Microsoft Surface Pro Availability Date Revealed, Plus New Surface RT Model

[exfileme]

Microsoft's Intel-based Surface Pro arrives in early February along with a few new accessories and a new Windows RT SKU.

Microsoft Surface Pro Availability Date Revealed, Plus New Surface RT Model : Read more

 

[Guest]

Frustrating that there is still no mention of the model of the Core i5. Either it will be disappointing or something that isn't available on the open market yet. I hope it is the later, but fear it is the former.

 

[Jerky_san]

I hope they put a GSM or CDMA antenna in the thing.. why have a tablet like this if it doesn't have some sort of nice connectivity..

 

[Niva]

Well I for once am really interested in Surface Pro. I'm looking for the reviews and especially from fellow artists who want to use this for digital art/painting with the pen.

 

[Cryio]

[citation][nom]mVenym[/nom]Frustrating that there is still no mention of the model of the Core i5. Either it will be disappointing or something that isn't available on the open market yet. I hope it is the later, but fear it is the former.[/citation]

It most certainly is a Dual-Core design without hyperthreading, based on Ivy Bridge, running like 1.7-2.0 GHz. Good enough for a tablet.

 

[tpi2007]

The 64 GB Windows RT version with a Touch Cover already included is a smart move, making the device more appealing, all the while not lowering the price of the base model. This last fact is not good for consumers, but is good for Microsoft's competition, since they wouldn't be too pleased if MS undercut them on the more affordable devices.

Part of the talk though is just unashamed PR BS. It's amazing how Microsoft thinks that they can somehow bend reality to fit their agenda. This paragraph alone is just amazing:

"The response to Surface has been exciting to see,” said Panos Panay, general manager, Microsoft Surface. "We’re thrilled to continue growing the Surface family with the availability of Surface Windows 8 Pro on Feb. 9 and by increasing the number of places customers can experience Surface firsthand."

The response has been exciting ? Well, if you consider the people that actually bought the device and select those that are happy. In all other respects, the market response is all but great. Initial order of 4 million units cut in half, and then only around half of that amount sold, even though they started selling the RT in major retail outlets before the holiday season.

Also, wasn't Surface Pro supposed to be available on the 26 th of January ? They now just say 9th of February as if it's all going according to plan ?

Edit: Yes, as I suspected, it is late. Here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2013/01/later-than-planned-surface-pro-coming-february-to-us-and-canada-only/

 

[BringMeAnother]

I'm really interested in this, but I can't shake the feeling that it will be made completely obsolete 5 month later with the release of the Haswell CPUs which, if more efficient, will allow longer battery life with less weight.

 

[vmem]

[citation][nom]BringMeAnother[/nom]I'm really interested in this, but I can't shake the feeling that it will be made completely obsolete 5 month later with the release of the Haswell CPUs which, if more efficient, will allow longer battery life with less weight.[/citation]

Haswell tablets won't happen until much later this year, a Haswell Surface pro 2, if it happens, will likely be released just before the holidays 2013. this is because the Haswell chips released in June will be the laptop and desktop models, the ultra low voltage models ideal for tablet construction are typically last to come as they usually come out after Intel has had time to refine and tune each process.

That said, ultra low voltage haswell chips will definately be much more power efficient than Ivy, and will likely render this gen of surface devices very obsolete as they'll probably have a nice 8-10hr battery life like any half decent tablet should

 

[Guest]

They need to add 3G/4G support so they can partner with carriers to subsidize the price with 2 year contracts that would make those tablets fly of the shelves.

 

[linkgx1]

I dunno. Seems pricey still. Gaming is pretty much out of the question on it. I'm just wondering if it's fast enough to do everything I need.

 

[bourgeoisdude]

[citation][nom]linkgx1[/nom]I dunno. Seems pricey still. Gaming is pretty much out of the question on it. I'm just wondering if it's fast enough to do everything I need.[/citation]

The gaming part depends. Intel HD 4000 will play some games surprisingly well. I helped my brother build a PC that didn't have a good enough PSU for his new graphics card so we stuck with integrated for a bit. Mass Effect 3 ran surprisingly well, and Diablo 3 was also playable at lower settings. Some games are out of the question though (like BF3).

 

[hoofhearted]

Hope I can play Skyrim on it.

