Top computing devices I see around campus, more or less in order:
1. MBP
2. MBA
3. random crap, usually Dell or HP.
4. SP3.
And I see a good deal of SP3's. Maybe about 10% of total devices, which isn't bad.
Any parent that buys their college student a SP3 as a primary computing device is a technological moron. Further, to use the full capabilities, you need to spend an additional $180 for keyboard and pen. It is a very poor choice.
Been there, done that. I'm actually on my way back up today. It's so weird going from being as close as I am to Cupertino and seeing coffee shops all lit up with the glowing Apple logo, to head up there where you'll forget how many people still work for Microsoft.
Funny thing is, that reminds me of the Windows 10 announcement a month or so back. When they'd switch the camera view out to the auditorium, at least 3/4ths of the laptops had glowing Apple logos. Oh the irony... (Also worth noting is that at least half those attending appeared to be falling asleep).
Any parent that buys their college student a SP3 as a primary computing device is a technological moron. Further, to use the full capabilities, you need to spend an additional $180 for keyboard and pen. It is a very poor choice.
Steve Ballmer does not appreciate being called a moron (but it's probably not far off from the truth).
My wife's company bought something like 500 of the surface pro 3's recently for sales reps. It's a pretty decent device. Windows 8 isn't as bad now(we both agree Mac OS is still better). Wife appreciates that she dose not have to pull out at airport security because it's considered a tablet.
Ah I can't wait. Can you smell it's arrival? Not the Surface 3, of course, but the inevitable DED article telling us about how much it sucks. 2 paragraphs devoted to the surface, the rest dovetailing into some other topic about market share. There will be mention of Google somehow. Graphs and charts will be in no short supply ;-D
Any parent that buys their college student a SP3 as a primary computing device is a technological moron. Further, to use the full capabilities, you need to spend an additional $180 for keyboard and pen. It is a very poor choice.
According to some people on forums about the new MacBook, Core-M is the same as Intel Atom.
Even if that happens to be the case, we're still looking at a desktop OS being crippled with 2GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which is insanely ridiculous. Especially for Windows. The new Macbook comes with 8GB and 256GB. Yes, I know there's a big price diff, but that doesnt change the fact that those specs will not give a good experience with Windows.
Even if that happens to be the case, we're still looking at a desktop OS being crippled with 2GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which is insanely ridiculous. Especially for Windows. The new Macbook comes with 8GB and 256GB. Yes, I know there's a big price diff, but that doesnt change the fact that those specs will not give a good experience with Windows.
1) Core-M has multitudes higher performance than Atom. It's not even in the same ballpark… unless we're talking about power consumption.
2) This is clearly trying to compete with the iPad on price, but running Windows desktop I can't see how those specs will work. It surprises me that MS hasn't made a tablet version of their good Windows Phone OS.
2) This is clearly trying to compete with the iPad on price, but running Windows desktop I can't see how those specs will work. It surprises me that MS hasn't made a tablet version of their good Windows Phone OS.
I believe they are going for Universal apps, so this is going to be the tablet version of their OS
I went to Adobe Max last year where Microsoft gave every attendee a SP3. I played with mine a few days and eventually gave it to my boss. To me it seemed like the worst of both worlds. It was big and heavy compared to an iPad, and I had a hard time seeing things on the screen, they seemed to small. I also didn't like it when it was in "laptop mode," at least when compared to a real laptop and especially when compared with a MacBook Air or Pro. The floppy keyboard and kickstand means it does not have a stable base like a laptop. So it is practically useless on an actual lap. And even when putting it on a surface other than a lap, like a table or bench, you have to be much more careful with how you set it down due to again the floppy keyboard and kickstand.
I had a hard time figuring out who their target market was. It seemed like anyone who needed a laptop would be much better off getting an actual laptop. And if you didn't need a laptop, then a tablet like an iPad would seem to be a better choice. And from everyone I talk to Microsoft is giving away Surface Pro 3s like there is no tomorrow, so sure you are bound to see some in the wild.
My wife's company bought something like 500 of the surface pro 3's recently for sales reps. It's a pretty decent device. Windows 8 isn't as bad now(we both agree Mac OS is still better). Wife appreciates that she dose not have to pull out at airport security because it's considered a tablet.
