Where are the Windows 8 tablets?

[Ravynmagi]

Anyone else disappointed with how few Windows 8 tablets there are so far? I think only the Samsung Ativ Smart PC is the only one I've seen available, but it seems to be always out of stock. There is the Acer W510, but I'm not sure if that launched or what's going on with it. I have no interest in the RT tablets from Microsoft or ASUS.

Where are the Windows 8 tablets? Why is Microsoft waiting until January to launch the Surface Pro? I want a light weight, 10 or 11 inch Windows 8 tablet with keyboard dock now!

 

[Sephire]

Everyone is waiting for Surface Pro.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Microsoft is hoping you bite on the RT that's why. They want to sell a ton of RT tablets so they can push development for Metro apps that will work across all the Windows 8 devices including Windows Phone. Probably even the next xbox will have a similar UI.

 

[Bateluer]

Asus had one on display at my local BB, the TF600T

http://www.amazon.com/VivoTab-RT-TF6...=asus+vivo+tab

 

[cmdrdredd]

Asus had one on display at my local BB, the TF600T

http://www.amazon.com/VivoTab-RT-TF6...=asus+vivo+tab

That's Windows RT, not the full Windows 8 experience. In other words the only stuff you can run on that tablet is through Metro. The Full Windows 8 Pro tablets will have desktop mode and x64 support with Intel i5 CPUs, 4GB memory, 128GB storage (maybe more), 1920x1080 resolution.

 

[Reliant]

I'm guessing that it's hard for Microsoft partners to bite the bullet on a good strategy for deploying. MS came in at $500 for RT, which is probably still not making them a lot of money per unit. Other companies might be having a hard time figuring out what balance of cost vs R&D they want to put in at the start, not knowing if RT vs 8 is going to catch on. It's rough though, because MS came out with a product that feels quality, and if it takes off it will be hard for people to not just go MS direct for one. If Surface Pro follows suit, then I'm guessing it will come in as a low margin item to get market penetration, again causing OEMs to find a balance of investment vs risk/return.

They might need to come in with a lower price to get sales, but where does that compromise come from?

Just my brainstorming.

 

[jpiniero]

That's Windows RT, not the full Windows 8 experience. In other words the only stuff you can run on that tablet is through Metro. The Full Windows 8 Pro tablets will have desktop mode and x64 support with Intel i5 CPUs, 4GB memory, 128GB storage (maybe more), 1920x1080 resolution.

Just buy a real laptop. It'd be cheaper too, heh.

They might need to come in with a lower price to get sales, but where does that compromise come from?

Ask Google...

 

[s44]

Went to the local BB to get an emergency microSD card... Saw the VivoRT and the TF300 set up near each other... *with no docks*! Utterly destroys the point. Way to ensure no customer ever sees what they're about.

And then someone had put the VivoRT into some ugly, confusing, desktop mode program. More terrible marketing... I actually put it back to the start screen.

 

[dagamer34]

If I had to guess, Microsoft is waiting for Intel's special 10W Ivy Bridge chips. There's little point in building a Core i5 tablet that only gets 4-5 hours of battery life max (that's about what a MacBook Air gets on average, and it doesn't have to deal with a 1080p screen).

As for other tablets, the transition from one version of Windows to another usually takes a few weeks, so I'd give them some time. The HP envy x2 doesn't come out until the 14th, but it definitely looks promising.

 

[Puddle Jumper]

I'm guessing that it's hard for Microsoft partners to bite the bullet on a good strategy for deploying. MS came in at $500 for RT, which is probably still not making them a lot of money per unit. Other companies might be having a hard time figuring out what balance of cost vs R&D they want to put in at the start, not knowing if RT vs 8 is going to catch on. It's rough though, because MS came out with a product that feels quality, and if it takes off it will be hard for people to not just go MS direct for one. If Surface Pro follows suit, then I'm guessing it will come in as a low margin item to get market penetration, again causing OEMs to find a balance of investment vs risk/return.

They might need to come in with a lower price to get sales, but where does that compromise come from?

Just my brainstorming.

Surface RT should be pretty profitable for Microsoft, Apple makes a healthy profit on the base iPad and Surface uses a cheaper display and likely a cheaper SoC as well.

Samsung and Google are able to price the Nexus 10 at $400 with vastly superior hardware to Surface RT as well. If Microsoft was really going for low margains and high volume Surface would have been $299 or at most $349.

 

[cmdrdredd]

Just buy a real laptop. It'd be cheaper too, heh.



Ask Google...

I don't want a real laptop...I sold my laptop. I want a tablet with optional keyboard but I want the power to do most of the things my desktop can do. Surface pro will give me this.

Surface RT should be pretty profitable for Microsoft, Apple makes a healthy profit on the base iPad and Surface uses a cheaper display and likely a cheaper SoC as well.

