Just like a laptop wasn't supposed to do a desktop's job?
No, the Laptop's only job was to take the desktop experience and make it portable. It still has the paradigm of keyboard and mouse, standard desktop I/O, fixed drives, and the same resolution screens as desktops.
I have a feeling it even beats my specced out 2008 iMac! That was about 4,000, and I think the iPad is more.
I needed the extra storage. I think the iPad looks classy in grey with black bezels. With my iPhone, I can tether, so don't need the cellular. Makes it fractionally lighter, too.
It’s going to be tough seeing a big one next year...
Indeed, the iPad is around 4500 I believe. Yeah, I wanted the black bezels also, which left me with only one choice. I find black to be less distracting than white.
As for the bigger one, we'll see what happens next year!
Apple iPad Air 2 Kraken 1.1
4,480 ms average Sunspider 1.0.2
320 ms average Octane v2
8,349 Geekbench 3.2.2
4,489 average
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i3-4020Y) Kraken 1.1
2,801 ms Sunspider 1.0.2
340 ms Octane v2
11,636 Geekbench 3.2.2
3,275
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i5-4300U) Kraken 1.1
1,627 ms Sunspider 1.0.2
195 ms Octane v2
21,790 Geekbench 3.2.2
5,263
I find the performance of iPad Air 2 very compelling. We are clearly at a point where the only limitation to iPad versus laptops is software based. iPads certainly aren't only for consumption. iPad as a consumption device is a myth propagated by the Microsoft loyalists.
I am impatiently awaiting the 1 TFLOPs performance Imagination Technologies claims of their PowerVR 6 Series "Rogue" GPUs.
Apple iPad Air 2 Kraken 1.1
4,480 ms average Sunspider 1.0.2
320 ms average Octane v2
8,349 Geekbench 3.2.2
4,489 average
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i3-4020Y) Kraken 1.1
2,801 ms Sunspider 1.0.2
340 ms Octane v2
11,636 Geekbench 3.2.2
3,275
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i5-4300U) Kraken 1.1
1,627 ms Sunspider 1.0.2
195 ms Octane v2
21,790 Geekbench 3.2.2
5,263
I find the performance of iPad Air 2 very compelling. We are clearly at a point where the only limitation to iPad versus laptops is software based. iPads certainly aren't only for consumption. iPad as a consumption device is a myth propagated by the Microsoft loyalists.
I am impatiently awaiting the 1 TFLOPs performance Imagination Technologies claims of their PowerVR 6 Series "Rogue" GPUs.
But you can't do anything with the iPad. It's for consumption only. No real user would ever be caught with one.
There is no rule that states that the MacBook has to use a 16:9 ratio. We used 4:3 for years in a laptop without problems but I believe the Surface Pro 3 found that secret aspect ratio where both form factors work very well, 3:2.
3:2 is in fact quite good and the Surface Pro has improved a lot. It would still be nice though to have an iPad with a standard paper sized screen, stylus done right and the current touch capabilities. The Surface still seems to be more at home in landscape mode. I really do hope Apple stays with a 4:3 aspect ratio. A larger sized screen would be great in all kinds of areas. In education, though, a proper stylus input option is crucial. The whole asii two dimensional typewriter thing can only take you so far and squeezing and poking has its own set of limitations. The ability to properly write and draw is something that everyone should be exposed to and for this you need proper stylus support. The current stylus situation on the iPad is barely ok and far too expensive.
Hopefully iOS can be enhanced to achieve an "iPad Pro" aims. OSX, like Windows, seems more at home tied to a mouse and keyboard. In any case, massive multitasking is not really required on a tablet which should make things simpler for iOS. Trying to solve both desktop and tablet needs is not trivial. No one has yet to get that right.