Stop the press!
Seriously.
Windows 8 is still a suck fest. "Now" didn't fix it. It's like saying "Internet Explorer isn't as bad now." Oh yes it is. Even Microsoft knows it.
Occasionally I'll fold my iPad Smart Cover to stand my iPad up on my desk next to my MacBook, to watch a video on it while doing something else on the MacBook; like trading stocks. And when I do that, I might want to pause the video or have some other reason to interact with the iPad. And here's my thought... it just doesn't work very well, to be interacting with a touch screen that's positioned in this manner. Touch screens work when you are holding the device in your hands, or maybe when the device is laying flat on your lap. But the whole paradigm of a touchscreen device with a keyboard and mouse, all positioned in the exact same configuration of a standard PC, just doesn't fly. And that's the problem with the Surface, with touch screen PCs, and with the whole direction in which Windows has been headed over the last two years.
Even if that happens to be the case, we're still looking at a desktop OS being crippled with 2GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which is insanely ridiculous. Especially for Windows. The new Macbook comes with 8GB and 256GB. Yes, I know there's a big price diff, but that doesnt change the fact that those specs will not give a good experience with Windows.
1) Core-M has multitudes higher performance than Atom. It's not even in the same ballpark… unless we're talking about power consumption.
2) This is clearly trying to compete with the iPad on price, but running Windows desktop I can't see how those specs will work. It surprises me that MS hasn't made a tablet version of their good Windows Phone OS.
Core M is definitely better than Atom. That being said, OS X is a resource pig on RAM (you really need 8GB minimum) whereas Windows will run okay in 2GB. They've actually reduced Windows 10's hardware requirements to 1GB.
Now, I would buy the 128/4GB model of this, but I don't think performance will be that bad on the thing. It'll still be flash storage, not a spinning hard disk.
Ulitmately, this isn't a MacBook competitor. This is a straight shot at Apple's iPad plans for the enterprise. Not having any biometric access will hurt them though.
1) Don't compete head to head with Apple when it comes to mobile.
2) Don't compete head to head with Apple when it comes to consumer.
3) Product differentiate.
4) Establish the brand and build now for the technology that's coming.
When the Surface first came out, I knew they were going to dump ARM/RT at some point. Now what they have is a slightly underpowered tablet, but it will meet the needs of those who want a PC as a tablet... Something that Apple doesn't offer. It's a niche market, and personally, I prefer a MacBook Air, but the Surface is hitting a target demographic without going up directly against Apple.
Keep in mind in a couple of years the technology is going to radically change. While Intel always has a tick-tock product cycle that keeps up with Moore's Law, they shifted gears a while ago to really focus on mobile (which they had ignored). The results of this effort will be a huge increase in performance and efficiency. We'll also start seeing 3D flash storage coming online and things like USB-C will have a huge impact as well. In other words, imagine the Surface being able to meet the PC needs of the majority of people while offering more than all-day battery life, being significantly thinner, and being almost indistinguishable from having a desktop when connected via one single thin reversable cable that also charges the device and can be easily daisy chained to a large monitor, drives, etc...
I have a hard time seeing that as something nobody would want.
it runs windows. Thats enough for me to say no thanks.
Comments
Any parent that buys their college student a SP3 as a primary computing device is a technological moron. Further, to use the full capabilities, you need to spend an additional $180 for keyboard and pen. It is a very poor choice.
Oh, I think has fans. Have you seen some of the posts in this thread?
Been there, done that. I'm actually on my way back up today. It's so weird going from being as close as I am to Cupertino and seeing coffee shops all lit up with the glowing Apple logo, to head up there where you'll forget how many people still work for Microsoft.
Funny thing is, that reminds me of the Windows 10 announcement a month or so back. When they'd switch the camera view out to the auditorium, at least 3/4ths of the laptops had glowing Apple logos. Oh the irony... (Also worth noting is that at least half those attending appeared to be falling asleep).
Apple should make a Mac tablet.
Steve Ballmer does not appreciate being called a moron (but it's probably not far off from the truth).
Top computing devices I see around campus, more or less in order:
1. MBP
2. MBA
3. random crap, usually Dell or HP.
