[citation][nom]JMcEntegart[/nom]You're welcome! Remember when everyone laughed at the iPad's name? I think Surface is better than iPad. I'm intrigued, though it sounds like the Wintel option will be pricey (ultrabook prices ... eek). I want a Windows 8 device, and I want it to be a touchscreen device. I also want it to be light so I can throw it in my purse when I travel. However, I don't know if I am ready to pay ultrabook pricing for a 10.6-inch device. Sigh...[/citation]
I think we are really at a point where device form factor preference can (and should) be different based on the physical attributes of the user, and that it's high time device makers (ahem, Apple) take note of this and don't assume that everyone on the planet is 5'6", weighs 125 lbs, and is genderless with just enough muscle tone to get a 20 lb flatscreen TV home from the store.
Case in point: any time I go anywhere with the inclination that there is a computing task to be done, I throw my laptop (a sizable Dell latitude) in my backpack and away I go. I never think "boy i wish this was smaller" because it has a generous keyboard and screen that i cant really do without, and it's size/weight is well below what i can shoulder without exerting myself. However if you aren't a 6'1" man with a little bit of muscle you might not find this to be the case. On the flip side I can never bring myself to take the iPhone seriously because the screen size is just sad; 4" is the smallest I can bear using for anything but dialing a call. I am fine with bigger tablets if they act a lot more like a laptop (it would be nicer to have more room for snacks in my backpack) and I am fine with bigger phones since they still fit in my pocket easily. I think that Apple's insistence that *their* size fits all is the single biggest thing that makes me stay away from their products. I am glad to see Microsoft getting in on the portable action, if they can mass produce these things with enough volume they MIGHT be able to hang on against Apple.