AT Surface Event Coverage

[darkewaffle]

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7361/microsoft-surface-event-live-blog

Going on now. I've been wanting a new laptop for a while now but have never been willing to pull the trigger yet. Interested to learn more about pricing on Surface Pro 2 though, but given my usage model I feel like I may still benefit most from a larger screen at that resolution. Even so, sounds like they've made a lot of significant improvements. I hope they get some handson time later.

 

[Roland00Address]

Cheapest models of pro2 $899 cheapest models of rt2 $449

vs 1st generation Pro which cheapest model is $799 with the august price drop and the cheapest model of rt is $349 since august. I doubt we'll see for the price drops on the first generation motos if this is their pricing for the second generation

 

[Ravynmagi]

Unfortunately it does't look like the Surface Pro 2 solved my main complaint. I want a keyboard dock. The mentioned a dock, but apparently it's just a desktop dock (they did a poor job showing it off behind the podium).

I'm mostly unimpressed with the Surface Pro 2. It got a Haswell and that's about it. Still $900 for only 64GB of storage (aka 32GB of usable storage).


The Surface RT 2 is more improved, thinner and lighter now, I assume a Tegra 4 (don't think they mentioned the processor), and a 1080p display this time. Comes in silver and the launch price is slightly improved at $450.

Still not sure that's enough to interest me either.

 

[sontin]

It's the question what i want:
A much better OS than Android or better hardware like the new Asus Transformer.

:hmm:

 

[Gunbuster]

Unfortunately it does't look like the Surface Pro 2 solved my main complaint. I want a keyboard dock. The mentioned a dock, but apparently it's just a desktop dock (they did a poor job showing it off behind the podium)

They have a Bluetooth adapter for the touch covers, or you plug any USB keyboard into the desktop dock. Why on earth would you want a dock with permanent keyboard?

 

[Ravynmagi]

They have a Bluetooth adapter for the touch covers, or you plug any USB keyboard into the desktop dock. Why on earth would you want a dock with permanent keyboard?

So I can put it in on my lap and use a like a normal laptop. It's a mobile device, I don't always have a nice flat desktop to put it on.

 

[Roland00Address]

The Surface RT 2 is more improved, thinner and lighter now, I assume a Tegra 4 (don't think they mentioned the processor), and a 1080p display this time. Comes in silver and the launch price is slightly improved at $450.

At least one model is Tegra 4 since they mention 72 gpu cores on the surface rt 2 (the same amount as the tegra 4 and no other modern soc to my knowledge.)

There are rumors (key word rumors, I don't know what stock if any to put in them) of a LTE, surface rt 2 such a device will probably use the qualcomm s800 chip due to the integrated lte modem.

 

[Red Storm]

Even though I dislike Windows 8, I feel the Pro is finally a compelling product. At the very least it will fall under consideration when I get a new laptop and/or tablet this holiday season.

RT is as DOA as the first gen. Just a stupid product all around.

 

[deathBOB]

The fundamental question that the Surface is trying to answer is: Does the world* need a Windows tablet? Up until now, the answer has been "no." I don't see how this update changes that.

* Yes, specific use cases exist. I'm referring to the mass market.

 

[Ravynmagi]

The fundamental question that the Surface is trying to answer is: Does the world* need a Windows tablet? Up until now, the answer has been "no." I don't see how this update changes that.

* Yes, specific use cases exist. I'm referring to the mass market.

I'd probably use the word "want" instead of need. Because I could say most people don't need an iPad, but many want them.

Unfortunately for Microsoft, few people need or want a Surface so far. Not sure if the Surface 2 will change that much. Though a better display, processor, and new color might help along with a very slightly improved price, should help a little.

I wish I know what sort of dirt Nvidia has on Steve Ballmer though. Naked photos of him with a llama perhaps? Not sure why Microsoft continues to build ARM tablets. I could kinda understand last year. But a Surface 2 with a Baytrail processor and Windows 8.1 would have been much more compelling at $450 than this Tegra 4 tablet with Windows RT.

 

[sontin]

And why would Microsoft build a Windows 8.1 tablet with Baytrail which is not out?
Oh btw: Asus is selling a Baytrail tablet with only 1,8GHz instead of 2,3GHz at the same time and this will have the same power numbers like their Asus Transformer tablet with nearly 4x the resolution...

Yes, Microsoft should really use a slower SoC than Tegra 4...

 

[Red Storm]

And why would Microsoft build a Windows 8.1 tablet with Baytrail which is not out?
Oh btw: Asus is selling a Baytrail tablet with only 1,8GHz instead of 2,3GHz at the same time and this will have the same power numbers like their Asus Transformer tablet with nearly 4x the resolution...