4. SP3.
And I see a good deal of SP3's. Maybe about 10% of total devices, which isn't bad.
You must be going to Bellevue CC. On most, ALL MS surface "lablets" combined might amount to two or three percent. (and that is being kind)
I could see this being a niche product for those who need a stylus...just as the rumoured iPad Pro would be.
Please explain.
According to some people on forums about the new MacBook, Core-M is the same as Intel Atom.
Even if that happens to be the case, we're still looking at a desktop OS being crippled with 2GB of RAM and 64GB storage, which is insanely ridiculous. Especially for Windows. The new Macbook comes with 8GB and 256GB. Yes, I know there's a big price diff, but that doesnt change the fact that those specs will not give a good experience with Windows.
1) Core-M has multitudes higher performance than Atom. It's not even in the same ballpark… unless we're talking about power consumption.
2) This is clearly trying to compete with the iPad on price, but running Windows desktop I can't see how those specs will work. It surprises me that MS hasn't made a tablet version of their good Windows Phone OS.
I believe they are going for Universal apps, so this is going to be the tablet version of their OS
Intel chip?
Can't wait for the OS X port!
I had a hard time figuring out who their target market was. It seemed like anyone who needed a laptop would be much better off getting an actual laptop. And if you didn't need a laptop, then a tablet like an iPad would seem to be a better choice. And from everyone I talk to Microsoft is giving away Surface Pro 3s like there is no tomorrow, so sure you are bound to see some in the wild.
Stop the press!
Seriously.
Windows 8 is still a suck fest. "Now" didn't fix it. It's like saying "Internet Explorer isn't as bad now." Oh yes it is. Even Microsoft knows it.
Occasionally I'll fold my iPad Smart Cover to stand my iPad up on my desk next to my MacBook, to watch a video on it while doing something else on the MacBook; like trading stocks. And when I do that, I might want to pause the video or have some other reason to interact with the iPad. And here's my thought... it just doesn't work very well, to be interacting with a touch screen that's positioned in this manner. Touch screens work when you are holding the device in your hands, or maybe when the device is laying flat on your lap. But the whole paradigm of a touchscreen device with a keyboard and mouse, all positioned in the exact same configuration of a standard PC, just doesn't fly. And that's the problem with the Surface, with touch screen PCs, and with the whole direction in which Windows has been headed over the last two years.
Core M is definitely better than Atom. That being said, OS X is a resource pig on RAM (you really need 8GB minimum) whereas Windows will run okay in 2GB. They've actually reduced Windows 10's hardware requirements to 1GB.
Now, I would buy the 128/4GB model of this, but I don't think performance will be that bad on the thing. It'll still be flash storage, not a spinning hard disk.
Ulitmately, this isn't a MacBook competitor. This is a straight shot at Apple's iPad plans for the enterprise. Not having any biometric access will hurt them though.
Actually I think they are really nailing it here.
1) Don't compete head to head with Apple when it comes to mobile.
2) Don't compete head to head with Apple when it comes to consumer.
3) Product differentiate.
4) Establish the brand and build now for the technology that's coming.
When the Surface first came out, I knew they were going to dump ARM/RT at some point. Now what they have is a slightly underpowered tablet, but it will meet the needs of those who want a PC as a tablet... Something that Apple doesn't offer. It's a niche market, and personally, I prefer a MacBook Air, but the Surface is hitting a target demographic without going up directly against Apple.
Keep in mind in a couple of years the technology is going to radically change. While Intel always has a tick-tock product cycle that keeps up with Moore's Law, they shifted gears a while ago to really focus on mobile (which they had ignored). The results of this effort will be a huge increase in performance and efficiency. We'll also start seeing 3D flash storage coming online and things like USB-C will have a huge impact as well. In other words, imagine the Surface being able to meet the PC needs of the majority of people while offering more than all-day battery life, being significantly thinner, and being almost indistinguishable from having a desktop when connected via one single thin reversable cable that also charges the device and can be easily daisy chained to a large monitor, drives, etc...
I have a hard time seeing that as something nobody would want.
it runs windows. Thats enough for me to say no thanks.
Please explain.
Windows is ugly, recalcitrant, annoying and tasteless.