microsoft surface Surface and Metro: This party's just gettin' started.

[funkydude]

I hope they have a decent media player for the RT version or that will give me a huge sad. I want something like media jukebox on the go.

features I want in it:

DSP/EQ

Full tag editor

"add as next to play"

export ind. playlists

playlist to folder

folder to playlist

display real time bitrate (when it changes as in VBR it will update with real time bitrate)

customizable display fields

total playlist time on status bar or other area.

I highly doubt it. However what I don't doubt is that someone will make an app to do all that. The Microsoft music app is pretty basic.

[BajiRav]

Provided they price it right ($799-899ish) and a decent battery life (~6-9 hrs), I will buy the Pro version. Looks perfect. :) but at the same time if RT is really cheap (<$500) + really good battery life then it's going to be a tough call :D

You forgot a zero, right?

There's no way to see them priced at $200.

why would it be $2000 :/

[DATmafia]

To hate on MS just because they are corporate is kind of stupid. MS has given careers to countless people by making a framework and OS family that works more than it doesn't. Given the endless configurations and appolications windows can run the fact that in a post win2k world there hasn't been as much instability as in previous iterations of MS OS's. MS invests heavily in trying to make their products better. It's frustratingly ironic for MS to not yet have a decent web presence even though hotmail and MSN ID's are quite popular still. BING is a unique way to search and offers something that Google doesn't when it comes to searching for images, videos and news. BING isn't better than Google, just different with it's search results not as reliable as Google. I was happy to see that the latest WP7 has given rise to MS's vision of making the metro UI the centerpiece of the next generation of Windows mobile, tablet and desktop/laptop operating systems. With touch being built into everything I think MS truly came to market first with the metro UI and have had success in marketing it this time. Had it flopped as spectacularly as WinMobile 6.5 or Vista then it might have been a different game. It's good to see MS have confidence again and unvail something that the market hasn't seen as refined as this. This is waht I had hoped the iPad was going to look like. a touch screen with the option to bend around a keyboard. I like my iPad3 but for my win8 upgrade I'm gettin a surface.

[CentralDogma]

You forgot a zero, right?

There's no way to see them priced at $200.

The thing is, my laptop is still working just fine. It?s old, but it can surf the web and do text editing while I?m on the couch. It can?t run games, so it?s basically a tablet. The only reason for me to upgrade is portability and style, I?d price that at $200(and the loss of driver support to switching to ARM). And I could see the low end Surface going for a little more than that and reducing over time.

[.Neo]

I think on RT, if you don't use Office - you will stay in metro all the time and then it's as smooth as any other tablet OS.

Yeah and you're left without a proper Office suite in the process. You're really not making much of a case here.

[BajiRav]

Yeah and you're left without a proper Office suite in the process. You're really not making much of a case here.

I actually don't use iPad for any editing for word processing or spreadsheet. The built-in viewers work just fine for me. I don't see why WRT will be any different for people like me.

[+Warwagon MVC]

It does look like a Sexy tablet. But how productive can you really be with x86 apps on touch? I mean sure firefox and web browsers work pretty well, I just don't know how other x86 apps will work on touch. Trying the desktop on the W500 Acer tablet, it works, but i still prefer a mouse. While on my couch I have 4 things to choose from.

iPad

17 inch Laptop

Windows 8 touch Pad

laptop hooked up to a 24 inch monitor with a mouse and keyboard.

For the longest time I always choose the 17 inch laptop with a mouse, now i'm choosing the 24 inch monitor. Although I understand that having a 24 inch monitor hooked up next to your couch is not at all common.

But while away from my house I still have 3 of those to choose from. I've brought the Windows 8 touch pad with me, and it works, although I tend to use the iPad more. Then again i'm never actually doing much on these devices when i'm a way from my house. If I was, then I would probably go with my 14 inch or 15 inch laptop with a wireless mouse.

As for the average user, they are limited on what they use a computer for. They check their email, maybe look at photos and the rest of the time they live on facebook. For that, I think the AVERAGE user will love an RT tablet.

