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Microsoft turns Surface tablet into a skateboard, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky takes it for a spin
Gorilla Glass 2 and a chassis forged from magnesium lend Microsoft's Surface slates some durability, but the firm's decided to prove just how tough its tablets are by turning one into a skateboard. The wheeled slice of Windows 8 is said to have been rolled out during a tour of Redmond's Surface skunkworks, but Windows chief Steven Sinofksy couldn't resist hopping on the board today and tweeting a pair of photos. You can pre-order your deck now, though something tells us this mod isn't covered under Ballmer and Co.'s warranty.
Microsoft Surface: inside the three-year secret project to build the first great Windows tablet
The scene: two dozen journalists file into a small auditorium on Microsoft's Redmond campus. Steven Sinofsky, head of the Windows division, and Panos Panay, general manager of Surface, make their way on stage, each with a tablet in hand. In every audience seat, an elementary-school-style desk with a wrapped parcel placed on top. Inside: a Wonka bar, along with a golden ticket. It's the day before Surface for Windows RT goes up for pre-order, and in addition to sharing some key pricing and availability details, the company is about to give these lucky reporters a tour of the proverbial chocolate factory, the halls where Surface was conceived and tested. It's an apt analogy, when you think about it: the company's testing chambers and design studios are generally forbidden to people without corporate badges. Even then, relatively few Microsoft employees were aware of the Surface before it was announced to the public. On this day, we're told we'll be turned into giant blueberries -- or, at least, escorted from the premises -- if we wander off or take photographs around the building. There won't be any first-hand recordings today, and no fresh hands-on material. There are more than 200 custom-made parts inside the Surface, say Microsoft reps, and nothing is there by accident. We're here to learn more about the specs, as always, but also to get some insight into how Surface came to be: what compromises were made, and what design ideas were abandoned along the way. If gadget porn is what you're after, you can revisit our first look from June. But if things like display technology and hinge design float your boat (and why wouldn't they?) you'll want to meet us after the break for a more detailed explanation of what Microsoft was trying to achieve.
Microsoft Surface for Windows RT pricing now official: tablet starts at $499, keyboard not included
With Surface for Windows RT going on sale in just 10 days, Microsoft is finally ready to talk about pricing and availability -- not to mention, some technical details it left out when the tablet debuted back in June. After the Surface product page prematurely went live on Microsoft's site a few hours ago, the company just officially announced that the 10.6-inch, ARM-powered slate will go up for pre-order at 9AM PT today, starting at $499 for the 32GB version. For $599 you get the 32GB model with a black Touch Cover. To be clear, that entry-level price does not include that snazzy Touch Cover with the flat, pressure-sensitive keys. Rather, it'll be sold separately for $120. Ditto for the more traditional Type Cover keyboard, which is priced at $130. If you already know you want the packaged deal, however, you can buy the 64GB tablet and Touch Cover as a bundle for $699. Lastly, when Surface starts shipping on October 26th, you'll be able to buy it on Microsoft.com or at a Microsoft Store (if you happen to have one in your neck of the woods). If you're hankering for hands-on photos, we'll redirect you to the first look we published the day Surface was announced. Hopefully, though, we'll soon get a review unit so that we can supplement our preview with meaty, real-world impressions. %Gallery-168428%
Microsoft reportedly building up to 5 million Surface tablets for the fall
Just how confident is Microsoft that its Surface tablets will take off? To the tune of 3 to 5 million units shipped in the fall alone, according to the Wall Street Journal's supplier contacts. While that wouldn't be much when Apple already ships more than three times as many iPads, even discounting the supposed 10 million tiny iPads coming this fall, it would represent a strong start for a company that's only just dipping its toes into own-brand computing. Microsoft isn't confirming any numbers at this stage, but the large production volume might explain that Busby Berkeley-style TV ad -- you'd want a full song and dance routine if you had that many Surfaces to sell.
