Surface RT Discounted $150 at Staples This Weekend

[JMcEntegart]

Nothing gives you that Friday feeling quite like a sale.

Surface RT Discounted $150 at Staples This Weekend : Read more

 

[halcyon]

They can't even give that junk away. No Thanks. My Note 8 is just fine, thank you.

 

[internetlad]

Not a bad price at all. The pro is far and away the better tablet, but for somebody who doesn't need the full OS functions, and/or doesn't demand the highest performance, this is a fine choice.

 

[1991ATServerTower]

Still don't care. Still not sorry about it.

Talk to me when you have a product that I can make my own, as I can with a PC running DOS through to Windows 7 or any version of Linux/FreeBSD. I'm not interested in buying product that is locked into a "walled garden", limited ecosystem that may well be killed off at any moment. You know, like Windows Vista/7 desktop gadgets, the Blackberry Playbook, WebOS, and all those other "closed systems" that make the OWNER OF A PRODUCT at the mercy and whim of the product creator.

If it's not open like the PC, fuck off.

 

[nhat11]

Still don't care. Still not sorry about it.

Talk to me when you have a product that I can make my own, as I can with a PC running DOS through to Windows 7 or any version of Linux/FreeBSD. I'm not interested in buying product that is locked into a "walled garden", limited ecosystem that may well be killed off at any moment. You know, like Windows Vista/7 desktop gadgets, the Blackberry Playbook, WebOS, and all those other "closed systems" that make the OWNER OF A PRODUCT at the mercy and whim of the product creator.

If it's not open like the PC, fuck off.

Whoa you need a chill pill and calm down. No one likes a hot headed kid.

 

[BringMeAnother]

Still not worth it for me, but could be a good choice for non power users who just need to surf.

 

[Miharu]

I still waiting for a tablet 7-inch under 399$ and running Windows 8 (not the RT).

 

[avgguy]

1991ATServerTower
Fine to have a negative opinion about the product but leave out the colorful language. It points to a diminished capacity and takes away from legitimate discussion. Unless of course you are actually an angry idiot - in which case there's not fixing stupid.

 

[avgguy]

(typo with 'not' instead of 'no' in previous post - can barely keep ahead of my own stupidity

 

[stevejnb]

Edit: Misread the article, but leaving my post up to show my shame and jumping the gun. Even at the mid $300 price point, this is a bad buy in my eyes - Android simply offers far better options for tablets in this range, and some proper full Windows 8 tablets are coming in around this price. Even with a $150 discount, this limited product is still way overpriced.

Wow, this thread/deal is pretty clear evidence that some people are really letting their hatred for all things MS/Windows 8 get to the point of pure unreason.

Windows RT is a disappointment - not that I ever really had high hopes for it. Windows 8 pro tablets are pretty damned good for what they do, and RT is the lame legged bastard stepson that MS is ashamed to talk about. That being said though, why is RT so lame? Because it basically does what a normal Android or iOS does - run apps, media consumption, web browsing, basic stuff. It is, essentially, a toy and can't run as a full computer. The thing is, those "toy" tablets can be quite fun to play with sometimes and actually can even be handy in a working situation (student, light business, etc). RT tablets are more than enough for a lot of peoples' tablet needs.

With that in mind, this deal? $150 for a basic Surface tablet is not bloody bad. The Windows 8 ecosystem is getting respectable. When you're looking at the $150 price range for "toy" tablets you can either get less than half of an iPad mini or an Android tablet from a no-name Chinese manufacturer that likely isn't Google certified, no USB port, no hdmi out, bare bones. Even the smaller hardware deficient Kindle Fire goes on sale for more than this.

If you can't see this as a good deal, you've let your hatred for MS/Windows 8 go beyond the point of reason. The Surface RT is not a bad tablet, it was just horribly overpriced for the initially app deficient device that it was. At this price, it's a steal, and a pretty damned handy thing to get for $150. I doubt I'm getting one, but... I may get one for my girlfriend for her birthday.

 

[aicom]

I still waiting for a tablet 7-inch under 399$ and running Windows 8 (not the RT).

You mean like the Acer Iconia W3? Granted, it's 8-inch but it's also $399 and running dual-core Atom.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.282303500?WT.mc_id=PromoEmail_AcerIconia_7-9-13_ShopnowCTA

 

[TheBigTroll]

id take this and slap android on it. problem is solved

 

[Chris Droste]

I would have Jumped all over this for $150; almost like FireSale on RT units; but then, upon reading the article, and coming out with $350 bux for the 32GB...eh... no thanks; maybe for the 64GB and put the surface RT under $300 (like $299) for the base model I'd be OK.

 

[Miharu]

I still waiting for a tablet 7-inch under 399$ and running Windows 8 (not the RT).

You mean like the Acer Iconia W3? Granted, it's 8-inch but it's also $399 and running dual-core Atom.

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msusa/en_US/pdp/productID.282303500?WT.mc_id=PromoEmail_AcerIconia_7-9-13_ShopnowCTA

Thanks aicom. This particular model is still listed $420 in most place. I don't intend to pay $399+shipping+tax for this tablet (this give a total over $399). A real 7-in will be probably $299-$329 which is $100 under the current item price. The second problem is the usb port. Most W8 10-in tablet have 1 usb 2.0 port. Interresting if you want to connect a usb drive or a headset. This one have 1 micro usb port. They don't give detail but it's probably just good for connect it on your pc. Review give it 2.9/5.0. Not what I'm hoping for so I still waiting.

 

[kittle]

when these things sell FOR $150 - i'll go get one as an experiment. Until then, nothankyou

 

[jhansonxi]

id take this and slap android on it. problem is solved

Not possible. The OS is digitally signed by a key that is within the ARM processor. Unless you have access to an unlocked processor and the soldering equipment necessary to replace it, the RT will always just be a M$ services terminal.

 

[darkchazz]

I will not buy a Tegra 3 device in 2013...
I have a nexus 7. The GPU is trash that lags even in tegra optimized games. Battery consumption is quite high due to 40nm process and the battery saver core is nothing but marketing rubbish.

M$ thought people would buy if they saw the nvidia logo on the device? well not me.

 

[apache_lives]

Windows RT is 1000x better and more useful then Android and IOS go check it out some time

 

[agnickolov]

@Miharu: The micro USB port on the Acer Iconia W3 is a host port like you'd expect on any PC. There's an add-on adapter - female USB A to micro USB for it. I know because I've attached both a USB stick and a wired mouse to my W3.

The problem for Windows 8 tablets is not Microsoft, but Intel. These things just scream for a low power Haswell chip. As nice and smooth as the W3 is, the Surface Pro just plain glides next to it. The problem is, its battery lasts only 3 hours when playing games on it (Plants vs Zombies in my case) vs 5 hours on the W3. The Surface Pro has an ULV Ivy Bridge CPU which is not nearly as power efficient as the Atom or the new Haswell chips. Surface Pro actually spins its fan up while playing games and you have to be careful where you hold it. The W3 has no fan of course.

 

[rwinches]

Tegra 3 was passe when these were released. $150 off - lipstick on a pig.