Yes, Microsoft should really use a slower SoC than Tegra 4...

Microsoft should not be using ARM period.

 

[sontin]

So they should put their future into the hands of Intel? Yes, that makes sense...
Without a ARM version of Windows and without an own ARM product they have no future.

 

[Ravynmagi]

And why would Microsoft build a Windows 8.1 tablet with Baytrail which is not out?
Oh btw: Asus is selling a Baytrail tablet with only 1,8GHz instead of 2,3GHz at the same time and this will have the same power numbers like their Asus Transformer tablet with nearly 4x the resolution...

Yes, Microsoft should really use a slower SoC than Tegra 4...

Have you read the Anandtech preview on Baytrail? Don't judge a CPU by it's core speed, we should all know better than that by now.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7314/intel-baytrail-preview-intel-atom-z3770-tested/4
"At its Silvermont disclosure, Intel promised performance better than any other ARM based core in the market today. Looking at our Android results, Intel appears to have delivered on that claim. Whether we’re talking about Cortex A15 in NVIDIA’s Shield or Qualcomm’s Krait 400, Silvermont is quicker. It seems safe to say that Intel will have the fastest CPU performance out of any Android tablet platform once Bay Trail ships later this year."

Running an x86 Baytrail processor would make the Surface 2 tablet far more useful at being able to run most of our existing Windows applications. There will be third party Baytrail tablets arriving at that price range. Microsoft will probably be the only one to release a Windows RT tablet with an ARM processor as almost everyone else has abandoned the platform.

Devices with Baytrail are expected to start shipping very soon.

 

[RandomFool]

I think Windows on ARM is a good idea but poorly executed. The biggest issues MS has with RT are:

1.Including the desktop. Yeah they would have lost office but it make it much less confusing.
2. Not making Windows Phone and Windows RT apps compatible. They would have immediately had a decent app selection that way. Hopefully the rumors they'll be merging the two at some point are true.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I think Windows on ARM would have been a better idea if they could have combined it with the Phone OS as well.

The fact that we have Windows Phone, Windows RT, and Windows x86. And little compatibility between the three is not good.

 

[sontin]

Have you read the Anandtech preview on Baytrail? Don't judge a CPU by it's core speed, we should all know better than that by now.

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7314/intel-baytrail-preview-intel-atom-z3770-tested/4
"At its Silvermont disclosure, Intel promised performance better than any other ARM based core in the market today. Looking at our Android results, Intel appears to have delivered on that claim. Whether we’re talking about Cortex A15 in NVIDIA’s Shield or Qualcomm’s Krait 400, Silvermont is quicker. It seems safe to say that Intel will have the fastest CPU performance out of any Android tablet platform once Bay Trail ships later this year."

Running an x86 Baytrail processor would make the Surface 2 tablet far more useful at being able to run most of our existing Windows applications. There will be third party Baytrail tablets arriving at that price range. Microsoft will probably be the only one to release a Windows RT tablet with an ARM processor as almost everyone else has abandoned the platform.

Devices with Baytrail are expected to start shipping very soon.

This is not a review. I wait for products. And i thought people learned their lesson with Intel's fake power numbers.
And right now there are Tegra 4 devices on the market. And the Surface 2 has a 11% downclocked Tegra 4 SoC and the Asus Transformer a 22% downclocked Baytrail chip. There is a reason for it. So you can believe that Baytrail is so much better i think Asus is not really behind it.

 

[Ns1]

weeeee birthday gift to myself

 

[Ravynmagi]

This is not a review. I wait for products. And i thought people learned their lesson with Intel's fake power numbers.
And right now there are Tegra 4 devices on the market. And the Surface 2 has a 11% downclocked Tegra 4 SoC and the Asus Transformer a 22% downclocked Baytrail chip. There is a reason for it. So you can believe that Baytrail is so much better i think Asus is not really behind it.

Anandtech's "previews" are far more detailed that most sites "reviews". And those are Anandtech's numbers, not Intel's numbers.

I'm baffled that anyone would actually prefer a Tegra 4 Windows tablet over a Baytrail. No offense, but are you high or just work for Nvidia?

 

[Crap Daddy]

Anandtech's "previews" are far more detailed that most sites "reviews". And those are Anandtech's numbers, not Intel's numbers.

I'm baffled that anyone would actually prefer a Tegra 4 Windows tablet over a Baytrail. No offense, but are you high or just work for Nvidia?

I'm sure there are solid reasons why MS decided a Tegra is more suitable (price, battery life, availability and whatever). Until we see some benchmarks comparing the Surface 2 with a Baytrail tablet running the same OS at the same res I would not judge MS's choice.

On the other hand, really, windows phone and surface apps are not compatible?