iPad mini's rumored launch may be aimed at Microsoft Surface
This theory is speculative, but let's give CNN's Don Sears some consideration anyway. He suggests that Apple's suspected iPad mini event has been moved from the rumored October 10 to 17 date range to the current expectation of the October 23. Why, he asks? Because the Microsoft Surface is due to arrive right around then, he answers. Microsoft announced its Surface tablet unit quite a while ago, and rumors suggest that the device will greet the public this month. Sears suggests that Apple re-scheduled its own event to more closely coincide with Microsoft's launch plans. While much of this is based on suspicions and rumor (Apple has not officially announced an event), Sears' logic rings true. After all, Apple has had no problem with stealing thunder. It has announced its own products specifically around big industry conferences like CES and GDC many times before, and it would be very Apple-like to take Microsoft's release on directly, stealing much of the anticipated Surface buzz. We'll have to see how this all plays out when these announcements finally do happen later on this month.
Microsoft CEO Ballmer braces us for a 'fundamental shift' in strategy with more Microsoft-designed devices
Microsoft's Surface tablets could already be considered warning shots across the bow, signalling that a change in strategy was underway. For anyone who was in doubt, however, CEO Steve Ballmer has clearly spelled out in a shareholder letter that Microsoft now sees its own devices as crucial to the company as anything else. There's a "fundamental shift" in how the Redmond-based crew works, he says, and investors should expect that Microsoft will periodically make "specific devices for specific purposes" (like Surface or the Xbox) that show off services in the best light possible. Ballmer adds that plans in the long run focus on new device types and learning interfaces. The message is ostensibly a rosy one for the company's future, but there's also a subtext for hardware makers that have complained about competing against their OS partner: get used to it. Ballmer sees Microsoft-designed hardware like Surface as complementary to what third parties do, and his company isn't about to reverse course anytime soon.
Lenovo ThinkPad 2 pegged for October 26th release, with a $799 price tag
In the land of tweets and tell-alls, keeping privileged information on the down-low is next to impossible. Oddly enough, pricing and release details for the ThinkPad 2 didn't require much espionage. At last night's PepCom event, Lenovo reps told WP Central that the Windows 8-powered slab will be available on October 26th for $799. This price point might be a tad on the high side for some, but it does include the tablet's optional keyboard. As a refresher, the ThinkPad 2 sports a 10.1-inch IPS display, an Intel Atom processor and NFC, all powered by an alleged 10 hour battery. For the data gluttons out there, AT&T's LTE is on the menu stateside. Whether or not this pricing and release information holds true, we'll still have to see what else surfaces before making a final decision this holiday season.
HP says Surface has not changed its relationship with Microsoft, promises more tablet details 'pretty soon'
HP has been offering plenty of glimpses of its upcoming Windows 8 tablet, but it so far hasn't been doing much talking about it -- or about Microsoft's own entry into the tablet market with Surface, for that matter. That's now changed thanks to an interview senior sales VP John Solomon gave to CRN, however, where he promises that HP will have more to share about its business-minded tablet "pretty soon." What's more, unlike some other big OEMs, Soloman says that HP doesn't see a problem with Microsoft's Surface plans. He says that he thinks Microsoft "was basically making a leadership statement and showing what's possible in the tablet space," adding that, "our relationship has not changed at all due to Microsoft's announcement. In fact, I applaud it." That's not to say he doesn't take some issue with Microsoft's efforts, though, noting that while the Surface's keyboard accessory is "a great occasional use keyboard," there's "no way" that professional content creators will "use a keyboard like that for everyday use." You can find the full CRN interview at the source link below.
Switched On: Surface damage
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. As Switched On discussed a few weeks ago, and as Microsoft noted in its recent 10-K filing, it is an unavoidable truth that the company getting into the hardware market will cause conflict with its partners. The extent of that conflict, though, depends on many variables and Microsoft can -- and must -- take steps to ameliorate it.
