Microsoft Prices Pro Version Of Surface At $899

wonderfield said:
It is disappointing that they've completely ignored built-in cellular connectivity in these things. You can get around it by using a USB modem dongle, but that's clunky as shit in my opinion.
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It would be nice to have an integrated option but there's also MiFis. A little more to carry and they can be a bit bulky with an extended battery but quick and easy to charge using only a standard micro USB cable and it conserves on the devices battery life and of course connects to anything with WiFi. I definitely love mine to the point that I really have little interest in integrated broadband anymore.
 
I don't mind the price. Many comparable touchscreen ultrabooks cost more than that and have a larger form factor...and in many cases, lesser specs.
Seems like a perfect travel computer for people on the go since you don't have to deal with the same level of hassle at the airport, too.
 
wonderfield said:
It is disappointing that they've completely ignored built-in cellular connectivity in these things. You can get around it by using a USB modem dongle, but that's clunky as shit in my opinion.
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That's probably the surest sign that they are not pursuing the average consumer market with this ... since most enterprise laptops use wifi only (which would match up with their configuration) I think this is targeted at the mobile business user or power user with their own portable hotspot
 
Steve said:
Microsoft announced today that the Surface Pro will go on sale in January and cost $899 at launch. Hopefully the price falls relatively soon because, even though this is the most desireable version of the Surface, I don't see a stampede of people running out to buy it at this price point.
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Windows 8 tablets from other vendors like Dell, Asus and HP are pricing theirs about the same.
 
For $899, I will buy an i5 ultrabook and a companion $199 tablet, and have money left over.

no thanks, microsoft. Your shit is not made of gold.
 
The price doesn't seem all that unreasonable to me for this new product. I imagine it will come down some but it's nothing outrageous compaired to similar products out there.

I'm interested!
 
Tawnos said:
It also has a built in wacom pen surface. Capacitive touch + 1080p + pen input. Not bad.
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+1000

I'm floored that this is the only mention in this whole thread about the fact that it comes with a pen.

fta: "The price includes a stylus and software that disregards touches from one's palm while writing on the touch screen."

I'm sad that most of you didn't seem to even read the article, usually it has a little more information than the headline...
 
kbrickley said:
That's probably the surest sign that they are not pursuing the average consumer market with this ... since most enterprise laptops use wifi only (which would match up with their configuration) I think this is targeted at the mobile business user or power user with their own portable hotspot
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Not really sure if this makes a lot of sense. Integrate broadband on these things isn't cheap , the service is $500+ a year, I don't think a lot of tablets sell with this option period. It would have more appeal in the business market I think.
 
Didn't someone release some data recently saying that only a low percent of tablets have cellular modems and an even lower percent of the cellular modems themselves are even used?
 
With a Core i5, a touch screen, and 64GB of SSD storage, it sounds about right for pricing to me. It's an Ultrabook without the keyboard, and Ultrabooks are still priced around the same.

This is not a normal tablet we're talking about here. This is a PC shoved into a tablet form factor.
 
zeon said:
+1000

I'm floored that this is the only mention in this whole thread about the fact that it comes with a pen.

fta: "The price includes a stylus and software that disregards touches from one's palm while writing on the touch screen."

I'm sad that most of you didn't seem to even read the article, usually it has a little more information than the headline...
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I did mention the pen in my thread in the Mobile section before this thread started. It's not Wacom technology by the way, it's Microsoft's new patented optical pen technology. One thing I'm trying to find out is if this supports pressure which is a big deal for digital artists.

I'm a huge fan of pens, they really add a whole level of usefulness to these kinds of devices, something that simply can't be done with touch only or conventional devices and Windows has a decade of support for digital ink, it's by far the best ink technology on the market right now.
 
dgingeri said:
With a Core i5, a touch screen, and 64GB of SSD storage, it sounds about right for pricing to me. It's an Ultrabook without the keyboard, and Ultrabooks are still priced around the same.

This is not a normal tablet we're talking about here. This is a PC shoved into a tablet form factor.
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And the most important factor for a tablet is that this one can run all of a company's or person's legacy x86 software ... not too many tablets can do that ... I think this is a very attractive offering and will definitely try to get some hands on if it shows up at a brick and morter store :)
 
zeon said:
I'm sad that most of you didn't seem to even read the article, usually it has a little more information than the headline...
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They didn't read it because they didn't mention the pen input? Ok.....

Pen input is an added luxury to me. Don't know if I'd use it, really. I've a faster typer than I am a writer. Good for quick drawings and sketchups I guess, but nothing more for me....
 