The weight is just fine, do to my current predicament I barely weigh 54 Kilo (120 lbs) and I can hold the Surface 3 comfortably for a fairly long time. Yes the Surface Pro 3 is best when used on a hard surface, as the rear stand is a adjustable, you can lay it on a table and adjust it with just a slight angle making it idea for drawing or other graphic orientated tasks. All of these negative comments about the Surface Pro 3 are unfounded, it's a fantastic device. The display is bright and crisp, it's fast with plenty of memory, very thin, has a USB 3.0, display port, Mini SD slot. Handles multiple OS's like a dream, I currently have Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (build 9860), Ubuntu 14.10 and OSX (everything works now except WiFi, the hackintosh community is working on a fix but until than I just use a tiny USB dongle that is the same size as a one of those Logitech wireless adapters they have for their their mice and keyboards. I personally use my LTE connection more than WiFi and when I'm home I prefer using the Ethernet dongle. The keyboard is also much, much better than the previous one found on the Surface Pro 2, though I like using my MS Wedge keyboard and mouse combo, even typing on the virtual keyboard is comfortable, I can actually type faster than my iPad Air 2.So again either those with these types of comments have never actually used a Surface Pro 3, because there is no way you would be saying the things that you are if you actually had or it's like anything else, because it's simply not an Apple device, it must be crap. Microsoft is also doing fairly well now with the Surface Pro 3, regardless if their numbers are no where near that of the iPad. It's a good device guys, please at least use one for an extended period of time before continuing bombarding us with these same negative comments over and over again.
It runs Windows...of course it's crap.
Windows 8 still uses icons from XP and most settings menus haven't changed since 1998. It's a horrible mess, not at all optimized for touch.
No, the Laptop's only job was to take the desktop experience and make it portable. It still has the paradigm of keyboard and mouse, standard desktop I/O, fixed drives, and the same resolution screens as desktops.
The success of the tablet shows that most people don't need that. Apple needs to find a way to convince people that they can do on a tablet most of the job they do on a laptop. How many people still use their laptop just for surfing the Web? The main problem the iPad has imo is the storage which is still too small for it to be used as a main computer.
It runs Windows...of course it's crap.
Windows 8 still uses icons from XP and most settings menus haven't changed since 1998. It's a horrible mess, not at all optimized for touch.
No it doesn't the icons in Windows 8 have all been updated with a much larger dpi for high resolution monitors, they might be using same look for some but their different icons. There isn't anything that I can't use my fingers with throughout the system. Again this is an example of a person who hasn't used a Surface Pro 3 but feels the necessity to comment on what they disliked about a previous generation of Windows.I'm not saying that Windows 8 is not without it's faults but when combined with the Surface Pro 3, it makes for a decent computing experience none the less.
.I'm not saying that Windows 8 is not without it's faults but when combined with the Surface Pro 3, it makes for a decent computing experience none the less.
Curious: what are some of those faults?
And to say it's 'decent' does not sound like praise to me.
AHA! Yes, the hardware is there taking space and power whether needed or not.
Question, wouldn't it be practical to take an x86 app and do a one-time translation to sift the app into the native RISC code -- and store that output for any subsequent execution? a kind of Thin Binary?
I think it would (but I don't know the details of the implementation), that would be a hardware compiler!
The problem is that this kind of flexibility is normally done in software not in hardware and a processor is limited in what it can do because it must be blazing fast.
What I know is that instructions are translated on the fly and are possibly rearranged and merged to better align the RISC instructions.
Translating a batch of instructions in one time would cause delays and a processors doesn't know what program it is running (it only takes the next instruction and has a very limited scope on the instruction stream).
It's also impossible to 'speek' in RISC to the processor.
Just add a hypothetical MacCover Air that is a standalone Mac (like a headless MacBook Air) that I can use separately with a thunderbolt display but doubles as a keyboard cover for the iPad.
The MacCover Air could even replace the Mac mini in the lineup.
