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Microsoft's next Surface could signal the death of RT
Microsoft hasn't given up on the idea of a mini-me version of its successful Surface Pro 3 convertible, according to a rumor from WinBeta. But a Surface 3 model won't follow in the Surface 2's wobbly footsteps by packing the RT version of Windows. Instead, it will reportedly take a page from the latest Macbook and come with an Intel Atom or Core M fanless CPU and a full version of Windows 8.1, upgradeable to Windows 10. That means it could hit a lower price point than the Surface Pro while maintaining standard Windows compatibility -- the lack of which effectively sunk the Surface 2.
How would you change the original Surface?
At the tail-end of 2012, Microsoft launched the Surface with Windows RT, a gorgeous, homegrown tablet that was meant to be a productivity-focused alternative to the iPad and Android tablets. Unfortunately, the device didn't sell anywhere near as many as then-CEO Steve Ballmer had predicted, which some believe is what caused him to lose his job. However, the Surface has lingered around, and we're sure many of you bought one when the price was cut. The question for you all to answer now is: what about it would you change? Tell us all, over on the forum.
Microsoft has a fix for your Surface RT
After releasing and subsequently pulling a buggy version of Windows RT 8.1 from the Windows Store, Microsoft is offering a fix to affected users. Redmond has released instructions for restoring those devices that involves creating a USB recovery drive among other things. If doing it DIY seems a bit overwhelming, however, you can also send your tablet in for service. No word yet on when a fresh and fixed version of the Windows RT update will return to the Windows Store, but you can find detailed instructions for restoring your tablet at the source link below.
Surface Power Cover rumored to ship after the Surface 2, provide the whole family with extra juice
Despite Microsoft's claims that the Surface family of tablets was a representation of "no compromise," many road warriors have found the battery life to be... well, compromised. In order to address said concerns, it's looking as if Microsoft will be launching a line of Power Covers. In a nutshell, these battery-inclusive Type Covers will snap onto Surface tablets as the existing ones do now, but a bump in thickness (from 0.21-inches to 0.38-inches) will add "significant" life. Interestingly, WinSupersite is reporting that the covers won't ship until after the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2, and the original Surface RT won't be compatible. Oh, and as for pricing? Mum's the word, as you might expect for an unconfirmed accessory.
Microsoft continues anti-iPad offensive with new commercial
Microsoft today continued its anti-iPad offensive with yet another commercial, this one highlighting the many differences between the Microsoft Surface RT and Apple's fourth-generation iPad. Per usual, the differences pointed out by the commercial aren't all that interesting and I sincerely doubt anyone would watch this commercial and feel compelled to abandon plans of an iPad purchase and head on over to the land of the Surface. Somewhat amusing, though not terribly surprising given how the marketing world works, is that Microsoft boasts that a 32 GB Surface RT will cost you $349 while a 16 GB iPad will cost you $499. Funny thing is, the same Surface RT used to cost $499 before Microsoft recently slashed $150 off the price on account of lackluster sales. I also find it curious that Microsoft continues to tout Microsoft Office as an attractive selling point for tablet buyers. The iPad is by and large a mass consumer device and I doubt that many prospective iPad buyers think to themselves, "Man, the iPad is great, but I just wish I could use it to create some Excel spreadsheets." Point blank, Microsoft Office likely doesn't factor into the purchasing decision process for the majority of iPad owners. It's as if Microsoft is advertising the benefits of a sensible briefcase to a group of surfers.
New Microsoft Surface RT ad goes after the iPad... again
Microsoft just can't seem to help itself. The marketing folks up in Redmond today released yet another video touting the advantages of their Surface RT over the iPad. As they've done before, the commercial features an iPad -- voiced by a Siri-like voice of course -- expressing dismay at all of the wonderful features Surface RT has and it lacks. "Oh no, here we go again," Siri announces as the commercial starts. Here we go again, indeed. The iPad is then "embarrassed" upon finding out that it has no built-in stand, no USB port and no snap-on keyboard. The commercial then highlights how a 32 GB iPad retails for US$599 while a 32 GB Surface RT tablet retails for $349. "Do you still think I'm pretty?" Siri asks as the commercial ends. All in all, weak sauce. Of course, it's worth pointing out that the 32 GB Surface RT is only so cheap because Microsoft recently cut the price down by $150, presumably on account of slumping sales. You might have also heard that Microsoft took a $900 million charge on account of "Surface RT inventory adjustments" during the quarter gone by.