Ducman69 said:
Is that high for that form factor?

Touchscreen ultra-books aren't exactly cheap either right now. And yes, you can get a Dell Inspiron with identical processor/ram/harddrive/etc for less, but at the cost of extra thickness and weight usually.
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But a XPS 12 Ultrabook Convertible with I7/8GB/256GB SSD is worthy of its price.
 
Veilrap said:
Didn't someone release some data recently saying that only a low percent of tablets have cellular modems and an even lower percent of the cellular modems themselves are even used?
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A year of Verzion's 10GB/month LTE service costs about as much as the 128 GB version of this device. So while it would be nice to have this option built in the market for this option has got to be pretty small, at least in the consumer space.
 
pelo said:
The reason Android has made so many inroads is because it's cheap, and people like cheap :p The rise in Android in the tablet space has dropped the iPad to ~55%, a 14% drop in just a single quarter.
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Like the Android Tablet I picked up for Christmas, 10", 1280x800, quad core, 32GB for $299, less then the cost the the low-spec'd ipad mini.
 
$900 is a totally reasonable price for the system when you compare it to ultrabook systems and midrange business laptops. The lack of local storage isn't a big deal either as long as you're network connected most of the time. I'd love to see a few reviewers get their hands on the Surface and give some opinions along with testing it out, but I guess that's not gonna be until they're pretty much on sale. :(

So anyway...that said...I hafta make sure heatlesssun feels needed soooooo....

OMG what a stupid price for a stupid, useless device that isn't even a whole computer! It's got like no hard drive space for my music and not even a keyboard comes with it without you having to pay a bajillion dollars xtra! And it should run Linux instead of that crappy Windows iTunes Android wannabe thing they put on it with the stupid Metro icons! Microsoft is really out of touch with what consumers want and it shows in how little of these have actually sold so far. I bet there's not even ten that have actually been bought at Best Buy.
 
heatlesssun said:
It would be nice to have an integrated option but there's also MiFis. A little more to carry and they can be a bit bulky with an extended battery but quick and easy to charge using only a standard micro USB cable and it conserves on the devices battery life and of course connects to anything with WiFi. I definitely love mine to the point that I really have little interest in integrated broadband anymore.
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More than a little... it's a pain in the ass. I have used external units (and I have a Windows tablet), and it is a clunky solution compared to being integrated. If I get an email and need to open a document, make an edit or two, and then reply by email... I want to just flip the Surface open and get to it. Not dig out another device, plug it in, do my work, then put it all away again. That is inconvenient.

I've actually enjoyed that I can use the iPad as a hotspot itself (which lasts about 10 hours when doing so) for when I need to do heavy work on my laptop.

heatlesssun said:
A year of Verzion's 10GB/month LTE service costs about as much as the 128 GB version of this device. So while it would be nice to have this option built in the market for this option has got to be pretty small, at least in the consumer space.
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Which I still don't understand why Microsoft doesn't push more heavily into the business space. RIM is a dying pile of crap. Microsoft has a brilliant recipe with phones/tablets for the business market, but instead makes idiotic commercials of people jumping around with colored keyboards.

And why are you quoting the 10gb service anyway? Verizon's plans are very favorable and most people do not need to push that much data, even business users. And I don't see how it is more expensive than any other Verizon mobile broadband plan...?

Plus you can change your plan on month-by-month basis, and overage charges are very small. If you don't need to use data for the month, you just turn it off for months until you need it again.


My point is that the iPad intelligently offered wifi-only and LTE models -- allowing people a choice (and I disagree that not many are sold with LTE...). My personal opinion is that not offering an LTE model at release is a blunder by Microsoft. I personally would buy one if it was offered, even if it was a $150-200 option. (Although if a full version of Office ever comes out on iOS, my motivation to switch will be significantly less)
 
SkribbelKat said:
$900 is a totally reasonable price for the system when you compare it to ultrabook systems and midrange business laptops. The lack of local storage isn't a big deal either as long as you're network connected most of the time. I'd love to see a few reviewers get their hands on the Surface and give some opinions along with testing it out, but I guess that's not gonna be until they're pretty much on sale. :(
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Local storage is a small issue, but nothing major. Like you said - network connected most of the time. If not, you have the MicroSD slot and USB3 slot for additional storage if needed (depends on how you use the thing, really). But, I'd just map network drives and go that route.

Oh, and another for Heatlesssun - 1/2" thick!? Bullshit! ;)
 
interesting thread...dozens of threads about the macbook air and how it's ridiculously expensive and non-upgradeable and etc. yet this pricing is just about right?
 