Samsung and Google are able to price the Nexus 10 at $400 with vastly superior hardware to Surface RT as well. If Microsoft was really going for low margains and high volume Surface would have been $299 or at most $349.

Except Google would have you believe you don't need to plug in your own SD Card and don't need full USB ports. I like Google overall but their choices when designing hardware are pretty ridiculous sometimes IMO.

 

[Reliant]

Surface RT should be pretty profitable for Microsoft, Apple makes a healthy profit on the base iPad and Surface uses a cheaper display and likely a cheaper SoC as well.

Samsung and Google are able to price the Nexus 10 at $400 with vastly superior hardware to Surface RT as well. If Microsoft was really going for low margains and high volume Surface would have been $299 or at most $349.

I don't know that they're making too much on it. They monetize Windows RT, Apple/Google don't charge iOS/Android. Also, volume discounts by purchasing millions and millions of components, which MS isn't at yet. Somewhere in there is the Office Cost as well. This all costs them money, internal or not, that will impact their bottom line on each product. I'm sure they are going to make money, but I seriously doubt it's anywhere near the margin of an iPad.

Also, Google doesn't make money on the Nexus. Increasing the specs across the board for the 10 and using new SOCs/Displays that don't have a mature fab yet, for $400. I don't think the margin is particularly high on that device either.

Google and Amazon hope to get money back from ecosystem sales, MS might be aiming for that via their store, but they aren't charging like that. Also, their store isn't quite as mature yet. I really hope the Surface takes off, but I see a lot of question marks for people trying to make their own tablets in that arena with Windows RT.

 

[finbarqs]

I've been using my Lenovo yoga for the past few days. It's not bad at all! Though it is 13inches, its pretty usable. Booting from a dig (cold booting it) takes about 4 seconds. Regular tablet hibernation takes about 1-2 seconds. If this is how surface pro is going to be then I'm in for one!
One thing I notice is that the desktop mode is mainly for desktop applications. You can't do the gesture multitasking with the desktop apps. For example: office 2013 will open in desktop mode only. So if you think about it, it's kind of like running virtual machine.... but way faster!!
I'm typing thing on my Lenovo yoga... the virtual keyboard is pretty damn good.

 

[frozentundra123456]

I've been using my Lenovo yoga for the past few days. It's not bad at all! Though it is 13inches, its pretty usable. Booting from a dig (cold booting it) takes about 4 seconds. Regular tablet hibernation takes about 1-2 seconds. If this is how surface pro is going to be then I'm in for one!
One thing I notice is that the desktop mode is mainly for desktop applications. You can't do the gesture multitasking with the desktop apps. For example: office 2013 will open in desktop mode only. So if you think about it, it's kind of like running virtual machine.... but way faster!!
I'm typing thing on my Lenovo yoga... the virtual keyboard is pretty damn good.

I saw the yoga in Best Buy, and it looked really cool. To me though, it seems a but too big and heavy to use as a tablet. I would like to see something in maybe an 11 inch size. I was looking at the 11 inch macbook air in the bookstore of the college where I work, and if they could make something that thin and light that would fold over like the yoga, with the touch interface, it would be fantastic.

 

[BladeVenom]

Everyone is waiting for Surface Pro.

That does seem the better option, but how will it compare in battery life?

 

[cmdrdredd]

That does seem the better option, but how will it compare in battery life?

Hopefully not too bad if the right software is there to tell the CPU to turn off cores and scale down the Mhz etc.

 

[Ravynmagi]

I don't want to wait until January for a Surface Pro. I hope the Acer W510 comes out soon.

 

[Rayb]

I don't want to wait until January for a Surface Pro. I hope the Acer W510 comes out soon.

It seem that a lot of people are waiting for a windows 8 tablet with a real cpu inside. This CIO is planing to get 4000 Surface Pro tablets to replace old PCs instead of iPads.

Thankfully, he finally saw the light!

 

[finbarqs]

Battery life on my yoga (since they are using the same processor) and roughly the same spec is around 4-5 hours. Watching flash video will destroy it. Heck I think watching any type of video will suck the juice out of the system!

Its like a really good windows laptop battery life.

 

[IntelUser2000]

If I had to guess, Microsoft is waiting for Intel's special 10W Ivy Bridge chips. There's little point in building a Core i5 tablet that only gets 4-5 hours of battery life max (that's about what a MacBook Air gets on average, and it doesn't have to deal with a 1080p screen).

Just so you don't get the wrong idea, the point of the 10W Ivy Bridge chip is to lower power usage at load, which corresponds to TDP. That allows manufacturers to create thinner and lighter systems.

Battery life on the contrary, is greatly dependent on idle, unless you are doing something really demanding.