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Microsoft to hold a "small" Surface event | 20/5/14

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N

Nero3000

Member
Liverstream: http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/may14/05-20webcast.aspx

se0fJ5I.png


http://www.engadget.com/2014/05/05/microsoft-surface-event-may-20/
http://www.theverge.com/2014/5/5/5685186/microsoft-will-hold-a-small-surface-event-on-may-20th

Rumours:
  • Surface Mini (name is a placeholder)
  • 7.5" Screen
  • 1440*1080 4:3
  • WACOM digitiser
  • Windows RT
  • Expect prices in line with the iPad Mini (but with more storage)

  • Surface Pro 3 (possible new product line alongside Pro 2)
  • >11" Screen
  • WACOM digitiser
  • Windows 8.1
  • Expect multiple processor/ram/storage options at prices $800+

Sounds like they are fully going down the productivity route. A small tablet with a proper stylus and OneNote would make an excellent (business) notebook.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
ComputerMKII said:
Isn't the (non-Apple) tablet market crashing?
Click to expand...

The tablet market overall is levelling off. My view on this is that people are not upgrading tablets as frequently as phones, so sales won't emulate the growth pattern of smartphones.

That and people pay full price of tablets rather than a obscured subsidised price.
 
M

mrklaw

MrArseFace
Nero3000 said:
Serious question, what x86 apps are you going to run on a 7.5" screen?
Click to expand...

any tablet apps that run well on the ipad mini.

if they push the productivity angle, you could use the digitiser and stylus for painting/illustration/photo work; you could connect it up to a computer and have it as a second screen with palettes etc on, leaving your PC monitor free of clutter; you could use it for note taking with onenote, then sync up with your work laptop.

plenty of stuff you can do with it.

Personally I think I'll always prefer the larger form factor, but choice is good.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
mrklaw said:
any tablet apps that run well on the ipad mini.
Click to expand...

No x86 apps run on the iPad mini.

if they push the productivity angle, you could use the digitiser and stylus for painting/illustration/photo work;
Click to expand...

Your right on this one. Is the performance acceptable on BayTrail?

you could connect it up to a computer and have it as a second screen with palettes etc on, leaving your PC monitor free of clutter;
Click to expand...

Are there x86 apps that do this?

you could use it for note taking with onenote, then sync up with your work laptop.
Click to expand...

You can do this with RT. (if your work doesn't block it)



I can see why people would prefer x86 but living with a Surface Pro for daily use, I don't see Windows RT as that much of a detriment.

Especially, on a small screen, all I would use is the browser and Office - and both of those are exceptional on Windows (RT & 8.1).
 
ZehDon

ZehDon

Member
They lost over a billion dollars on the Surface RT... I feel like I'm missing something. If the rumours are true, this is little more than a marginal improvement in a market that appears to have plateaued. Unless they've got something up their sleeve, it seems Microsoft is still clueless. Still, I wish I had so much extra money that I could burn a billion dollars. And when the smoke clears, think "Fuck it - let's do that again!".

Fake edit:
stoptryingfetch.png
 
P

Paganmoon

Member
grumpy said:
I was thinking about it but then I've heard from multiple sources that the build quality on that thing is absolutely horrendous. : /
Click to expand...

Haven't experienced the Venue 8, but the Venue 11, and that one has poor buildquality aswell imo. Haven't found anything close to the Surface Pro 2 in buildquality.
 
Z

zhao3gold

Banned
x86 apps are not optimized for touch interface and some of them cannot be run smoothly by atom CPU therefore bring negative using experience. I would prefer RT than x86 8.1 for Surface Mini.
 
J

jelly

Member
The only thing holding back Surface RT is the apps. A big piece of the puzzle though. Superb device and feature set otherwise.

Glad they aren't rumored to have stuck with widescreen for this.
 
W

Walshicus

Member
zhao3gold said:
x86 apps are not optimized for touch interface and some of them cannot be run smoothly by atom CPU therefore bring negative using experience. I would prefer RT than x86 8.1 for Surface Mini.
Click to expand...

I thought I'd miss desktop apps a lot more than I ended up when I bought a Surface 2 (RT). Most of the time I'm only on the desktop for Excel and Powerpoint though. I've got my SNES emulator through the Marketplace so that's *that* covered.


That said, I am looking into some of these hacks that unlock desktop apps (properly compiled for ARM of course). Anyone here using it?
 
K

kurisu1974

Banned
I got my wife an RT a while back, as a replacement for her Vaio laptop. She never complained about not having the "full x86" experience, she can browse news and fashion, do e-banking, chat using Skype, use Office with the built-in license... it's perfect for living room use.
 
T

The Abominable Snowman

Member
Nero3000 said:
Serious question, what x86 apps are you going to run on a 7.5" screen?
Click to expand...

Same thing I thought when I got my Dell Venue Pro.

But the serious answer: All of them.

DVP+Stylus makes x86 Windows apps a non issue. That and there are far more fullscreen x86 apps that operate very similarly to what a tablet app would be. Chrome for example. Steam too.

Windows RT may be OK but all of those apps run just as good or better on W8.1 with ULV i3/Atom now.
 
P

Paganmoon

Member
I actually think the 10.6" screen of the Surface Pro 2 is perfect, bigger would just be too bulky to have as a tablet.
 
S

SCULLIBUNDO

Banned
Paganmoon said:
I actually think the 10.6" screen of the Surface Pro 2 is perfect, bigger would just be too bulky to have as a tablet.
Click to expand...

Sir Fragula said:
Agreed. Can understand people wanting a *new* larger model, but not at the expense of the existing form factor.
Click to expand...

As somebody who would use a Pro primarily for digital art, I haven't bitten yet because 10" is just a wee bit too small. I mean shit, I'm still using a goddamn Wacom PL500. Give me an extra 2" and I'll make the jump. Or reduce the border around the screen and use some of that surface area.
 
P

Paganmoon

Member
Scullibundo said:
As somebody who would use a Pro primarily for digital art, I haven't bitten yet because 10" is just a wee bit too small. I mean shit, I'm still using a goddamn Wacom PL500. Give me an extra 2" and I'll make the jump. Or reduce the border around the screen and use some of that surface area.
Click to expand...

Sir Fragula said:
Agreed. Can understand people wanting a *new* larger model, but not at the expense of the existing form factor.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I don't think they should change the form factor, but at the same time I don't want them to add another to the mix, will just be even more hell with the accessories for us Euros. (We don't get all of them here, and we'd probably get even less if they added another form factor).

For bigger screens etc., there's always Lenovo Helix/Yoga. Think Microsoft should have a very focused line for the Surface. At least until they've got enough market share to matter, so that all accessories are available everywhere.
 
Phoenix

Phoenix

Member
ComputerMKII said:
Isn't the (non-Apple) tablet market crashing?
Click to expand...

No. The market that drives that market is different and the replacement rate is a lot lower. Its far closer to historical PC growth rate than phones. There just aren't applications in that market (yet) that are driving upgrades. Its been a spec fest for years now with price being the driver for purchase. Samsung and Apple have been more solution centric and if Microsoft follows that path the can eek a good living in the growing productivity space where current tablets don't play well.
 
B

brotkasten

Member
I might be interested in this, if the digitizer and design of the tablet is good. I got my GF a Venue 8 Pro and don't think I'd really benefit from x86 apps on a small device like that. That said, they really have to launch with a load of creative apps from iOS developers to drum up any real interest. A port of Paper by 54 would be ace.

I'd really rather not buy the 8" Asus with Wacom, simply because it looks so bland, boring and got the Asus logo on the front. Ewww.
 
M

MarkusRJR

Member
Depending on how it looks, I might upgrade from my current Surface RT, which has been having performance issues. I'm already used to it being not that past, but now the browser crashes or goes unresponsive on YouTube for no reason.

Hopefully this will be an upgrade in terms of specs or I might be stuck waiting for the Surface 3. Surface 2 is just too expensive for the spec boost.
 
S

Syncytia

Member
Nero3000 said:
[*] 1440*1080 4:3
[*] WACOM digitiser
Click to expand...

I really doubt both of these at the same time for $400 (if it comes in the same as an iPad mini). A good active digitizer would be huge though, but I can't help but think the smaller screen will still put people off. I sometimes wish for more space with my Surface Pro, although I'm not sure I would ever buy a larger version if it was made.

Really Apple, just put an active digitizer in the iPad with a good note taking program and you have my money.
 
N

Nero3000

Member
The pro has already been silently refreshed with slightly updated processors... Too early for broadwell.

Could be surface mini pro...
 
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