Microsoft Surface: $199 (?) (1 Viewer)

[mattCR]

We picked up a few of the Dell XPS WinRT, which they had on sale for $299. As a Point of Sale level device, they work well, you can easily get a thin client up and running from Citrix and pull up all your apps in a heartbeat. For those running Point of Sale, this works out pretty slick, waiters are able to easily ring up a ticket at the table, and it's inbuilt printer support makes printing to wireless printers a snap.

That said, this is a device that I don't think they had a realization what the hell to do with it.

 

[Hanson]

Its sole purpose was to sell Widows licenses for tablets. The problem was, their competitors didn't charge for software licenses. Which meant there was no way they were going to break into the market. They have zero chance of gaining any traction in the market. Zero. There are so few use cases where you would want to spend more money for a Windows tablet than an iPad or Android tablet that it was doomed from the start.

They have a tiny little toehold in the phone market because Nokia is making up for licensing costs by using last year's components and their brand still has some cachet. Their main competitor in the PC and laptop market charges more for their goods. But the tablet space is too competitively priced for MS to carve any sort of niche, no one particularly cares about the Microsoft brand, and none of the OEMs are offering anything other than proof of concept devices that they know will not sell.

WinRT is as dead as the dodo. Maybe the Haswell chips will allow for lighter, fanless Windows 8 tablets, but those are too pricey to compete with iPad and Android. WinRT and the entire MS based ARM tablet market will never come back. It was doomed from the start.

 

[Hanson]

Meanwhile, this should absolutely scare the living shit out of MS:

http://techcrunch.com/2013/07/29/at-current-pace-tablets-will-outsell-pcs-by-q2-2014/

With a DOA tablet and a contracting PC market, their bread and butter is being eaten for lunch. If more people realized how many basic features that Office compatible programs like Polaris or Open Office give consumers for a fraction of the price or free, MS would really start feeling the pinch.

 

[Sam Posten]

The thing is features aren't everything. Support, interoperability, and oh yeah UX and delight are all as or more important than raw capabilities.

Edit to add: inertia and brand name too. People use MS word because people use MS Word.

 

[Hanson]

It's dead, Jim:

Asustek Pulls Plug on Windows RT Tablets

Like I said, no one wants to make these.

 

[Sam Posten]

WAT.

Surface Pro 2 will include an improved kickstand and

I say again. WAT!?!?!?

http://winsupersite.com/windows-8/surface-pro-2-details-emerge

 

[Hanson]

There's talk of an RT2 tablet, but no real specs. Is Microsoft prideful enough to make a small batch that won't sell any units just to pretend RT isn't dead even though it totally is?

 

[Sam Posten]

Oooh ooh, I can answer that!

 

[Sam Posten]

double post sorry

 

[Sam Posten]

September 23rd, Surface 2, electric Boogaloo!
http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/9/4711124/microsoft-surface-2-event-september-23rd-new-york

 

[DaveF]

So in a couple of weeks there will be:Surface RTSurface ProSurface 2Surface 2 ProWindows 8 laptopsWindows 8 flip screen laptopsI hope MS can explain its lineup this go around. I didn't understand it a month ago. I dont know if it will make more sense later this month.

 

[Hanson]

I think that dropping the RT is more confusing that having added it in the first place. The way it is now, it sounds like the difference between Surface 2 and Surface 2 Pro is the latter is more business-y. In fact, they are two wholly divergent operating systems.

They should rename the Surface 2 to the Surface Kin or Surface Zune.

 

[Hanson]

Windows RT... is still dead.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/9/25/4769492/dell-drops-windows-rt-xps-10-tablet

Yes, MS released a new RT tablet. THAT NO ONE WILL BUY.

The scariest thing for MS is that they acknowledge that the future is mobile. But Android has disrupted their business model, since no one will buy licenses for a mobile OS when Android is free.

MS will have to turn course and use Nokia to become another Apple, with the software supporting the hardware instead of being a licensing company. Because at this rate, no OEM will ever buy another Windows Phone license much less RT (which, as I repeat, is still dead). Even if they turn Windows 9 into a unified desktop and mobile OS, why would any OEM buy that license when Android is free?

 

[Sam Posten]

But what about Generalissimo Francisco Franco?

 

[Hanson]

Still dead.

 

[Sam Posten]

Noted, thanks. =)

 

[mattCR]

They need to unify RT with WP, period.

Meanwhile, the Pro at it's new rate turned into ideal potential, I preordered one. (but I preorder everything, so) I think the hitch is that with intel's new Bay Trail, the life of RT is just.. what is the point. Just sack it and grab a bay trail and you've got full x86, and that's what Acer, Asus and others will commit to

 

[mattCR]

Dell Drops WinRT, leaving Microsoft alone on that ledge.

http://www.neowin.net/news/dell-drops-windows-rt-only-microsoft-remains-selling-the-os

 

[Sam Posten]

Two PA takes:http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/10/28/surface-pro-2http://penny-arcade.com/report/article/the-surface-pro-2-is-an-impressively-capable-gaming-box-if-you-have-the-rig?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

 

[Sam Posten]

Finally under $199....http://slickdeals.net/f/6475940-microsoft-surface-with-office-home-and-student-2013-179-99-pre-order-micro-center-for-in-store-pickup