Sycraft said:
It sounds like the price is reasonable for what you get, given that it is a real x86 system and no slouch either. However, people aren't likely to buy it because they will see it as a tablet, and thus shouldn't be so expensive.
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Um... It IS a Tablet. That price does not include a keyboard. And I'd give you 100:1 odds that when it comes out there still won't be that many Apps on the Store. So it seems obvious that Microsoft wants to complete with Apple in a market where they are at a disadvantage. But most people probably won't care. Because, even if they are lucky and have a solid job, they probably can't afford much more than a mid-range Android. A fact to which Microsoft will remain oblivious because they are Microsoft.
 
mope54 said:
interesting thread...dozens of threads about the macbook air and how it's ridiculously expensive and non-upgradeable and etc. yet this pricing is just about right?
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Yes, it's a downside. It is a factor you have to deal with. It's a negative on both, really. I would like to be able to upgrade to a bigger SSD, etc.., but it's less possible with a 1/2" thick ultrabook.

Macbook Air's are damn nice machines. But, like the Surface and other tablets - there is no hardware upgrade path. It doesn't matter for a lot of people, but for hardware enthusiasts, it does. Apple was just one of the first to go with the form factor, so they were the first to get criticized for it. It's still an issue, though.
 
rhouck said:
More than a little... it's a pain in the ass. I have used external units (and I have a Windows tablet), and it is a clunky solution compared to being integrated. If I get an email and need to open a document, make an edit or two, and then reply by email... I want to just flip the Surface open and get to it. Not dig out another device, plug it in, do my work, then put it all away again. That is inconvenient.
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I don't think you're thinking of a MiFi but a USB dongle as there's no need to plug a MiFi into a device. Mine only weighs 2.5 ounces and easily fits into my pocket or a belt clip and supports up to 10 devices.

rhouck said:
I've actually enjoyed that I can use the iPad as a hotspot itself (which lasts about 10 hours when doing so) for when I need to do heavy work on my laptop.
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This is the main weakness of the Verizon MiFi I have, only about 3 hours of data streaming with the regular battery, 6 hours with the extended one. However with the 10GB cap it's not like one would be using this thing for hours and hours on end everyday anyway.

rhouck said:
Which I still don't understand why Microsoft doesn't push more heavily into the business space. RIM is a dying pile of crap. Microsoft has a brilliant recipe with phones/tablets for the business market, but instead makes idiotic commercials of people jumping around with colored keyboards.
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Because that's not where they are weak. In fact I have a feeling that Windows 8 x86 tablets will do pretty well in the business world, they have a lot of value there that they don't necessarily in the consumer world.

rhouck said:
And why are you quoting the 10gb service anyway? Verizon's plans are very favorable and most people do not need to push that much data, even business users. And I don't see how it is more expensive than any other Verizon mobile broadband plan...?
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I've had the 10GB LTE from Verizon the day it launched 2 years ago so that's what I quoted. The cheapest one is still $50 for 5GB/month if my info is correct. If you know of a cheaper non-phone plan please let me know.

rhouck said:
Plus you can change your plan on month-by-month basis, and overage charges are very small. If you don't need to use data for the month, you just turn it off for months until you need it again.
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When people see my MiFi they are always asking me about it and when I tell them about the plan costs as I know them they aren't all that interested.

rhouck said:
My point is that the iPad intelligently offered wifi-only and LTE models -- allowing people a choice (and I disagree that not many are sold with LTE...). My personal opinion is that not offering an LTE model at release is a blunder by Microsoft. I personally would buy one if it was offered, even if it was a $150-200 option. (Although if a full version of Office ever comes out on iOS, my motivation to switch will be significantly less)
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[/QUOTE]

I said from the beginning that this should be an option, but this is a full PC that can have a lot of storage with an SD card and it's a lot easier to burn through data on this device than an iPad or Android device. LTE is great but it is a very expensive connection especially for non-phone devices. Sure it is appealing to have this connectivity but I really doubt that it makes that much difference to the vast majority of people. And a MiFi is a great option if needed, not quite as convenient for one device but when you have more than one it's probably a better option than an integrated solution.
 
If it only had a little bit more GPU power (like a mid range mobile AMD APU) I'd love one of these, even at that price.
 
wonderfield said:
It is disappointing that they've completely ignored built-in cellular connectivity in these things. You can get around it by using a USB modem dongle, but that's clunky as shit in my opinion.
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Cellular connectivity is a waste of money. No tablet should waste time or effort implementing it.

Why in the world would you pay $60+ a month for an LTE service that you can't use because it is capped to levels that would compete only with a 56K modem?
 
Sparky said:
can I fold on it?
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I kinda think something fanless would be good at the whole folding thing. Does it have a fan? I haven't even bothered to look, tbh.

And yeah, 1/2 inch thick is like about a quarter inch too thick to be competitive with real tablets.
 
heatlesssun said:
I don't think you're thinking of a MiFi but a USB dongle as there's no need to plug a MiFi into a device. Mine only weighs 2.5 ounces and easily fits into my pocket or a belt clip and supports up to 10 devices.
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I include "turn it on and wait for it to connect" as the same as plugging it in (the device I used was wireless as well). I found it to be inconvenient and annoying (and canceled the service when I got my iPad).

This is the main weakness of the Verizon MiFi I have, only about 3 hours of data streaming with the regular battery, 6 hours with the extended one. However with the 10GB cap it's not like one would be using this thing for hours and hours on end everyday anyway.
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Sitting on a laptop doing work (i.e., email, online research, writing, etc.) is extremely low bandwidth. But it needs to be always-on during that time. So I disagree with that point. You can't watch Netflix or YouTube all day, but that's not "work" either.

Because that's not where they are weak. In fact I have a feeling that Windows 8 x86 tablets will do pretty well in the business world, they have a lot of value there that they don't necessarily in the consumer world.
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And I am saying that for me in the business world I operate in, not having LTE is the one deal breaker. I certainly acknowledge that not everyone has the same requirements. :)

And I disagree that they are not weak in the phone/tablet market -- I have been shocked at how big iOS device rollout has been recently, when it is a highly limited and (should be) an inferior product. Yet Microsoft has bungled releasing quality products to capture this market. They certainly are not going bankrupt, but they are missing market share.

I've had the 10GB LTE from Verizon the day it launched 2 years ago so that's what I quoted. The cheapest one is still $50 for 5GB/month if my info is correct. If you know of a cheaper non-phone plan please let me know.
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I use $50 for 5GB/mo (though I don't come anywhere near using it all each month). Last I checked, Verizon went as low as 1GB for $20 and 2GB for $30. IIRC the overage charge is $20/1GB (so worth it to pay for more if you'll always use it, but not the end of the world to go lower).

I said from the beginning that this should be an option, but this is a full PC that can have a lot of storage with an SD card and it's a lot easier to burn through data on this device than an iPad or Android device. LTE is great but it is a very expensive connection especially for non-phone devices. Sure it is appealing to have this connectivity but I really doubt that it makes that much difference to the vast majority of people. And a MiFi is a great option if needed, not quite as convenient for one device but when you have more than one it's probably a better option than an integrated solution.
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Again, with my personal experience using my iPad, both on its own and as a hotspot, I can get a significant amount of work done with 5GB of data. I don't consider $50/mo to be expensive when it allows me to bill out at $400/hr (and business eats the cost regardless), especially when the bulk of it is low bandwidth (e.g., emails with .doc attachments, maybe some .ppt, etc.).


So once more, I recognize that everyone has different data usage requirements and that many people do not care about LTE. My personal opinion is that there are people (like myself) for whom it is an important issue, and (based on my personal experience) there are a lot of people who would be shocked at how beneficial it is, but just don't realize it yet. :) Hopefully they roll out an LTE option soon!
 
My MSI Windpad 110w has GPS and 3G. I don't use either since I find it to difficult to do anything productive on a touchscreen. Sorry I still need a mouse and keyboard. It makes a really good mahjong tablet for me and the gf.
 
Spire3660 said:
You are fool if you think that.
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No, it's not direct competition because it's very different kind of device. Sure there's a lot of overlap, like an iPad would have even with conventional desktops and laptops and the iPad is competition with those devices as well but not quite directly at this point.
 
heatlesssun said:
No, it's not direct competition because it's very different kind of device. Sure there's a lot of overlap, like an iPad would have even with conventional desktops and laptops and the iPad is competition with those devices as well but not quite directly at this point.
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It has less to do with functions and a lot more to do with consumer perception. Will consumers understand the differences between the RT and x86 Surface? Will they be that concerned about functionality when they see the prices and how will they view it in relationship to a cheap Android tablet or an iPad? I bet we aren't gonna be able to predict how that turns out.
 
nOrVow said:
A tablet for that 900?

*Giggle*

You aren't shafting this guy in the ass M$!
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What about an ultrabook+tablet for $1000?

This is NOT just a tablet. It's a full Windows x86 compatible tablet/ultrabook.

Calling this a tablet would be like calling an iPad just an eReader...
 
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