Then I would have the option of using the large iPad as the display for my MacCover Air. I would be able to bring an iPad and MacBook with me as one unit. And integrate the two otherwise standalone devices with handoff (even show the iPad connected in iTunes when it is serving as a Mac display)
That would be the correct solution to the convertible. Not one device that acts as two but two devices that can MERGE to be one (like Voltron).
When I split the devices I can use the iPad part with iOS and use handoff to pickup where I left off.
how long did it take you to fantasize such device? Apple had no reason to make that crap unless Tim Cook is dead. For those still dream of hybrid device, it won't ever happen, no "fly" and "float" car under Tim Cook.
I think we see reference to the Surface because people can't express what they need or want any better. they see the Surface as a bigger iPad and don't dwell on the negativity of the implementation.
It would be no more a copy than the first iPad where copies of MP3 players. People need to realize that Apple has many options available to them when it comes to implementing a larger iPad.
How about this; OS/X is only running in certain modes, the rest of the tie you get iPad functionality.
Which brings up the question of why some people think they need to buy everything Apple makes or at least pass judgment upon every device Apple makes. That is probably a completely different discussion anyways.
Let stop wasting your time on a hybrid device which Apple never make ever. "Float" and "Fly" device won't sell. One of the reasons that iPad sold well because of its price. Hybrid device will put its price close to $1000 to start with and will fail. That's exactly what happened to the Surface. Even Surface Pro 3 is a failure in sale ($1 billion last quarter for Surface Line = 500k-600k Surface Pro 3 at best)
Let stop wasting your time on a hybrid device which Apple never make ever. "Float" and "Fly" device won't sell. One of the reasons that iPad sold well because of its price. Hybrid device will put its price close to $1000 to start with and will fail. That's exactly what happened to the Surface. Even Surface Pro 3 is a failure in sale ($1 billion last quarter for Surface Line = 500k-600k Surface Pro 3 at best)
Notably, $908 million revenue reported for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is, by many technology reporters, presumed to be less than the cost of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 business.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a poorly implemented solution in an attempt to hold onto Microsoft's tenuous grasp on personal computing as defined in the 1990s while appearing to look forward to the future of computing.
"... it's still a leap to say this will be a true laptop replacement for most people..."
"To call the experience fanless-like would not be accurate."
" ... type cover, which acts as a screen protector, full keyboard, and touchpad interface, stubbornly remains a sold-separately accessory, despite the fact that I can't imagine (or recommend) anyone ever buying a Surface without one."
"... falling short of a decent budget laptop keyboard."
"... it's still not responsive, or tap-sensitive, enough for fast-track multitaskers, and the surface area is too shallow to easily navigate all around the screen."
"... the Surface Pro 3 was built in part around comparisons to the MacBook Air, we should point out that the Air ran for more than 6 additional hours on that test."
"... ergonomic difficulty actually balancing the thing on your lap ..."
"... a touchpad that still doesn't work effortlessly."
"... not quite ready to trade in my laptop ..."
- CNET (emphasis is mine)
CNET sure makes Microsoft Surface Pro 3 sound like a compromised experience.
Notably, $908 million revenue reported for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is, by many technology reporters, presumed to be less than the cost of Microsoft Surface Pro 3.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a poorly implemented solution in an attempt to hold onto Microsoft's tenuous grasp on personal computing as defined in the 1990s while appearing to look forward to the future of computing.
Actually they said Surface Pro line mean 1, 2 and 3. I assume Pro 3 takes 60% of the line.
Actually they said Surface Pro line mean 1, 2 and 3. I assume Pro 3 takes 60% of the line.
Offering Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, most technology reporters believe the Microsoft Surface pro 3 didn't provide any net profit to Microsoft.
I believe it is fair to say that Microsoft Surface Pro 3 "continues to be an area of great interest" and "a hobby."
Notably, $908 million revenue reported for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is, by many technology reporters, presumed to be less than the cost of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 business.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a poorly implemented solution in an attempt to hold onto Microsoft's tenuous grasp on personal computing as defined in the 1990s while appearing to look forward to the future of computing.
