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Forums - Microsoft - Microsoft announces pricing and detailed specs for Surface Pro

Scoobes on 05 December 2012
sethnintendo said:
disolitude said:


There has been a crapload of sales articles presenting both sides of the coin. Last I heard is that Windows 8 upgrades are at 40 million in 3 weeks which is beating Windows 7 upgrades. Microsoft hasn't shed any light on surface sales, not does it matter if the device sells 5 million or 500K units, because of reasons explained above.

I've seen this talk before, the infamous Microsoft Windows doom and gloom. Honestly Windows 8 launch reminds me of the movie Groundhog Day. It's exactly the same day microsoft is reliving with Windows 8 as they did with XP. And look how that turned out. 

Lastly, ths I fail to see this whole "it's premium product only if it sells" argument. Britney Spears sells a lot of records...  

Spend some time with a windows 8 tablet and look at the interface and its capabilities and then compare it to the competition to see why Windows 8 is a premium product. 

Aren't they offering the upgrade at a pretty damn low discounted price?  So it would be no surprise if someone upgrades for a low price.  However, I see Windows 8 doing worse than XP lifetime.  I simply don't like the tiled UI.  However, I am not a pro users and I stuck with XP as long as I could (till I bought another computer that came with 7).  I view Vista and 8 in the same light (both shitty products that I will never use).

I doubt any Windows OS will do as well as XP simply because I doubt they'd let any version go that long without a successor.




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dallas on 06 December 2012
Scoobes said:
Windows 8 sales reports seem all over the place. Microsoft say they've sold 40 million licenses, then I've read reports saying only 15 million of those have been activated.

NPD seem to suggest the early sales have been relatively slow (https://www.npd.com/wps/portal/npd/us/news/press-releases/windows-8-gets-off-to-a-slow-start-according-to-the-npd-group/).

Then you get articles like these which are simply damning:

http://semiaccurate.com/2012/11/30/windows-8-hard-sales-numbers-are-finally-out/

"How bad is it? Is down 21% from last year bad enough? Windows 8 making up a mere 58% of sales vs Windows 7 in the same period after release has a good explanation, channel inventory, but even that isn’t exactly comforting. Luckily for Redmond, tablet sales are going to power Windows 8 right back to the top of the sales chart blowing past iPads, right? According to NPD, they were less than 1% of sales. Ouch."

http://semiaccurate.com/2012/12/03/sales-down-microsoft-raises-prices-radically/

"Microsoft is going to make up for the Windows 8 sales shortfall in a brilliant move, milking the trapped. In a shock to no one, they are raising prices on their enterprise customers to cover consumer revenue potholes."


Every msft fanboy should read this post.



cunger on 06 December 2012
Cyrus_ATX said:

Microsoft announces pricing and detailed specs for Surface Pro

 

Microsoft's first venture into the hardware business, the Surface RT, launched to mixed reviews last month. But for many observers it was only the warm-up act anyway.

Today, Microsoft released more details about its headline act: the upcoming Surface device with Windows 8 Pro.

The new Surface will debut in two editions in the United States and Canada: one with 64 GB of storage, priced at $899, a second with 128 GB for $999. Each model comes with a Surface pen but does not include Touch Cover or Type Cover add-ons ($120 and $130, respectively).

Surface General Manager Panos Panay also revealed additional specs for the Intel-powered device, which is capable of running the full spectrum of Windows desktop programs in addition to Windows Store apps:

  • Core i5 processor (clock speed not specified)
  • 10.6" 9 ClearType with 1920x1080 full HD resolution
  • Full digitizer and ink support with Palm Block technology
  • Full-size USB 3.0 port
  • Mini DisplayPort (can drive an external display up to 2560 x 1440 resolution)

According to Panay, the Surface Pro will weigh "less than two pounds" and be less than 14 millimeters thick.

Presumably, the devices will continue to be sold exclusively through Microsoft's brick-and-mortar stores and its online Microsoft Store.

Microsoft's announcement didn't include pricing or distribution information for markets other than the United States and Canada. The company also remains mum on the actual on-sale date, although Microsoft's Tami Reller, the Chief Marketing and Financial Officer for Windows, announced earlier this week that the Surface Pro will be available in January 2013. At the initial unveiling of Surface last September, Microsoft said Surface Pro would arrive approximately 90 days after the General Availability of Windows 8, which would put it in late January.

The more powerful processor and higher-resolution display, along with full support for Windows desktop programs, should alleviate many of the concerns of early adopters who rejected the Surface RT. What's still unknown (and conspicuously absent from the new published specs) is battery life. It's unlikely that the Surface Pro can deliver all-day battery life in such a small package. We'll have to see how long it does last.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-announces-pricing-and-detailed-specs-for-surface-pro-7000008102/


Can it run Crysis?