 

[esrever]

[citation][nom]Cryio[/nom]It most certainly is a Dual-Core design without hyperthreading, based on Ivy Bridge, running like 1.2-1.6 GHz. Good enough for a tablet.[/citation]
fixed

 

[bigdragon]

The Surface Pro has potential. I decided not to wait for it and bought a Fujitsu T902 instead. The extra performance sure is appreciated, although the form factor is bulky by today's standards. I hope the Surface Pro influences other OEMs. Samsung's ATIV Pro just seemed so cheap and flimsy. The other OEMs seem to completely undervalue the usefulness of pen input.

[citation][nom]bourgeoisdude[/nom]The gaming part depends. Intel HD 4000 will play some games surprisingly well. I helped my brother build a PC that didn't have a good enough PSU for his new graphics card so we stuck with integrated for a bit. Mass Effect 3 ran surprisingly well, and Diablo 3 was also playable at lower settings. Some games are out of the question though (like BF3).[/citation]
I was surprised and disappointed how poorly the HD4000 performed in MVM on TF2. It absolutely choked when groups of scouts or huntsmen showed up. Multiplayer seems to really put a strain on that thing. Seemed to be fine in singleplayer which is what I think that Microsoft Bulletstorm demo was to show.

 

[Guest]

We are witnessing the future, and the future is Metro! Let's all cheer for Metro! YAY!!!! Hip Hip! HOORAY!! Hip Hip! HOORAY!! Hip Hip! HOORAY!! Anyone who doesn't believe that Metro will be bigger than Europe may as well throw themselves into the Pacific! God bless you Metro, a true miracle from God!

 

[AndrewMD]

If you are expecting a $900 tablet computer to run full HD graphic games, I want what you are smoking.

And also, while it is possible to make such a unit, the cost will be too high and the battery life would suck like most Androids....

Aside from Alienware computers, I do not know many "gaming" laptops out there...

 

[lradunovic77]

$900 of failure

 

[alextheblue]

[citation][nom]Cryio[/nom]It most certainly is a Dual-Core design without hyperthreading, based on Ivy Bridge, running like 1.7-2.0 GHz. Good enough for a tablet.[/citation]Regardless, it'll beat the stuffing out of the lowly Atom tablets. Upcoming ARM SoCs will beat Surface Pro on 3D performance, but Surface Pro was never envisioned as a gaming tablet. It will be popular with businesses, anyone that needs to get work done away from their larger PC, and those looking to replace an existing small laptop + tablet duo with a single unit.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

[citation][nom]alextheblue[/nom]Upcoming ARM SoCs will beat Surface Pro on 3D performance[...][/citation]
The HD4000 may not be super impressive, but I think you're way overestimating the GPUs in ARM SOCs if you think they're about to surpass even the performance of Intel's HD4000.

From a quick looksie, it seems that the HD4000's theoretical GFLOP performance is in the range of 166.4 to 294.4, depending on the model. The PowerVR SGX 554MP4 in the iPad4's, currently the best GPU in an ARM SOC that I'm aware of, can do a theoretical 76.8 GFLOPs. Of course, there's more to a GPU than it's theoretical GFLOPs, but it's rather difficult to directly compare ARM GPUs to x86. Still, it's pretty plain it's still not in the same ballpark.

I could be wrong, but I doubt even the upcoming Tegra 4 will close that gap.

 

[kyuuketsuki]

Anyway, the "new" Surface model is more like what it should have been originally: $599 with 64GB of memory and one of the Touch Covers is a bit more like it. Still would like to see it at $499 (with a cover) with an upgraded SoC like an Exynos 4 Quad or S4 Pro.

 

[ojas]

[citation][nom]mVenym[/nom]Frustrating that there is still no mention of the model of the Core i5. Either it will be disappointing or something that isn't available on the open market yet. I hope it is the later, but fear it is the former.[/citation]
Y-series, most probably.

 

[ojas]

Anand's done a hands-on with the Pro:
http://www.anandtech.com/show/6686/hands-on-with-microsofts-surface-pro-available-in-us-canada-on-february-9th

 

[game junky]

I wonder if they're going to go the Apple rout and upgrade quarterly/semi-annually. I would like to see one with an i7 and an dedicated Nvidia GPU

Razer's new tablet looks good for gaming on the go except that it doesn't have a 1080p screen. Definitely want to look at both the Surface Pro and the Edge to see which one will suit my needs best

 

[killerb255]

Have no idea why this was voted down:

[citation][nom]Jerky_san[/nom]I hope they put a GSM or CDMA antenna in the thing.. why have a tablet like this if it doesn't have some sort of nice connectivity..[/citation]

...while this was voted up:

[citation][nom]oasda4564[/nom]They need to add 3G/4G support so they can partner with carriers to subsidize the price with 2 year contracts that would make those tablets fly of the shelves.[/citation]