[winlonghorn]

It does look like a Sexy tablet. But how productive can you really be with x86 apps on touch? I mean sure firefox and web browsers work pretty well, I just don't know how other x86 apps will work on touch. Trying the desktop on the W500 Acer tablet, it works, but i still prefer a mouse. While on my couch I have 4 things to choose from.

iPad

17 inch Laptop

Windows 8 touch Pad

laptop hooked up to a 24 inch monitor with a mouse and keyboard.

For the longest time I always choose the 17 inch with a mouse, now i'm choosing the 24 inch monitor. Although I understand that having a 24 inch monitor hooked up next to your couch is not at all common.

But while away from my house I still have 3 of those to choose from. I've brought the Windows 8 touch pad with me, and it works, although I tend to use the iPad more. Then again i'm never actually doing much on these devices when i'm a way from my house. If I was, then I would probably go with my 14 inch or 15 inch laptop with a wireless mouse.

As for the average user, they are limited on what they use a computer for. They check their email, maybe look at photos and the rest of the time live on facebook. For that, I think the AVERAGE user will love an RT tablet.

You don't have to use touch for the x86 apps. That is what the trackpad in the typing cover is for! ;)

[+Warwagon MVC]

You don't have to use touch for the x86 apps. That is what the trackpad in the typing cover is for! ;)

Did I mention I also HATE trackpads? Now when the keyboard is attached can you still use a usb port?

For me, A mouse is like an interstate. It has a speed limit of 80 mph. A trackpad is the road construction, which throttles you down to 25 mph.

[.Neo]

I actually don't use iPad for any editing for word processing or spreadsheet. The built-in viewers work just fine for me. I don't see why WRT will be any different for people like me.

That's you. Different people, different needs. I tend to use my iPad for more than viewing alone.

[winlonghorn]

Did I mention I also HATE trackpads? Now when the keyboard is attached can you still use a usb port?

I don't see why you couldn't use a USB port with the keyboard attached. The keyboard has its own special connector. It doesn't need the USB port.

[Kyang]

Did I mention I also HATE trackpads? Now when the keyboard is attached can you still use a usb port?

The keyboard doesn't attach through the USB port.

You can see the USB port is free in a couple images here:

http://www.microsoft...us/gallery.aspx

Though since you mention it, how is the keyboard powered anyway?

EDIT:

An image here answered my question:

http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en/us/about.aspx

[George P Global Moderator]

It does look like a Sexy tablet. But how productive can you really be with x86 apps on touch? I mean sure firefox and web browsers work pretty well, I just don't know how other x86 apps will work on touch. Trying the desktop on the W500 Acer tablet, it works, but i still prefer a mouse. While on my couch I have 4 things to choose from.

iPad

17 inch Laptop

Windows 8 touch Pad

laptop hooked up to a 24 inch monitor with a mouse and keyboard.

For the longest time I always choose the 17 inch laptop with a mouse, now i'm choosing the 24 inch monitor. Although I understand that having a 24 inch monitor hooked up next to your couch is not at all common.

But while away from my house I still have 3 of those to choose from. I've brought the Windows 8 touch pad with me, and it works, although I tend to use the iPad more. Then again i'm never actually doing much on these devices when i'm a way from my house. If I was, then I would probably go with my 14 inch or 15 inch laptop with a wireless mouse.

As for the average user, they are limited on what they use a computer for. They check their email, maybe look at photos and the rest of the time they live on facebook. For that, I think the AVERAGE user will love an RT tablet.

So, if you're worried about desktop apps and touch use the USB port and connect a mouse to it. The hardware doesn't force you to use touch with desktop apps, it's just another option. Which is why it's also got mini-HDMI out (RT) and Display Port (Pro) so you can use the device on a bigger screen for desktop apps.

Really, the only limiting factors for these are price and battery life, the hardware itself, from what I've seen, lets you more or less do whatever you want.

[.Neo]

Though since you mention it, how is the keyboard powered anyway?

