Windows 8 Surface Review

Windows 8 preview had been floating around for a while and Microsoft had been bragging about its beauty across mobile, tablets & desktops.

Well, the new UI has a lot to promise and most things were unproven till date. Windows Surface is the new name given to Microsoft’s latest Tablet offering to take head-on with iPad, android tablets and even Macbook Air. Pandits would claim its the next big thing, but is it really so? Lets find out.

For the first time, Microsoft has decided to build the PC hardware, and that too in Tablet form factor.

Windows Surface Tablet

Microsoft is making two iPads/tablets — the Surface RT, and the Surface Windows 8 Pro. They’re sort of named after that crazy old touchscreen table Microsoft released five years ago. They run Windows 8 — one for ARM chips, which are the low-power-consumption processors you find in smartphones and most other tablets, and the other for normal Intel chips, like you’d find in a laptop.
– Surface RT is cheaper ARM-based tablet and is targetted towards Tablet segment. It is as thin as iPad 2, iPad 3, Galaxy Tab and endorses screen 10.6-inch, 1366 x 768 and weighs almos the same. They would sell for around $500.

– Surface Windows 8 Pro is a pro desktop-like tablet which brings full Windows experience in tablet form factor. You can do everything you used to do with windows, but with new more adaptive touch based UI. These would start from $800 and can go upto $2000 for high-end gaming graphics.

The SmartCover on these Surface are called Touch Cover, and they are pretty amazing:

• In 3mm thickness it packs pressure-sensitive multitouch gesture surface for typing.
• It sees keystrokes as gestures. Microsoft says the Touch Cover senses touch faster than any other touch keyboard. what this means is that you should be able to type insanely fast.
• A multitouch trackpad built in
• Attaches magnetically and locks the screen.

If Microsoft delivers—which means that the price and the battery life should be competitive with Apple’s offerings, and that keyboard lives up to its billing—it has a real chance of stopping the seemingly unstoppable Apple empire. Or at least slowing it down.

If it fulfills its promise, if Microsoft Surface Pro is $800 or $900 and can pull six or seven hours of battery life, then things will change.

This time in holiday season we will have two options to choose from

1. Get a MacBook Air for work and an iPad for play or
2. Get a beautifully designed, ultra-fast tablet with a sleek touch interface that can also be a full computer with the power of an ultrabook.

I don’t think this is no compromise exactly; it’s more like less compromise. And I’m not saying Microsoft can pull it off — but I can now see how it could.

The company doesn’t suddenly have a hit on its hand. It’s a long way from a hit at this point. This isn’t a strong tree — it’s more like a seedling that is going to require a ton of water and direct sunlight.

I’m excited. I wonder if Apple would be bold and continue to innovate instead of just living from Job’s heritage.

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