"... it's still a leap to say this will be a true laptop replacement for most people..."
"To call the experience fanless-like would not be accurate."
" ... type cover, which acts as a screen protector, full keyboard, and touchpad interface, stubbornly remains a sold-separately accessory, despite the fact that I can't imagine (or recommend) anyone ever buying a Surface without one."
"... falling short of a decent budget laptop keyboard."
"... it's still not responsive, or tap-sensitive, enough for fast-track multitaskers, and the surface area is too shallow to easily navigate all around the screen."
"... the Surface Pro 3 was built in part around comparisons to the MacBook Air, we should point out that the Air ran for more than 6 additional hours on that test."
"... ergonomic difficulty actually balancing the thing on your lap ..."
"... a touchpad that still doesn't work effortlessly."
"... not quite ready to trade in my laptop ..."
- CNET (emphasis is mine)
CNET sure makes Microsoft Surface Pro 3 sound like a compromised experience.
It was incredibly (or predictably, as one might view it) stupid of them to design this type of keyboard.
If someone wants to use their device on a desk with a keyboard they can use any bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. If they want to use it on their lap, or anywhere not super stable they can't. So what problem does this exactly solve, other than being a gimmick? Nothing.
The idiocy of this has brought them tons of unhappy customers who first of all pay extra for the keyboard and trackpad, and also end up getting something that's not good at all as a keyboard and trackpad. Netbooks came before that, everyone who used one, knows a second rate keyboard can be hell, Steve said we don't make junk, he was right. Then microsoft goes out and creates a sub par keyboard and trackpad, that doesn't serve any purpose, is almost impossible to use on your lap, has an extra cost, and carries all the weight of the device being marketed as laptop replacement... Who the hell at the lead ok's these incredibly misguided ideas? It's completely beyond me that it made it to the market.
They should have come up with a solid keyboard and some magnetic and mechanical way to attach it to the case and make it robust enough for lap use, and they should have added an extra battery there too to avoid top heaviness buckling. That would have allowed the device to charge too and improved battery life on intel cores which are in dire need of it, as well as a proper trackpad and not a gimmick, as well as all or some of the expansion ports coming out of the keyboard and not the main device thus making it slimmer. They decide finally, as they should have years ago, to enter the systems/hardware business too, and their first design is a piece of shit idea, that should have been cancelled upon a couple of days of discussion in an exec room, not even, in a lead designers room.
I am sure if apple do make a keyboard for the pro that's the way they are going to go, solid, magnetic, fully capable keyboard, and maybe with an extra battery to charge the iPad, and make it stand despite the top heaviness. But there' always clamshell of course.
Offering Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, most technology reporters believe the Microsoft Surface pro 3 didn't provide any net profit to Microsoft.
I believe it is fair to say that Microsoft Surface Pro 3 "continues to be an area of great interest" and "a hobby."
They've also misunderstood the idea of a hobby device. That was the apple tv because it was a very tentative design in a market/domain that had not matured yet. Still it managed and manages to do the core function it's designed for great. But you can't really call "a hobby" something that is supposed to counter all your competitors' products in a very mature market. Except if you mean that you are a hobbyist and the others are the professionals in the market, which by what they came up with is clearly the case. But to call it a hobby brings on you even more embarrassment since you are touting it as a professional device, and certainly the people who buy it are professionals who want to get their job done...
...but then again we are talking about the company who increments their OS by skipping one number as a marketing trick and pretends no one will notice and they won't be embarrassed by it.
...the company who increments their OS by skipping one number... ...and pretends no one will notice...
lol, Microsoft.
Sent from my iPhone 2
...as a marketing trick...
I could have sworn it was because “Windows 9” would show up to software as “Windows 95” since they’re completely worthless and haven’t changed the core code in 20 years.
