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Report: Microsoft Kept Surface a Secret from Partners

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"The fact that Microsoft has decided to take things into its own hands when it comes to tablets speaks volumes about the company's ambitions "

No. It speaks volumes as to how its hardware partners have been dropping the ball since the release of the iPad.

There. Fixed that for you.
 
Unless the price of Ultrabooks come down quite a bit, I'm not sure how they can compete with the x86 version of the Surface. It looks like the x86 Surface is everything an Ultrabook is with the addition of a touchscreen and the ability to use it as an "undocked" slate. Intel is probably okay with that since the Surface is supposed to have an i5, but I imagine the Ultrabook manufacturers are going to be a bit screwed.
 
Good on Microsoft, vendors have done a piss-poor job of producing quality alternative, so far all we have after 3 versions of iPad is a competition based on a slew of identical Android tablets made of cheap plastic
...
Remember the old saying "if you want something doing properly, do it yourself"
 
Microsoft was showing that hardware makers like Dell don't know how to design awesome stuff as well as they do. That's a sad bit of news to break, but it had to be heard. Microsoft, you're awesome and I applaud your bold effort. I'm totally buying one of each of these! I hope you sell a hundred million of these things.
 
Microsoft has a potential winner here but, I have said this before in other posts, they have to come down to a realistic price for the windows 8 software in order to get everyone to "buy" into the full integration experience. Once they get a good market share for the tablets/phones and everyone has them linked to their computer, they can then reap the benefits of their marketplace. I don't know the details about apple, but I think a big chunk of money comes from the app purchases (not to mention the itunes purchases).
 
Intel is probably pissed that they chose ARM over its own Medfield design.
 
To compete with Apple, Intel had to invest millions to produce an UltraBook reference design. Microsoft had a choice to either create a reference design or build a tablet themselves. They took the latter approach that will alienate the independent manufacturers. They could have submitted a reference design and build a clone under the Microsoft name.
 
Another note I would like to mention about why the other companies havent done a good job. One of the biggest problems early on for the tablets competing with the Ipad is that they were not as good and much more expensive. Apple was able to charge a resonable price of $499 for a low end tablet which gave them a foot in the door in the market. Since they were cheap, many people that were going to buy them went ahead and paid extra for the 32GB/64GB or 3G models. If the lower end model was never even there, many people wouldn't have been interested (even though they got the upgraded version anyhow). It is a very slick style of marketing. Also, because Apple had a vested interest in the apple store, they could afford to sell the tablets with lower profits and make it up with app purchases. All the hardware manufacturers only make money on the device itself and because people want a device with an SD card slot, there isn't much of a market for a device with more memory (people might pay a little more but not $100 for 16 Gig).
 
[citation][nom]back_by_demand[/nom]Good on Microsoft, vendors have done a piss-poor job of producing quality alternative, so far all we have after 3 versions of iPad is a competition based on a slew of identical Android tablets made of cheap plastic...Remember the old saying "if you want something doing properly, do it yourself"[/citation]


I don't know, but I think so far the Hardware was always better than the Operating System that Microsoft put on it. If the Tables is as good as the various versions of Windows.... uh, no thanks guys.

 
@ vic20

Yeah I agree but Microsoft’s apparent deception is also a good business strategy. “All war is based on deception. “ – The Art of War by Sun Tzu
 
These Surface tablets look great, but Microsoft is going to need to undercut the iPad in price (for the RT model) if they want to grab market share. I can't wait to buy one though.
 
And they were wondering why MS was keeping the OEM pricing of Win8 so high for tablets instead of offering a cut down version at a cheaper price --- guess this pretty much answers it since they can now enter the market undercutting the cost of their OEM competition with their own hardware while still keeping a good portion of the profits by receiving a larger per unit payoff for using their OS
 
[citation][nom]metromalenyc[/nom]These Surface tablets look great, but Microsoft is going to need to undercut the iPad in price (for the RT model) if they want to grab market share. I can't wait to buy one though.[/citation]
For the RT model absolutely, but the x86 version is a full laptop / ultrabook that can turn into a tablet as well, I can see the RT version dropping in price but the x86 staying right where it is and the majority of sales STILL being the more expensive version
 
And Google's relationship with it's partners is now strengthened unless they pull something similar with
Motorola but doubt it being their current model works great for them with the Nexus line.
 
