for that matter. I mean- really? The "replace all your devices with a surface" was the same main argument they made with the 1st version- it didnt work then, why would it work now?
The suggestion that those in the audience using a Macbook Air/iPad combo would jump at the opportunity to replace both those devices with one that is shittier than both is also hilarious. Does he think that maybe, just MAYBE people choose to use those products because of a few more factors? The surface 3 is in no way, shape or form a replacement for the Air. You cant even use the damn keyboard in your lap.
[IMG ALT=""]http://forums.appleinsider.com/content/type/61/id/43423/width/500/height/1000[/IMG]
In reality, this is the latest Windows world incarnation of a netbook, but too cumbersome to use on your lap to be a laptop. Windows still requires a keyboard to be really usable. And they add a stylus. This is not a product which was designed to be a tablet. The iPad was.
As Tim Cook said, "Our competition is different - they're confused. They chased after netbooks. Now they're trying to make PCs into tablets and tablets into PCs. Who knows what they will do next?"
Double the weight of an iPad Air?
1/3 the usefulness of a Macbook Air?
Pointy stand that digs in your lap?
Replaces neither product.
The full sized iPad is only now reaching the weight limit a tablet should be. Nearly double that weight is far too heavy to pretend this will ever replace a tablet. And it's certainly no MacBook Air replacement.
Like the picture shown above. The Macbook Air weighs more than the Surface? Of course it does. The Surface doesn't a have a keyboard. Who in that audience is going to blog without a keyboard? No one.
World's thinnest Core device (without a keyboard). Add a keyboard and the surface is $899. The same price as a Macbook Air, except the Air has an i5 processor, 128GB of flash and a full size keyboard.
So in the end, all Microsoft did was make the surface thinner.
Could this be any uglier?
I don't recall him saying the pen solved that issue, but rather the display being very close to the glass that resolved it.
You can hear him talk about it in length during one of Engadget's videos
http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/20/microsoft-surface-pro-3-pen/
Unfortunately, the parallax here is not an animation behavior in software, but the pen writing not where the tip "is". It's the result of the space between the glass, the touch layer, and the screen underneath all adding gap above the pen.
This is what they meant they solved, I believe.
I apologize, I wasn't clear. What if they are developing a pen that would sense where the input device is and subtly "pull the screen" for the lack of a better word? Even if the technology isn't used with a pen input device I could see some version of this idea being useful on the rumored curved displays. Maybe they found a way to track finger movement?
I always found the parallax feature by itself to be a bit odd. It was a feature(?) no one was asking for, and to me at least seemed like a first step towards something more.
I have a Surface Pro 2 and, while I find it to be an extremely capable device, I never use it. Why? It sucks at being a tablet (too thick and heavy) and it sucks at being a laptop (it won't sit on your lap, and the flap stand is horrid). And Windows 8 makes me want to retch.
If that's what you discovered why would you find it to be "an extremely capable device"? Don't make excuses. If it sucks a tablet and sucks a laptop it sucks. Period.
A visual catastrophe.
I watched the live stream. Where in the video does he say the pen solved the issue, as opposed to reducing the parallax between where the pen touches the glass and how far away the display is from that point?
It's runs Windows. Windows is dead. I expect to see as many of these in the wild as I did Zunes.
At the risk of sounding cynical, I have to agree with you. When will MS get it that their products need to be "best in class," or why bother?
I have to admit though, the full adjustable kickstand does look cool.
One key use of the pen showcased by the company was for a new version of Photoshop CC designed for Windows 8 and Surface Pro 3. Adobe took the stage to demonstrate how users can combine the use of the pen and their fingers for multi-touch control when editing images.
Microsoft's pen also clicks on the top, much like a regular retractable pen that would be used for paper. Clicking it immediately opens up Microsoft OneNote on the Surface, so a user can begin writing down their thoughts instantly.
In another demonstration, Panay double-clicked the pen's button to take a screenshot, which was then immediately opened in OneNote. Panay then used the pen to crop the image, and began to draw on it. Once saved, the note then synced to Microsoft's cloud services.
Love these two features. Not for the general user, perhaps, for note taking and photoshop / graphics work it would be awesome to have this ability on an iPad. I love the fine pointed pen. I am not a fan of the fat rubber tipped iPad pens.