They've also misunderstood the idea of a hobby device. That was the apple tv because it was a very tentative design in a market/domain that had not matured yet. Still it managed and manages to do the core function it's designed for great. But you can't really call "a hobby" something that is supposed to counter all your competitors' products in a very mature market. Except if you mean that you are a hobbyist and the others are the professionals in the market, which by what they came up with is clearly the case. But to call it a hobby brings on you even more embarrassment since you are touting it as a professional device, and certainly the people who buy it are professionals who want to get their job done...
...but then again we are talking about the company who increments their OS by skipping one number as a marketing trick and pretends no one will notice and they won't be embarrassed by it.
I am the person referring to Microsoft Surface as "a hobby" in reference to Tim Cook's comments about ?TV. Posting that comment with a comment about the profitability of Microsoft Surface was to suggest that Microsoft Surface isn't a primary source of revenue for Microsoft.
Then again, I am not certain any more what the primary source of revenue for Microsoft is supposed to be.
Microsoft has refined their comments from a "devices and services" company.
According to Satya Nadella
"... Microsoft is the productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world ..."
"Our Windows device OS and first-party hardware will set the bar for productivity experiences."
"Our first-party devices will light up digital work and life."
" In addition, we will build first-party hardware to stimulate more demand for the entire Windows ecosystem."
Microsoft Surface doesn't sound like Microsoft believes the platform to be a hobby.
Got it. It's something only a hobbyist would come up with though, sadly.
Quote:
"Our Windows device OS and first-party hardware will set the bar for productivity experiences."
What an awful marketing speak, awful even by marketing speak standards. "Productivity experiences", who the hell goes home to their wife after a good days work and goes, gee, honey, I 've just a had a great productivity experience at the office, and you know, I am not into sex tonight. lmao. Just get the trackpad to effing work Satya. And fire the people who's bright idea was the kickstand and the shoddy keyboard at extra cost. And get going at making bing a great search engine so you can kill google's main revenue, or perhaps only revenue, stream. You bailed apple out way back when, you 've done some really cool work with office on the iPad (thank Steve for that), you priced it decently, now get to work on offering a great search engine so we can lose google off our back.
Let me give you a hint, google has completely removed the feature to search forums and discussion threads, go make your own and put some creativity in there to enhance it, like categorising where everything is coming from. Also there is a wide open gap in search about the web sorely missing a directory, do something creative with that too. Make it private and have people opt in only for ads about things they care about and they explicitly chose. Now how hard is it to get a team to work on this for a year or so?
I could have sworn it was because “Windows 9” would show up to software as “Windows 95” since they’re completely worthless and haven’t changed the core code in 20 years.
best thing I read about that was:
Quote:
And because everyone is familiar with the "every other version is bad" rule, Microsoft wants to make it clear that in this case they're skipping straight to the next bad version.
Comments
Just like a laptop wasn't supposed to do a desktop's job?
No, the Laptop's only job was to take the desktop experience and make it portable. It still has the paradigm of keyboard and mouse, standard desktop I/O, fixed drives, and the same resolution screens as desktops.
Apple iPad Air 2
Kraken 1.1
4,480 ms average
Sunspider 1.0.2
320 ms average
Octane v2
8,349
Geekbench 3.2.2
4,489 average
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i3-4020Y)
Kraken 1.1
2,801 ms
Sunspider 1.0.2
340 ms
Octane v2
11,636
Geekbench 3.2.2
3,275
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (Core i5-4300U)
Kraken 1.1
1,627 ms
Sunspider 1.0.2
195 ms
Octane v2
21,790
Geekbench 3.2.2
5,263
I find the performance of iPad Air 2 very compelling. We are clearly at a point where the only limitation to iPad versus laptops is software based. iPads certainly aren't only for consumption. iPad as a consumption device is a myth propagated by the Microsoft loyalists.
I am impatiently awaiting the 1 TFLOPs performance Imagination Technologies claims of their PowerVR 6 Series "Rogue" GPUs.
But you can't do anything with the iPad. It's for consumption only. No real user would ever be caught with one.