Shubhank on 06 December 2012
cunger said:
Cyrus_ATX said:

Microsoft announces pricing and detailed specs for Surface Pro

The more powerful processor and higher-resolution display, along with full support for Windows desktop programs, should alleviate many of the concerns of early adopters who rejected the Surface RT. What's still unknown (and conspicuously absent from the new published specs) is battery life. It's unlikely that the Surface Pro can deliver all-day battery life in such a small package. We'll have to see how long it does last.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-announces-pricing-and-detailed-specs-for-surface-pro-7000008102/


Can it run Crysis?

Yes. It can. How good and what resolution is left to see. But expect it to be great of both worlds not best of any. You can run lots of awesome games on it but it wont run them beastly and it can be used as a tablet but not the best consumption device out there yet.



Scoobes on 06 December 2012
Shubhank said:
cunger said:
Cyrus_ATX said:

Microsoft announces pricing and detailed specs for Surface Pro

The more powerful processor and higher-resolution display, along with full support for Windows desktop programs, should alleviate many of the concerns of early adopters who rejected the Surface RT. What's still unknown (and conspicuously absent from the new published specs) is battery life. It's unlikely that the Surface Pro can deliver all-day battery life in such a small package. We'll have to see how long it does last.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-announces-pricing-and-detailed-specs-for-surface-pro-7000008102/


Can it run Crysis?

Yes. It can. How good and what resolution is left to see. But expect it to be great of both worlds not best of any. You can run lots of awesome games on it but it wont run them beastly and it can be used as a tablet but not the best consumption device out there yet.

I don't see anything about a GPU in there. If they're relying on IntelHD graphics, in all likelihood, it can't run Crysis.




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disolitude on 06 December 2012
Scoobes said:
Shubhank said:
cunger said:
Cyrus_ATX said:

Microsoft announces pricing and detailed specs for Surface Pro

The more powerful processor and higher-resolution display, along with full support for Windows desktop programs, should alleviate many of the concerns of early adopters who rejected the Surface RT. What's still unknown (and conspicuously absent from the new published specs) is battery life. It's unlikely that the Surface Pro can deliver all-day battery life in such a small package. We'll have to see how long it does last.

 

http://www.zdnet.com/microsoft-announces-pricing-and-detailed-specs-for-surface-pro-7000008102/


Can it run Crysis?

Yes. It can. How good and what resolution is left to see. But expect it to be great of both worlds not best of any. You can run lots of awesome games on it but it wont run them beastly and it can be used as a tablet but not the best consumption device out there yet.

I don't see anything about a GPU in there. If they're relying on IntelHD graphics, in all likelihood, it can't run Crysis.

Indeed. It can run COD maybe...at 720p and low/med details. Portal 2 and source engine games should run ok as well.



Shubhank on 07 December 2012
Scoobes said:
Shubhank said:
cunger said:

Can it run Crysis?

Yes. It can. How good and what resolution is left to see. But expect it to be great of both worlds not best of any. You can run lots of awesome games on it but it wont run them beastly and it can be used as a tablet but not the best consumption device out there yet.

I don't see anything about a GPU in there. If they're relying on IntelHD graphics, in all likelihood, it can't run Crysis.

Both run fine on low settings.



maverick40 on 07 December 2012

As an "Apple Killer" they have totally failed. The Ipad is cheaper and better looking, there is no way a general consumer would pick a surface over an Ipad



Lafiel on 07 December 2012

@ shubhank)

but the CPU in the Surface pro can at most be the i5-3360M, which only has about half the 3D Mark 2011 performance as the i5-3570K (official word was only "3rd gen i5 mobile CPU" afaik)

http://community.futuremark.com/hardware/cpu/Intel+Core+i5-3360M+Processor/review

edit:

I realized the comparison above only was using the CPU score, so I searched for valid results of total 3D Mark 11 scores and the i5-3570K received a score of ~p1000 on average, while the i5-3360M did about ~p680 on average, so in gaming performance that high end mobile i5 is about 30% slower (although that may vary in different games)



selnor on 07 December 2012

It would seem alot of people dont really understand Surface.

1. Surface RT is the tablet pitched against Ipad. And surface RT does more and has more functionality and features. Surface RT does what it set out to do.

2. Surface Pro is a replacement for your laptop and your tablet. A High end laptop + buying a tablet would cost you around or over 1000. But means you have to navigate and contend with 2 devices. Surface pro offers what those 2 do seperately on 1 device. Its high powered like an ultrabook and light and swift like a tablet.

It is worth its price. If you wanted Ipad prices that was what RT was for. An Ipad but better. For the same price.