CE-Oh no he didn't!: Acer's JT Wang tells Microsoft to 'think twice' about Surface
Acer executives have criticized Microsoft's decision to build its own tablet in the past, but now the firm's CEO has offered Redmond a more direct warning. "We have said [to Microsoft] think it over," Acer CEO JT Wang told the Financial Times. "Think Twice. It will create a huge negative impact for the ecosystem and other brands may take a negative reaction." Microsoft has acknowledged Surface's potential to frustrate its OEM partners, telling the Security and Exchange Commission that competing directly with manufactures might "affect their commitment" to the firm's platform. Not only does Wang agree with this admission, he seems worried that Microsoft will cause this damage for nothing. "It is not something you are good at," he continued, "so please think twice." Polite, but a bit bold. Then again, Acer has never been shy about telling Microsoft exactly what it thinks.
iPad "Smarter Cover" patent application would add display, controls to cover
Like your iPad Smart Cover? You can look forward to a possible future "Smarter Cover" from Apple if the company follows up on a patent application filed about a year ago for a Smart Cover-like tablet cover with a flexible secondary display. As shown in the lovely, high-resolution color images filed with the patent application (one seen above), Apple's idea would take power from a connector on the side of the iPad to drive a flexible display in one of the cover segments for adding extra icons, controlling media playback, or displaying notifications. One drawing, seen below, shows the entire "Surface" of the cover (pun intended) being used as a keyboard, while another turns it into a drawing digitizer. Of course, just because the company has applied for a patent doesn't mean that they'll get the patent or ever add the concept to a future product if they do. #next_pages_container { width: 5px; hight: 5px; position: absolute; top: -100px; left: -100px; z-index: 2147483647 !important; }
Microsoft Surface launching alongside Windows 8 this October
Microsoft's Surface is launching on (or near) October 26, according to a recent Securities and Exchange Commission filing. "The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices," the report reads.The Surface launches in two flavors: Surface for Windows RT and Surface for Windows 8 Pro, the latter carrying beefier specs. It's unclear if both will launch simultaneously, and no pricing has been set on the two varieties of Surface. At least one game will be available at launch – Skulls of the Shogun – with others expected alongside it.
Microsoft admits Surface might ruffle OEM feathers, vindicates Acer in annual report
Redmond's upcoming Surface slate is brimming with potential -- but Microsoft recognizes that building its own tablet comes with some inherent risks. In the firm's recently submitted annual report, Microsoft tells the Security and Exchange Commission that the new family of slates could loosen ties with some of its partners. "Our surface devices will compete with products made by our OEM partners," the report reads, "which may affect their commitment to our platform." This, of course, echos Acer's sentiment, which accused Microsoft of forgetting the PC builders that helped it become what it is today. Then again, maybe Acer was just preemptively upset it wouldn't get picked for Windows 8's starting line-up.
Halo 4 will work with Microsoft's new tablet ... somehow
Microsoft's President of Interactive Entertainment Business, Don Mattrick, says Halo 4 will interact with Microsoft's upcoming tablet computer, Surface. Exactly how the two will interact, however, remains a mystery. Mattrick noted the news during a VentureBeat event in San Francisco yesterday; later, he reconfirmed the functionality with a reporter on-hand but refused to give any more details.If we had to guess, though, we'd say the only functionality between the two will be the already announced SmartGlass features from E3 (say, using Halo Waypoint, or viewing the game's encyclopedia). After all, Microsoft told us at E3 that SmartGlass will be part of all Microsoft Studios games going forward after its fall 2012 launch.Of course, Microsoft could always go totally off the rails and add full-on gamepad support via Surface's touchscreen. Or maybe just a personal Cortana app where she freaks out and yells at you randomly while you're playing. Maybe they should just stick with the Waypoint stuff.
Skulls of the Shogun gives asynchronous, cross-platform play a turn
Skulls of the Shogun will feature Skulls Anywhere mode, which offers cross-platform play and asynchronous multiplayer across all of its launch platforms: XBLA, Windows Phone, Windows 8 PC and Windows 8 tablet, a la Microsoft Surface. Players with the required devices will be able to take turns independently of one another, for up to four players, and the single-player campaign will be accessible across all Windows platforms through cloud saves."The turn-based nature of the game makes for perfect asynchronous play across every platform we're shipping on," 17-BIT's Jake Kazdal says. "You can start playing a game at home on your Xbox, then head out and play a few turns from the same game on your phone. You might be playing against someone on a PC or a tablet - everyone's connected via Xbox Live. And regardless of platform, everyone's having the same great experience, because it's the exact same game across all those devices."Skulls of the Shogun will still feature online, real-time multiplayer, called Skulls Online, and the standard local multiplayer matches.