Did I cover all the BS talking points?
3:2 is in fact quite good and the Surface Pro has improved a lot. It would still be nice though to have an iPad with a standard paper sized screen, stylus done right and the current touch capabilities. The Surface still seems to be more at home in landscape mode. I really do hope Apple stays with a 4:3 aspect ratio. A larger sized screen would be great in all kinds of areas. In education, though, a proper stylus input option is crucial. The whole asii two dimensional typewriter thing can only take you so far and squeezing and poking has its own set of limitations. The ability to properly write and draw is something that everyone should be exposed to and for this you need proper stylus support. The current stylus situation on the iPad is barely ok and far too expensive.
Hopefully iOS can be enhanced to achieve an "iPad Pro" aims. OSX, like Windows, seems more at home tied to a mouse and keyboard. In any case, massive multitasking is not really required on a tablet which should make things simpler for iOS. Trying to solve both desktop and tablet needs is not trivial. No one has yet to get that right.
Philip
The weight is just fine, do to my current predicament I barely weigh 54 Kilo (120 lbs) and I can hold the Surface 3 comfortably for a fairly long time. Yes the Surface Pro 3 is best when used on a hard surface, as the rear stand is a adjustable, you can lay it on a table and adjust it with just a slight angle making it idea for drawing or other graphic orientated tasks. All of these negative comments about the Surface Pro 3 are unfounded, it's a fantastic device. The display is bright and crisp, it's fast with plenty of memory, very thin, has a USB 3.0, display port, Mini SD slot. Handles multiple OS's like a dream, I currently have Windows 8.1, Windows 10 (build 9860), Ubuntu 14.10 and OSX (everything works now except WiFi, the hackintosh community is working on a fix but until than I just use a tiny USB dongle that is the same size as a one of those Logitech wireless adapters they have for their their mice and keyboards. I personally use my LTE connection more than WiFi and when I'm home I prefer using the Ethernet dongle. The keyboard is also much, much better than the previous one found on the Surface Pro 2, though I like using my MS Wedge keyboard and mouse combo, even typing on the virtual keyboard is comfortable, I can actually type faster than my iPad Air 2.So again either those with these types of comments have never actually used a Surface Pro 3, because there is no way you would be saying the things that you are if you actually had or it's like anything else, because it's simply not an Apple device, it must be crap. Microsoft is also doing fairly well now with the Surface Pro 3, regardless if their numbers are no where near that of the iPad. It's a good device guys, please at least use one for an extended period of time before continuing bombarding us with these same negative comments over and over again.
It runs Windows...of course it's crap.
Windows 8 still uses icons from XP and most settings menus haven't changed since 1998. It's a horrible mess, not at all optimized for touch.
No, the Laptop's only job was to take the desktop experience and make it portable. It still has the paradigm of keyboard and mouse, standard desktop I/O, fixed drives, and the same resolution screens as desktops.
The success of the tablet shows that most people don't need that. Apple needs to find a way to convince people that they can do on a tablet most of the job they do on a laptop. How many people still use their laptop just for surfing the Web? The main problem the iPad has imo is the storage which is still too small for it to be used as a main computer.
No it doesn't the icons in Windows 8 have all been updated with a much larger dpi for high resolution monitors, they might be using same look for some but their different icons. There isn't anything that I can't use my fingers with throughout the system. Again this is an example of a person who hasn't used a Surface Pro 3 but feels the necessity to comment on what they disliked about a previous generation of Windows.I'm not saying that Windows 8 is not without it's faults but when combined with the Surface Pro 3, it makes for a decent computing experience none the less.
Curious: what are some of those faults?
And to say it's 'decent' does not sound like praise to me.
I think it would (but I don't know the details of the implementation), that would be a hardware compiler!
The problem is that this kind of flexibility is normally done in software not in hardware and a processor is limited in what it can do because it must be blazing fast.