Switched On: Microsoft's small tablet trap
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. More Info Microsoft reiterates that Windows 8 could see small(er) devices soon Windows Phone sees big gains at the expense of BlackBerry and Symbian Microsoft releases Surface RT and Pro updates Based on last quarter's global PC shipment numbers, Microsoft continues to feel pain in making the case for Windows is a viable tablet operating system. Theoretically, the dual-identity (Windows 8/RT) operating system has everything it needs to be a contender, but the promise is ahead of the reality on three interdependent fronts: chip-level hardware, legacy support, and app software. For example, if x86 chips were more competitive with ARM processors from a performance-per-watt perspective, then Microsoft wouldn't be as reliant on Metro-style apps for functionality. And if more developers were creating Metro-style apps, then consumers wouldn't have to go to the legacy desktop mode as much to get things done. (Until the company releases a Metro-style Office, Microsoft really can't wag its finger too much at third parties.)
iPad, iPad mini win battery life shootout among tablets
UK consumer watchdog site Which? has tested the world's leading tablets to see how their battery life compares and both the iPad with Retina display and the iPad mini came out on top by a large margin. To be fair to all tablets, Which? took into account the screen size and brightness of each one. First, testers divided the tablets into two categories: those with screen sizes of 9.4-inches and larger and those with screen sizes of 7.9-inches and smaller. Then the company used a light meter to set the screen brightness of each tablet to 200 nits. For its tests, Which? measured the battery life of the tablets while using WiFi and 3G connections (if applicable) for web browsing and while watching videos. Out of the seven tablets tested in the 10-inch category for WiFi browsing, the iPad with Retina display handily beat out the rest of the competition. It tallied up a total of 811 minutes of WiFi browsing (that's 13.5 hours). The iPad 2 came in a distant second place at 590 minutes (9.8 hours). By comparison, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 came in at 532 minutes (8.8 hours) and the Microsoft Surface RT came in at 501 minutes (8.3 hours). The Asus Eee Pad Transformer Prime came in at the bottom with a mere 335 minutes (5.5 hours). Of the five tablets tested in the 7-inch category the iPad mini was the big winner -- and by a wide margin. It came in at 783 minutes (13 hours) while the runner up, the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, came in at 591 minutes (9.8 hours). The Nexus 7 scored third at 550 minutes (9.1 hours) while the Amazon Kindle Fire came in at 437 minutes (7.2 hours) and the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 7.0 came in last at 425 minutes (seven hours).
Microsoft Surface Pro launching in January starting at $899
Microsoft has pinpointed the price points for both versions of its forthcoming Surface Pro tablet, which is set to release sometime in January. When the new year does roll around, the 64GB Surface Pro will cost $899, while its 128GB twin will go for $999.Both versions come with a stylus and otherwise identical internal specifications, although neither SKU includes a Touch/Type Cover, which costs an extra $120/$130 respectively. What your money does net you, however, is a higher-resolution screen than the Surface Pro's baby sister, a Core i5 processor, Intel HD Graphics 4000 graphics thingy, 4 gigs of RAM and (most importantly) the full version of Windows 8 Pro.Due to its upgraded internal doohickies, the Pro's battery life is expected to be around half of that enjoyed by the Surface RT, which translates to a little over four and one-half hours of doin' stuff, according to our friends at Engadget. Which, should be plenty of time for the person you're sitting next to on that business flight to ask what kind of iPad you're using.
