Surface Pro is priced aggressively

[gazz9496]

Originally Posted by gazz9496
get the concept of tablet out of your mind when you view the win 8 pro tablets it isn't for playing stupid games on it's for actual work, something none of the other tablets on the market do very well.



I understand, but I'm not convinced yet this is a real market opportunity with much demand. I think the success of other devices has proven that with portable devices, people don't do much "real" work, but rather use it for fun and games. For me and portability, I still like my laptop where I can replace the battery myself when it goes, I can put more RAM into it if I need it, I have a full size attached keyboard permanently on the device, i can replace the hard drive if it dies or becomes too small, I have optical drives or room for a second hard drive in the media bay, I have a 14" screen, etc. I would think that those who really are into doing "real" work are going to stick with laptops and such.

Originally Posted by gazz9496
the ipads are pretty in name only and they still suffer from the same fate that all tablets suffer from, they get used for pointless features mostly instead of

now while it may not take off very quickly the options it provides will eventually cull the tablet market into, style over substance(ipad) and substance over style tablets...one will win...i know what i'd buy.



Time will tell. I'm not an Apple guy at all. Don't own a personal Apple product. However, I see them being the one to beat in the tablet marketspace. Even if they are limited, it seems people are more than willing to accept those limitations. And I'm seeing more and more of IT diehards that I have worked with for years and years and years who have actually started purchasing Apple products of their own. It sort of baffles my mind and I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't seeing it with my own eyes.

indeed i'm not an apple fan for different reasons more thier business practice than their products, and they are nice to use but i've yet to come across a tablet from anyone that meets my own insane requirements....i'm quite unreasonable about tablets i think they all have a long way to go.

for me the win 8 pro tablets are that stepping stone they are bridging the gap between tablets and laptops in overall function and usability and part of that is having the same o/s and network features as well as being able to run x86 apps.

i think over time the market will shift naturally, these win8 pro tablets are the first of thier kind, and something many have been waiting for.

I hear it quite a lot, not every day and not from the same people, but some are looking for a tablet that does more than just e-mails and open the play store or e books, some of us are trully waiting for the jump that is bound to come that changes the tablet market and does break it up to for fluff stuff and for work.

now the samsung tablets they had were those that were given out at the developer preview conference quite a while back now, i got to play crysis 2 on it...and i was utterly stunned by how well it played, obviously not as smooth as i was used to on my own desktop but by golly it strolled through that game. if they had those for sale i'd buy one in a heartbeat.

 

[fonzman78]

I'm new to the forum and I just had to jump in and voice my thoughts.

To start, I have a Windows 8 phone. I have upgraded all my computers to Windows 8. I have purchased a Windows Surface RT and will also purchase a Windows Surface Pro when they are available next month. I am anxiously awaiting the Surface Pro.

I have specific needs when looking for a tablet. I am a Systems Engineer (15 years now) which is saying that I'm a technical sales rep. My life consists of meeting with clients and designing a solution for them. I also do many presentations. I also do many WebEx's. I have been looking for the 'Nirvana' of tablets. One that will let me do all - use a stylus, have MS Office, let me whiteboard during WebEx, let me create Visios, etc. I have yet to find the perfect product. Until now.

I have tried many tablets and phones looking for 'nirvana'. I have tried the Acer 200, Transformer Prime, Nook Color, Android phones, Blackberry phones. And, yes, I even broke down and bought an Ipad 3. The closest thing to 'nirvana' is the Galaxy 10.1 Note tablet. This device is excellent and almost gives me what I want. It has a stylus which is very important to me. It also lets me multi-task. Unfortunately, it doesn't integrate will with MS Office and I can't take control of WebEx session using the Cisco WebEx app. So, while I love the Note 10.1, it doesn't completely do what I need. Close, but no cigar.

When the Surface was announced, I knew that this would be the device I have been looking for. It would be a tablet. It would have a detachable keyboard. It would have a stylus. It would integrate with MS Office. It would do everything I needed. So I waited patiently using my Note 10.1.