What I know is that instructions are translated on the fly and are possibly rearranged and merged to better align the RISC instructions.
Translating a batch of instructions in one time would cause delays and a processors doesn't know what program it is running (it only takes the next instruction and has a very limited scope on the instruction stream).
It's also impossible to 'speek' in RISC to the processor.
Notably, $908 million revenue reported for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is, by many technology reporters, presumed to be less than the cost of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 business.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a poorly implemented solution in an attempt to hold onto Microsoft's tenuous grasp on personal computing as defined in the 1990s while appearing to look forward to the future of computing.
"... it's still a leap to say this will be a true laptop replacement for most people..."
"To call the experience fanless-like would not be accurate."
" ... type cover, which acts as a screen protector, full keyboard, and touchpad interface, stubbornly remains a sold-separately accessory, despite the fact that I can't imagine (or recommend) anyone ever buying a Surface without one."
"... falling short of a decent budget laptop keyboard."
"... it's still not responsive, or tap-sensitive, enough for fast-track multitaskers, and the surface area is too shallow to easily navigate all around the screen."
"... the Surface Pro 3 was built in part around comparisons to the MacBook Air, we should point out that the Air ran for more than 6 additional hours on that test."
"... ergonomic difficulty actually balancing the thing on your lap ..."
"... a touchpad that still doesn't work effortlessly."
"... not quite ready to trade in my laptop ..."
- CNET (emphasis is mine)
CNET sure makes Microsoft Surface Pro 3 sound like a compromised experience.
Offering Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, most technology reporters believe the Microsoft Surface pro 3 didn't provide any net profit to Microsoft.
I believe it is fair to say that Microsoft Surface Pro 3 "continues to be an area of great interest" and "a hobby."
Notably, $908 million revenue reported for Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is, by many technology reporters, presumed to be less than the cost of the Microsoft Surface Pro 3 business.
Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is a poorly implemented solution in an attempt to hold onto Microsoft's tenuous grasp on personal computing as defined in the 1990s while appearing to look forward to the future of computing.
"... it's still a leap to say this will be a true laptop replacement for most people..."
"To call the experience fanless-like would not be accurate."
" ... type cover, which acts as a screen protector, full keyboard, and touchpad interface, stubbornly remains a sold-separately accessory, despite the fact that I can't imagine (or recommend) anyone ever buying a Surface without one."
"... falling short of a decent budget laptop keyboard."
"... it's still not responsive, or tap-sensitive, enough for fast-track multitaskers, and the surface area is too shallow to easily navigate all around the screen."
"... the Surface Pro 3 was built in part around comparisons to the MacBook Air, we should point out that the Air ran for more than 6 additional hours on that test."
"... ergonomic difficulty actually balancing the thing on your lap ..."
"... a touchpad that still doesn't work effortlessly."
"... not quite ready to trade in my laptop ..."
- CNET (emphasis is mine)
CNET sure makes Microsoft Surface Pro 3 sound like a compromised experience.
It was incredibly (or predictably, as one might view it) stupid of them to design this type of keyboard.
If someone wants to use their device on a desk with a keyboard they can use any bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. If they want to use it on their lap, or anywhere not super stable they can't. So what problem does this exactly solve, other than being a gimmick? Nothing.
The idiocy of this has brought them tons of unhappy customers who first of all pay extra for the keyboard and trackpad, and also end up getting something that's not good at all as a keyboard and trackpad. Netbooks came before that, everyone who used one, knows a second rate keyboard can be hell, Steve said we don't make junk, he was right. Then microsoft goes out and creates a sub par keyboard and trackpad, that doesn't serve any purpose, is almost impossible to use on your lap, has an extra cost, and carries all the weight of the device being marketed as laptop replacement... Who the hell at the lead ok's these incredibly misguided ideas? It's completely beyond me that it made it to the market.