Microsoft reveals how much of Surface RT's disc space is actually yours
If you've wondered how much space Windows RT, Office and Microsoft's bundled apps occupy on your shiny new Surface RT, worry no longer. Microsoft has revealed that once you've accounted for binary conversion, recovery provision and the software itself, the 32GB device will have 16GB of free space, while 64GB units will get 46GB of room to store your media. Naturally, you can use microSD cards (or USB Drives) to add to that space, and if you'd like to know how to get the device to treat it as if it's all coming from a single library, check out our tutorial.
Acer exec warns Microsoft may eat 'hard rice' with its Surface tablet
Acer seems to be straddling a delicate position with respect to Microsoft right now. On the one hand, it's outwardly indifferent towards Surface RT and indeed the the whole Windows RT concept, which is why it's holding off on its own RT tablets for the time being. But if that's true, why are the company's top brass so eager for Microsoft to withdraw from the competition? President for Greater China, Linxian Lang, has just resorted to a food metaphor to emphasize the point, warning that Redmond will have to eat "hard rice" with Surface, and implying that it should stick to its more readily-chewed software diet. If you've seen our own Surface RT review, then you'll know our thoughts on the matter: Microsoft's tablet has been boiled and salted just right, which might be the real reason Acer is so averse to it. [Image credit: Sina Tech]
Switched On: Tablets and tradeoffs
This week saw the debut of two ARM-powered tablets by old rivals. One eschews traditional desktop input methods; the other embraces them. One occupies the high end of pricing in its class; the other is competitive with the market leader. One had the engineering goal of fitting in one hand; the other comes with a kickstand for being set on a desk or table. But perhaps the biggest contrast between the iPad mini and the Surface RT approaches is how well they take advantage of the hardware and software momentum of their predecessors.
Get Your Google Back: a hilarious video meant for Windows 8 converts
For those unaware, Windows 8 went on sale today. If all goes well, millions upon millions of Wintel users will be switching the latest OS in the coming months, and there's a giant in Mountain View that's severely concerned about the future of your searches. You see, Microsoft has done a fine job of pushing Internet Explorer and Bing into Windows 8, leaving Google loyalists nowhere to turn. Until now. After the break, you'll enjoy a lighthearted video from the masterminds at Google, explaining precisely how to Get Your Google Back. It's as simple as visiting getyourgoogleback.com on your Windows 8 machine, and then installing both Chrome and the Google Search app. Oh, and bonus points for "Aw yeah."
Visualized: A sea of Surfaces
A table of 100 of iPads at WWDC 2012? How about a sea of hundreds of Microsoft's Surface RT tablets and accessory keyboard covers standing under the hot lights?
Microsoft Surface with Windows RT review
When Microsoft unveiled its Surface tablets with a flashy, top secret Los Angeles event, it didn't just mark the beginning of a new (and utterly critical) phase for the history of the company. It marked the repurposing of a name that was already quite familiar to us -- though in the guise of a big table. That device lives on as PixelSense, thus putting a period at the end of one definition of the word, a definition Microsoft kindly requests we put behind us as we move on to something that is wholly different. This new Surface device could be said to relate more closely to the active form of the word in question. That is, the verb: to rise up -- for something to appear that was not there before. It's a very apt definition for what Microsoft is doing, attempting to go from zero to hero on the tablet hardware front in just one shot. Is this, the Surface for Windows RT, good enough to erase decades of mediocre touchscreen Windows devices? Will it help Microsoft and its latest operating systems float up to the top of the tablet hierarchy? Your answers lie just below the break. %Gallery-168886%
Pre-orders for Microsoft Surface with Windows RT start shipping
If you're one of the many people who pre-ordered Microsoft's Surface with Windows RT, you could be getting your tablet just in time for its official October 26th ship date -- and perhaps even before then. According to a few reader tips and a confirmation email sent to WP Central, those tablets are indeed in the shipping stages and could arrive as early as next week depending on your selected delivery method. While there have been reports of delays in UK and Canada, those were apparently incorrect, and we have no reason to believe the US shipments won't be on time. That said, if you haven't pre-ordered and you want one soon, you better get a move on -- Microsoft's store currently shows that Surface RT with touch cover bundles are shipping in one to two weeks while standalone units are set to ship in three weeks. Or maybe you can cross your fingers and hope you're one of five million to find one gift-wrapped under the tree.
