

Surface to arrive with Windows 8 on 10/26, says Microsoft - sosuke
http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-57481965-75/surface-to-arrive-with-windows-8-on-10-26-says-microsoft/

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ChuckMcM
Its interesting to see the "will it" / "won't it" compete questions but
frankly I'm impressed it is such a dramatic move. I think that speaks to a
pretty motivated Microsoft.

I had the sad experience of loading up Atmel Studio 6 on my laptop, which uses
Visual Studio 2010 as its foundation (Microsoft convinced them to abandon
Eclipse somehow) and it really put the hurt on my core-duo laptop. So a
challenge of a company newly embracing the world of ARM will be to insure its
tools don't drag it into unusability.

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zephjc
Is anyone else totally uninterested in Windows RT? I'm much more interested to
see how Win 8 and existing Windows applications run. That is, to have a
tablet-cum-laptop with a full touch UI _plus_ keyboard and trackpad.

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freehunter
I think Microsoft has a little bit of a marketing problem in that I don't
completely understand the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8. _I_
don't understand. And this is a big deal.

If you read some of my past comments, you'll know I don't hate Microsoft. If
anything I actually like them. I play Xbox, I own a Windows Phone, I run
Windows 8 on my desktop at home, I own a Zune and subscribe to the Zune Pass.
But I wouldn't feel comfortable buying a Windows RT tablet without knowing
exactly what I'm getting. I'm sure that information is out there, but none of
the tech blogs seem to be talking about it.

In Ars Technica's recent review of Windows 8, the author himself seemed
confused. It read like he thought he was reviewing the RT version, but then
complained that the desktop buttons were too small for a touchscreen. But if
it's the desktop version, why is he not using a mouse and keyboard? There are
two very different tablets in the Surface lineup, and I don't think Microsoft
has done a good enough job making sure the press and reviewers understand the
difference.

It's not that I'm uninterested. I'm very interested. I've been liking Windows
8 so far, buggy though the Release Preview is. But all I'm seeing in the press
is confusion, which leads to frustration, which leads to bad reviews. It's
Windows ME all over again, in that people thought their Windows 98 drivers
would work, and when they didn't everyone blamed the OS. The reality is,
Microsoft seems to think they can release this and people will automatically
catch on. That has never been the case.

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AshleysBrain
Isn't Windows RT just Windows 8 without the desktop?

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freehunter
This is what I've heard. But I do know that battery life is shown on the
desktop. Changing networks is done on the desktop. A lot of settings are
changed from the desktop. Will these options disappear? Will there be Metro
dialogs for them? The Windows 8 I have installed on my PC right now could
never function in Metro-only. How is Windows RT different? I'm not getting
that answer from any tech blog, and that's the problem.

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bztzt
Windows RT is Windows 8 with the desktop, but without _the ability to install
new desktop software_. The built-in desktop utilities such as Explorer,
Control Panel, etc. are still there and work the same.

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saturdaysaint
In the meantime, the Apple rumormill has the 7.8 inch iPad dropping in late
September.

If that's true it will completely eclipse this launch, much like the Zune all
but disappeared when Apple announced the iPod nano (when the Zune was hard
drive based) and iPod touch (just as the Zune came out with a nano
competitor).

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savramescu
I really don't think so. Surface isn't a half baked product like the Zune was.

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skrebbel
Actually, the Zune was pretty damn cool, but it had serious trouble with
people telling their friends that it was half baked.

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stevejabs
While it looks like a slightly promising competitor to iOS and Android, if
they don't lock down good pricing, it will fail. $1000 is just not a good
price point when it comes to a tablet. I understand that this thing will
support a full Windows environment, but honestly, I use my tablets to surf and
play. If I want to run Photoshop or an IDE, it's going to be on my workhorse
laptop.

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facorreia
Surface RT won't cost $1000. As for the $1000 model, I suppose it depends on
whether someone considers the Surface Pro a desktop-capable tablet or a
MacBook Air with touch screen.

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s_henry_paulson
I don't think the target market is looking to play starcraft on these things,
but rather just be able to run the full version of applications.

I know having a nice thin device that can run OneNote is what I look for more
than anything.

There's nothing better than being able to take endless amounts of handwritten
notes, and have them all indexed and searchable without any extra effort.