Using the force. :ninja:

[winlonghorn]

The keyboard doesn't attach through the USB port.

You can see the USB port is free in a couple images here:

http://www.microsoft...us/gallery.aspx

Though since you mention it, how is the keyboard powered anyway?

Via the port that it attaches with I imagine!

[George P Global Moderator]

I don't see why you couldn't use a USB port with the keyboard attached. The keyboard has its own special connector. It doesn't need the USB port.

Correct, I think MS has a patent on this type of connector the touch/type covers use, that's what I heard anyways. It cleared PTO last week.

[winlonghorn]

Correct, I think MS has a patent on this type of connector the touch/type covers use, that's what I heard anyways. It cleared PTO last week.

Exactly! :)

[Kyang]

Using the force. :ninja:

Via the port that it attaches with I imagine!

Lol, thanks guys. :laugh: .

I did find my answer. They're edited into the post now.

[winlonghorn]

Lol, thanks guys. :laugh: .

I did find my answer. They're edited into the post now.

No problem. lol :)

[George P Global Moderator]

It's probably using this....

http://www.engadget.com/2012/06/19/microsoft-surface-power-connector/?a_dgi=aolshare_twitter

MagSafe.

[Mamoun]

I really find this tablet to be seriously stunning, it's so exciting to see new innovation in a field that was once stagnant due to Apple's lack of recent innovation and disappointing io6.

Despite being a huge fan of android, windows on a tablet is great and puts this tablet in a completely different league than all the others, hopefully android tablet manufacturers will understand that usb host ports are not a luxury but a necessity, finally a non-crippled experience just because it's a touch friendly, mobile form of a laptop.

[PGHammer]

Glad to see some people are excited about this new tablet from MS.

After reading some of the articles on ZDNet. Wonder why they still report on MS if they hate it so much

Because the opinion of *most* of ZDNet (in fact, in a lot of computing) is that Microsoft is the Sauron Corporation - evil to the core.

They have never said why (likely because it's not grounded in quantifiable data) - instead, it's a postulate akin to a religious belief "taken on faith".

On the subject of Surface/Surface Pro, they are *benchmarks* - as has been the case with all of Microsoft's products - especially hardware. Despite the opinions of the anti-Microsoft jihadists, Microsoft has never sought to outright crush all competing products in any market it has entered. What it *has* sought to do is set a higher standard for products in a line of business - be it peripherals (Microsoft Mouse and the original Natural Keyboard, for example), game consoles (XBOX and XB360), development tools (Visual Studio), or even graphical environments (Windows).

Basically, in terms of the tablet/Ultrabook space, Surface and Surface Pro are the Microsoft Mouse all over again - quality made *and* priced affordably.

While the base-level Surface is aimed at the iPad, the Surface Pro has a bigger (and far scarier, for the anti-MS jihad) target in mind - the MacBook Air. It's not *priced* like a flagship Ultrabook, because while it *is* an Ultrabook, even the 128GB (SSD, most likely) Surface Pro has higher-priced Ultrabook competition. What Surface Pro is, instead, is a *benchmark* Uttrabook - MacBook Air fit and finish, tougher than the MBA, a lot of standard features that are optional (or simply unavailable) on the MBA (I'm referring to hardware - not software), but at a lower price than the MBA.

Microsoft Surface has basically declared business (not war) on Apple's hardware - and done it in Microsoft's usual fashion.

[remixedcat]

I highly doubt it. However what I don't doubt is that someone will make an app to do all that. The Microsoft music app is pretty basic.

yeah it's pretty worthless right now. I hope I can convince jriver to make a metro version of media jukebox or at least something powerful like it....

[Dot Matrix]

The last paragraph of this article really knocks it out of the park.

The partners didn?t do it ? the partners couldn?t do it. In the end, Microsoft realized that no-one cares about your company like you do. And if you want to save your company from inconsequentiality, it?s up to you.

[Denis W. Veteran]

You forgot a zero, right?

There's no way to see them priced at $200.

A firesale, Touchpad-style. :whistle: