Was the Surface worth the hype?

Product: Surface | Genre: True

by Will Wilson

Microsoft unveiled its first foray into the tablet 'war' yesterday evening, showing off the nifty-looking Windows 8-powered Surface to journalists in Los Angeles.

Given that the detailed specs of the device are still under wraps and that we haven't had a chance to go hands-on with the device just yet, we didn't really have enough info to compare it to current giants on the market like the iPad.

So, instead, some very angry members of the Pocket Gamer crew decided to get together to shout at each other.

Yes! It's time for another mass debate!



What does everyone think of the Surface tablet, then?

Keith: It looks nice in photos.

Mark: OPINION: Surface looks nice in photos

Keith: The kickstand is pretty smart too.

Will: Why didn't they reveal the specs though? Are they ASHAMED?

Mark: OPINION: Is Microsoft ashamed by Surface's weak specs?!

Chris: I think the keyboard cover element is pretty inspired

Will: Bet it's a pain to use, though. I have a hard enough time avoiding the trackpad on my netbook

Chris: Gotta be better than typing on an iPad - that's tortuous

Mark: I type pretty much all my features on the iPad. No keyboard. Just a case of getting used to it.



Is it ironic that the Surface’s big USP is the fact that it’s 'like a laptop'?

Chris: Ha! I think the USP is Windows 8, which could be a proper cross-platform OS that looks more fresh than iOS

Will: Well, there'll be others with Win8 tablets by the time it launches. It certainly looks more fresh than iOS, though

Chris: Xbox-quality games too (although I just made that up as random rumour)

Keith: Like Windows Phone, it makes iOS look rather archaic. It certainly photographs well

Chris: Ultimately though, it'll be about install base

Keith: [Windows 8] will reach millions within its first few months

Will: Aye, while Windows RT can't run full PC games, all versions of Windows 8 will run the apps. That’s going to be a pretty large install base



Sounds like a win-win(dows)!

Will: The only issue is that most people I know don't want to upgrade from 7 - and, in fairness, you can see why.

The biggest new feature is that it's tablet-friendly, and it's actually more awkward to get at applications on the desktop side.

However, with all the OEM partners, it'll be hard for MS to [fudge - Ed] Windows up, tbh. It's not like there's a proper alternative desktop OS at the moment (Linux? Which one?)

Keith: Cut the Rope, Bejeweled etc - the number of mothers i know who own PCs and only play solitaire on them - the Windows Store is made for that.

Will: Aye, but they're not going to buy an upgrade to a new OS are they? They'll use it when they buy their new PC

Ryan: I am mainly a PC gamer and desktop user, and I do not want Windows 8. 7 is well-loved, and 8 brings in an interface that looks unwieldy with a mouse.

Keith: Yes, but if Windows 8 hits 60 million in the same amount of time as Vista [five weeks], there are no developers who are going to ignore a userbase that size.

If Microsoft can say "the Windows platform boasts x million users, all of which have access to this marketplace on the very first page that starts up", people will support it.

The Pocket Gamer team then became engaged in a very heated argument about if Windows 8 was ‘touch biased’, which I have cut for your sanity

Will: I'm going to push this back to the tablet...As it's gone waaaaay off-topic

Mark: This is going to be a nightmare for you to edit, Will :P



So do you want one, and if so - which one?

Will: I wouldn't mind waiting to see what Nokia has up its sleeve first

Keith: If Windows is going to make inroads on the tablet market, it needs a flagship device in the way Android currently doesn't have one.

I was going to get a Nokia Lumia Tab - or whatever they call it - before. Now I'll probably get a Surface.

Ryan: I'm intrigued by it purely because of it allowing you to run PC applications and not be restricted by an OS like iOS (brilliant as it undoubtedly is), but there's still the problem of pricing.

Pricing will make or break surface (unintentional pun)

Mark: I'll stick with my iPad until I see a bit more of how the ARM one works.

I dislike Metro, though, so I'm not sure if it'll ever win me over. Intel one is a bit weird. Having a trackpad on the case, and running programs like Photoshop on a 10-and-a-bit-inch screen? Just get a laptop.

Keith: I wouldn't buy the Intel one. ARM all the way.

Mark: if you get the Intel one and start installing Lightroom and 3DS Max, I reckon you'd be better off with a laptop

Keith: And the ARM model will be much cheaper.

Have your say!

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