[citation][nom]vic20[/nom]"No. It speaks volumes as to how its hardware partners have been dropping the ball since the release of the iPad.There. Fixed that for you.[/citation]

This is simply untrue. The PC makers have been following the only strategy they have. Intel re-formed the ranks and created the Ultrabook Spec (MacBook Air Clones) running Windows 7 to compete against the iPad. It's not working very well, but what else are they supposed to do! Windows 8 wasn't finished yet and they didn't want to go Android and risk being alienated them from their long time partner - Microsoft.

Sorry, but Microsoft is the only player on "Team Windows" that has yet to produce a response to the iPad.

Now we know the true purpose of Windows 8. With Surface, we find ourselves at the end of a mobster movie, where all of Microsoft's henchmen discover that their Mob Boss is about to kill every one of them to save his own skin. Nobody trusts anyone, and a massive 8-way gunfight will ensue. There is a good reason Microsoft chose not to give significant warning about Surface - in a gun fight, you don't move unless to shoot.

If I had to describe a situation that could bring down the once mighty Microsoft this would be it. Microsoft could easily survive, but the next three years are going to be very disruptive. I love a good mobster movie.

 
I think it's inevitable that the i5 surface will be very disruptive to the ultrabook market, so there are definitely some unhappy partners out there that Microsoft will need to deal with. At the same time... I see that product as a way for Microsoft AND it's partners to take a serious crack at the top end of the tablet market. Microsoft has set the bar but they've also given their partners PLENTY of time to put their own offerings together prior to the showdown. How about a system with similar specs to the i5 surface but with a iPad resolution display? (I'd trade in my i7 ultrabook on that tomorrow if it was available). How about low power offerings using AMD processors undercutting both i5 surface AND iPad offerings but running full windows 8? There are a LOT of options still to be explored.
 
People are not thinking of the business world where the money is. The Ipad is a failure in the buienss market with the exceptions of people who have enough money to want a large table to check their email and browse the web on (glorified PDA for business). But a win8 tablet that can be added to my domain, have all my IT programs auto deploy to it, install office and normal business systems with the ability to use things like remote desktop server or install any business program used today... That's pretty good stuff. But I'm sill a skeptic, they claimed that Win7 was supposed to be pretty good on a tablet, I bought a tester and it sucked. They better get it right.
 
[citation][nom]soo-nah-mee[/nom]Unless the price of Ultrabooks come down quite a bit, I'm not sure how they can compete with the x86 version of the Surface. It looks like the x86 Surface is everything an Ultrabook is with the addition of a touchscreen and the ability to use it as an "undocked" slate. Intel is probably okay with that since the Surface is supposed to have an i5, but I imagine the Ultrabook manufacturers are going to be a bit screwed.[/citation]


I believe the Surface is supposed to be priced inline with Ultrabooks. While the surface will offer 'more' than a typical ultrabook I would, very much, prefer to spend hours working on an ultrabook over surface. I suppose while they are very similiar they still both have unique uses.
 
[citation][nom]TEAMSWITCHER[/nom]This is simply untrue. The PC makers have been following the only strategy they have. Intel re-formed the ranks and created the Ultrabook Spec (MacBook Air Clones) running Windows 7 to compete against the iPad. It's not working very well, but what else are they supposed to do! Windows 8 wasn't finished yet and they didn't want to go Android and risk being alienated them from their long time partner - Microsoft.Sorry, but Microsoft is the only player on "Team Windows" that has yet to produce a response to the iPad. Now we know the true purpose of Windows 8. With Surface, we find ourselves at the end of a mobster movie, where all of Microsoft's henchmen discover that their Mob Boss is about to kill every one of them to save his own skin. Nobody trusts anyone, and a massive 8-way gunfight will ensue. There is a good reason Microsoft chose not to give significant warning about Surface - in a gun fight, you don't move unless to shoot. If I had to describe a situation that could bring down the once mighty Microsoft this would be it. Microsoft could easily survive, but the next three years are going to be very disruptive. I love a good mobster movie.[/citation]

You're silly.
 
I've been noticing that Microsoft's competitors have been quick to try to steal the spotlight from them. It might have been a good idea. I would have tried to keep it with the partners that could keep a secret though
 
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