Display expert: Microsoft Surface display not superior to iPad Retina display
After the director of research for Microsoft's Applied Sciences group, Steven Bathiche, boasted via Reddit that the company's new Surface RT tablet could offer more screen detail than the latest iPad, an expert decided to weigh in. The verdict? Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rending technology does indeed give the Surface RT's 768p display some added clarity, but to say that it beats the newest iPad's 2,048 x 1,536 screen is a stretch, to say the least. Dr. Raymond Soneira of DisplayMate Technologies performed the comparison using an Asus tablet equipped with a 1,366 x 768 display similar to the Surface RT. Both devices boast Microsoft's ClearType sub-pixel rendering feature. It's important to note that while the two displays are similar, the Asus tablet's pixel density is 130 ppi, compared to 148 ppi on the Surface RT. The iPad's Retina display comes in at 264 ppi. Soneira then compared the ClearType display to the second and third-generation iPad, with all three devices displaying the New York Times website front page running on Safari. "The Windows ClearType 768p display on the Asus Netbook was significantly sharper than the iPad 2 768p display but also significantly less sharp than the new iPad 3 [sic] 1536p display," he explains. "It is certainly possible that the Microsoft Surface RT Tablet will perform better than the Asus Netbook, but it is very unlikely that it will turn out to be visually sharper than [the new iPad]." Bathiche later added a very important caveat to his claim, noting: "I wanted to elaborate some more. I hope folks understand that I am not saying that one resolution is better than the other. Nor that one display is better than the other." [via PC World]
Windows 8 RT tablets to sell for $300 less than Intel-based counterparts, says Lenovo exec
Microsoft and its OEM partners haven't been particularly forthcoming on how much the first round of Windows 8 tablets are going to cost, but one Lenovo executive just gave us a hint. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, David Schmoock, Senior VP of Lenovo's North American division, said that full-on Windows 8 tablets would ring up between $600 and $700, noting that ARM-based Windows RT slates would sell for $200 to $300 less. "RT will play in consumer and retail at very aggressive price points," he said. This echoes previous reports that suggested Microsoft would introduce the Surface with a competitive $200 price tag. The Lenovo VP didn't reveal any specific prices, of course, but his estimates would put the ThinkPad Tablet 2 somewhere between $300 and $500. Schmoock also commented on Ultrabook sales, stating that he didn't think Intel would meet its lofty saturation goals: 40 percent of the market by the end of 2012. "They'll be a lot bigger than they are now," he admitted, "but I don't know if it will get all the way up to 40 percent."
Microsoft Surface for Windows RT tablet coming October 26th for $199?
We'll admit to being a little blown away when Microsoft launched the Surface -- it was an impressively polished tablet that we had heard barely a whisper of leading up to the mysterious launch event. But, there was one thing that we were still left wondering: how much would it cost? Now, with Acer getting all in a huff about competition and Microsoft conceding that some OEMs might be a little upset when this thing ships, we might just have an idea for you. According to an inside source, a session was held at Microsoft's recent TechReady15 conference in which all the launch details were laid out. If things go according to the plan detailed then, the Surface for Windows RT tablet will be launching October 26th -- no surprise there -- at a compelling price of $199. That MSRP, almost certainly lower than Microsoft's own cost, would line it up against the Nexus 7 and even the Kindle Fire. It would put Windows 8 on the map in a big way and give a lot of people a lot of reason to try out an operating system that is going to feel rather different than previous incarnations. The question is: will it drive enough sales of media and apps for Microsoft to recoup its loss? Or, will companies like Acer put up enough of a fight in the months between now and October to keep Microsoft from undercutting its own partners? We'll find out soon, dear readers. [Thanks, Anonymous]