Switched On: Surface tension
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. If you hadn't been paying too much attention to the wide swath of tablets and clamshells (and mashups of the two) that Microsoft is targeting with Windows 8 and Windows RT, then the announcement of Surface contained many surprises. If you have, then there were probably far fewer surprises. But even if you knew just about everything about Windows 8 and Windows RT, you were probably a bit surprised to see Microsoft jump in with its own pair of devices to support the flavors of the imminent Windows upgrades supporting Intel and ARM processors. After all, the fundamental business model of Windows has relied upon licensing to third parties. Ballmer himself has noted in the past that products that ship in the hundreds of millions (or more) of units per year lend themselves well to the licensing model as opposed to the vertical integration model most notably pursued by Apple among Microsoft's main competitors.
MMObility: What Microsoft Surface means for mobile gaming
This week, Microsoft announced Windows Surface, a new tablet that comes in two basic flavors. Immediately the social mediasphere lit up with speculation, but specifications were limited. We know that there will be a lighter, more affordable version that will run Windows RT with an Tegra-based Arm chip, and a chunkier, more expensive one that will run on a Intel Core i5 (Ivy Bridge) processor and sport a nicer screen. It seems that the Core i5 will come with at least a few gigs of RAM, but here's my question: Don't we need to be moving in the direction that we talk about experience more than hardware specs? I imagine that someday the specs of the machine will be largely unknown... ask an iPad user what's in his. It makes sense if you think about it. This basic, $500 laptop that I am writing on right now has enough power to do certain things, but it runs those same common apps like Twitter or email services as fast as any other gaming PC in my house. When it comes to basic internet usage, does it matter that one device runs an app quickly while the other runs it seemingly at the same speed? Fast is fast. Still, I wonder how the new Surface devices will fit into the tablet gaming sphere.
Acer is skeptical of Surface tablets, thinks Microsoft isn't playing nice
We were worried that Microsoft might wind up with frenemies in the PC industry after introducing its Surface tablets. There hasn't been a lot of backlash so far, but the Windows 8 tablets clearly rankled some Acer executives -- they're lashing out at their OS partner in a very public fashion. Acer's EMEA senior VP Oliver Ahrens is accusing Microsoft of trying to copy Apple's business model and thinks the Surface line will struggle to get any traction. It could lead to a "defocus" at Microsoft as the software giant forgets the PC builders that got it to the top, he says. Meanwhile, frequently outspoken company founder Stan Shih isn't even convinced that Microsoft is serious about the whole affair. To him, Surface is just an attempt to spur tablet designers into action that will fade away if and when Microsoft deems it a success. It's entirely possible that either executive is right knowing Microsoft's very mixed track record in hardware. Just consider the source before you cast too much doubt of your own: Acer isn't exactly great with tablet market predictions.
Microsoft: Surface was developed in an 'underground bunker' at first, we can play the secrecy game too
We commonly associate extreme secrecy around a product design with Apple, but it now looks to be in vogue with all the major technology companies: just days after Samsung revealed the Galaxy S III's secret sauce, Microsoft has explained to TechRadar that it developed its surprise new Surface tablets under a similarly tight watch. A special wing of Microsoft's hardware unit initially worked in an "underground bunker," according to the division's Stevie Bathiche, before moving to a more conventional building with an 'airlock' door -- the company was just that concerned that Bob from Accounts Receivable might spoil the whole thing. As we all know by now, that level of secrecy proved effective almost until the last minute and let Microsoft design to its heart's content; we still don't know if other PC builders were aware. The practice is a sharp break from Microsoft's tendency to telegraph its strategy well in advance, and it emphasizes just how much importance Redmond places on its self-developed Windows 8 hardware.
Editorial: Engadget on Microsoft's new Surface tablet line
Microsoft has unveiled its new Surface, a reborn brand that now lives as two products. It was a showy event with a strong conclusion: at the unification of software and hardware lies great things. Microsoft has found that greatness with the Xbox 360. Can it do so again with a new series of tablets? Here's what we think.
