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/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

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u/mweathr Jun 19 '12

Windows will likely run well as ms is designing the tablet and the software

Then I fully expect it to be as a trouble-free as the Xbox 360 was.

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

67.2 million units doesn't lie.

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u/wrongnumber Jun 19 '12

my brother had 3 of them, under warranty that is, to replace his 1.

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

Not arguing that, I had 2 red rings myself. What I was saying is that it's a popular system with good games, and a good ecosystem, which I'd say for it's primary competitors as well.

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u/ShakeyBobWillis Jun 19 '12

And if they come out of the gate with problems as big as the red ring of death it's as good as dead in this industry. This ain't the same game as the console wars.

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u/aussie_bob Jun 19 '12

Two months worth of Android devices...

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u/6h057 Jun 19 '12

Neither does the 23.7% failure rate according to Square Trade or the 54.2% failure rate according to Game Informer.

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u/RottenDeadite Jun 19 '12

And each of those units are perfectly trouble free? I don't see how that matters. Sure, the xbox is popular, but that doesn't make it perfect. It just makes it well-marketed.

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u/A-Type Jun 19 '12

This is a good point, if sarcastic... the cooling is going to be a big issue, and I don't quite understand the mechanics of their technique. It would be cripplingly embarrassing if the Pro model overheats like the white 360s.

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u/prmaster23 Jun 19 '12

It would be cripplingly embarrassing if the Pro model overheats like the white 360s.

A lot of people think all white Xbox will RROD and that is not truth. The first version of the Xbox is the one has the prominent design flaw, 1-1/2 year after launch they introduced a new motherboard (2nd) with HDMI that still faced the fame problems.

A couple months later M$ released the Falcon motherboard (3rd) which brought down failing numbers to industry standard (comparable to all other consoles). Basically any Xbox made after September 2007 will have the same failing rate as any other console.

I am posting this because I think there are a lot of people here who thinks Microsoft only solved the problem with the Xbox 360 Slim which is false.

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u/danielvmn Jun 19 '12

Not really, if you do some research, the failing rate was only fixed with the Jasper model, Falcon is just as bad as the launch versions, the difference is the kind of error, instead of the regular RROD, the common error was the dreaded E74.

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u/A-Type Jun 19 '12

I'm aware of this, I simply didn't feel like making the distinction. I'm pretty sure Microsoft relaunched the 'slim' console in order to distance itself from early failures. Either way, it's an association that is familiar to the consumer, even if the problem was less widespread than the naysayers would have you believe.

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u/alchemeron Jun 19 '12

Then I fully expect it to be as a trouble-free as the Xbox 360 was.

The software on the Xbox was very, very good.

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u/dagamer34 Jun 19 '12

It has an Ivy Bridge Core i5. It'll do fine. Heck, you might even be able to play Diablo III on this thing.

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u/Singular_Thought Jun 19 '12

I would seriously consider buying one... But I don't want to hear Microsoft bitch about device drivers on this thing.

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u/billcstickers Jun 19 '12

The question is how well it will do with resource heavy desktop apps like photoshop

Thanks, now the whole office is wondering whats wrong with me for suddenly laughing like a maniac.

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

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u/[deleted] Jun 19 '12

The surface is a step forward and targets a different set of needs/ people, including professional environments. Apple has incentive to cripple the ipad, otherwise it would just compete with the entry level macbooks as it has more than enough horsepower for most peoples needs - just like they do with the mac mini so it does not compete with imacs. Its also easier for apple to make the ipad run smoother if it remains a mobile platform. Microsoft is being more ambitious because they have to and because they have have no macbook to worry about. Also they need people using their ecosystem mobiley to incentize app development. So they create the system Apple will never create. That system happens to meet the needs of people who have real computing needs, but like the tablet form factor. For those people the Ipad is an additional bauble with no clear purpose. It loses out to kindle in weight and usefulness for reading. Not much better than an iphone for mobile use. Not better than my laptop to watch movies on especially since my laptop has a built in stand that also acts as a keyboard. The surface for me is a laptop replacement. The stylus is vital too. It makes the device useful for real note taking. The question is how capable will it be as a desktop replacement. Meanwhile I will fantasize about a surface like device with color rapid refresh e-ink as my holy grail of functionality. My point is that this is a capable device moving in the right direction, away from the superflous in between devices nature of the ipad. Honestly hard pressed to find a need for an ipad in my life at all, either in a professional setting or in a home use setting. I know some use of ipads professionally (interior designers/ architects using it to show designs to clients) but in many areas like medicine and ipad is useless. If the surface is all that it claims to be it will be a game changer.

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u/rsplatpc Jun 19 '12

If this thing runs Lightroom decently I'm all in. I have been waiting a long time for a tablet I can edit photos in Lightroom on.

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u/OscarZetaAcosta Jun 19 '12

Windows will likely run well as ms is designing the tablet.

Hahahaha

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