They should have come up with a solid keyboard and some magnetic and mechanical way to attach it to the case and make it robust enough for lap use, and they should have added an extra battery there too to avoid top heaviness buckling. That would have allowed the device to charge too and improved battery life on intel cores which are in dire need of it, as well as a proper trackpad and not a gimmick, as well as all or some of the expansion ports coming out of the keyboard and not the main device thus making it slimmer. They decide finally, as they should have years ago, to enter the systems/hardware business too, and their first design is a piece of shit idea, that should have been cancelled upon a couple of days of discussion in an exec room, not even, in a lead designers room.
I am sure if apple do make a keyboard for the pro that's the way they are going to go, solid, magnetic, fully capable keyboard, and maybe with an extra battery to charge the iPad, and make it stand despite the top heaviness. But there' always clamshell of course.
Offering Microsoft the benefit of the doubt. Regardless, most technology reporters believe the Microsoft Surface pro 3 didn't provide any net profit to Microsoft.
I believe it is fair to say that Microsoft Surface Pro 3 "continues to be an area of great interest" and "a hobby."
They've also misunderstood the idea of a hobby device. That was the apple tv because it was a very tentative design in a market/domain that had not matured yet. Still it managed and manages to do the core function it's designed for great. But you can't really call "a hobby" something that is supposed to counter all your competitors' products in a very mature market. Except if you mean that you are a hobbyist and the others are the professionals in the market, which by what they came up with is clearly the case. But to call it a hobby brings on you even more embarrassment since you are touting it as a professional device, and certainly the people who buy it are professionals who want to get their job done...
...but then again we are talking about the company who increments their OS by skipping one number as a marketing trick and pretends no one will notice and they won't be embarrassed by it.
...the company who increments their OS by skipping one number... ...and pretends no one will notice...
lol, Microsoft.
Sent from my iPhone 2
I could have sworn it was because “Windows 9” would show up to software as “Windows 95” since they’re completely worthless and haven’t changed the core code in 20 years.
I am the person referring to Microsoft Surface as "a hobby" in reference to Tim Cook's comments about ?TV. Posting that comment with a comment about the profitability of Microsoft Surface was to suggest that Microsoft Surface isn't a primary source of revenue for Microsoft.
Then again, I am not certain any more what the primary source of revenue for Microsoft is supposed to be.
Microsoft has refined their comments from a "devices and services" company.
According to Satya Nadella
"... Microsoft is the productivity and platform company for the mobile-first and cloud-first world ..."
"Our Windows device OS and first-party hardware will set the bar for productivity experiences."
"Our first-party devices will light up digital work and life."
" In addition, we will build first-party hardware to stimulate more demand for the entire Windows ecosystem."
Microsoft Surface doesn't sound like Microsoft believes the platform to be a hobby.
Got it. It's something only a hobbyist would come up with though, sadly.
What an awful marketing speak, awful even by marketing speak standards. "Productivity experiences", who the hell goes home to their wife after a good days work and goes, gee, honey, I 've just a had a great productivity experience at the office, and you know, I am not into sex tonight. lmao. Just get the trackpad to effing work Satya. And fire the people who's bright idea was the kickstand and the shoddy keyboard at extra cost. And get going at making bing a great search engine so you can kill google's main revenue, or perhaps only revenue, stream. You bailed apple out way back when, you 've done some really cool work with office on the iPad (thank Steve for that), you priced it decently, now get to work on offering a great search engine so we can lose google off our back.
Let me give you a hint, google has completely removed the feature to search forums and discussion threads, go make your own and put some creativity in there to enhance it, like categorising where everything is coming from. Also there is a wide open gap in search about the web sorely missing a directory, do something creative with that too. Make it private and have people opt in only for ads about things they care about and they explicitly chose. Now how hard is it to get a team to work on this for a year or so?
lol, Microsoft.
Sent from my iPhone 2
I could have sworn it was because “Windows 9” would show up to software as “Windows 95” since they’re completely worthless and haven’t changed the core code in 20 years.
best thing I read about that was: