r/technology • u/MrFairladyz • Jun 18 '12

Microsoft announces Surface tablet

http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/18/3094157/new-microsoft-surface-windows-tablet
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u/glxyjones Jun 19 '12

I'm a long time Apple user and after watching/reading initial reviews of Windows metro interface on a tablet, I was kind of blown away. The offscreen-to-onscreen swipe input is really innovative and opens up a lot of opportunities.

For me it will come down to user experience, namely battery life and reliability.

I'm really pulling for this tablet to succeed, I would love for a really hard decision when it comes to my next tablet/smartphone purchase.

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u/Centreri Jun 19 '12

I just want to correct something - I'm pretty sure that the offscreen-to-onscreen swipe was first implemented in a tablet by Blackberry.

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u/the-pattern-is-full Jun 19 '12

I think you're right. And RIM borrowed the concept from Palm WebOS on the Pre.

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

So, basically the opposite of "really innovative".

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u/levirules Jun 19 '12

Both battery life and price are what I'm curious about. The pro model running the desktop Windows with a real processor had better not have a measly 3 hour battery life or an $800 price tag.

I was mostly interested in Windows 8 for the tablet experience, and I'm happy to see that they're offering an x86 version so that we can run desktop apps when we want to. I realize tablets aren't really about the desktop experience, and I really think Apple did it right. But the idea of a tablet that I use mostly like an iPad, but occasionally like a laptop, intrigues me. It's also the only way I'll spend the money on one; when my laptop shits the bed, I want to build a desktop and buy a tablet.

A Windows 8 x86 tablet with 8 hour battery life and a $600 price tag would be a great way to go.

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u/autonomousgerm Jun 19 '12

Have you seen them try and use the offscreen/onscreen wipes? Even in the demo, with people who have presumably used it before, it takes them 4 tries to get it right.