Then I bought the Surface RT. I knew it wouldn't be what I wanted but I wanted to get a preview of what the Pro would be like. I absolutely love the Surface RT. If this had a decent stylus and the ability to run WebEx, my search would be over.

Is the RT the best tablet ever? It all depends on what you want to do. Do you want to surf the web, play games, and watch movies? I have 4 other tablets that can do that. They all function the same. My Ipad 3? I gave it to my 11 year old daughter. She loves it. It works for her. Does it work for me? Not really. I needed something that would at least make me productive while traveling or in a coffee shop working (coffee shops are my home offices). My Android tablets? Sitting on a shelf. My beloved Note 10.1. Still in my backpack. I haven't taken it out since getting the RT.

I made the decision, as a business professional, to go with Windows 8. My HTC 8x, Surface RT, and Windows 8 PC all integrate. I can create a document on one and have it immediately show up on the other devices. This is very important to me as I am a mobile professional working at home, coffee shops, clients sites, partner sites, etc. I like the fact that I can edit documents, presentations, visios and have them available on any of my devices. Any notes I take at a customer meeting are waiting for me on my home PC when I get home.

I know, other OS's can do this. But with MS Office? Natively? I think once business professionals see what I can do with my HTC 8 and RT, the light will go on. I've seen them try using Ipad's and Android tablets to keep everything in sync. So have I. Again, close but no cigar. I have already amazed my colleagues with the Office integration across devices.

And the Surface Pro? I can't wait!! This device will be truly 'nirvana' because it will have it all. As a business professional, I can't wait to have a powerful tablet like device to replace my heavy laptop. When I need a tablet, I can quickly remove the keyboard. Now I can surf the web, play games, read a book, watch a movie. When I need to work? I can attach the keyboard and work anywhere.

Think about it. What do you currently do? Carry a Iphone, Ipad, and MacBook? Or an Android phone, tablet and laptop? All three items so you can switch from casual play to work mode? And how do you sync docs? Dropbox? Office emulators? Cloud? Doc converters? And, what if your colleagues don't have what you have? With the Pro, you have your office at your fingertips. Anything created immediately available on other devices. And in a format that all businesses use.

Are there drawbacks to the Pro. Sure. Four hours battery life sucks. But, in reality, I'm always close to an outlet. Flights? I have fours work time. That is enough time to get me across the country. Overseas will, of course, be an issue.

The Pro price? $899 is not much for a mobile office. I will gladly pay that. I figure I will be in about $1300 by the time I get it all (Pro, keyboard, protection package). It will be the best $1300 I ever spent.

Is the Pro for everyone. No, definitely not. As you can see from the thread, there are other business professionals/IT admins who simply do not see the need for this level of integration. A $500 Ipad works just fine for them to remote in and fix stuff. Maybe play a game or two when no one is watching. But, imagine if you could remote in, fix stuff, write up the report in Word, then go back to your office and have the report ready for you to send off. Or, open a WebEx session, whiteboard using the stylus in OneNote, save the drawing/note, view the drawing/note on your phone, then have them at home for further refinement.

Now you are playing with power. Once this catches on, people will see the light.

 

[molebo]

Now you are playing with power. Once this catches on, people will see the light.

For now when the Pro will launch, what peoples will see it's their CC statements with their Xmas purchase.

 

[fonzman78]

Now you are playing with power. Once this catches on, people will see the light.

For now when the Pro will launch, what peoples will see it's their CC statements with their Xmas purchase.

Funny! Christmas definitely put a damper on some. Hopefully, businesses will see the value and provide them for their employees. I hope Microsoft will heavily discount to companies who are willing to take the plunge.

 

[freeky1]

I am thoroughly enjoying my new Fujitsu Stylistic Q702. The high resolution on the 10" screen of the Surface Pro is too high for me. The Q702 has an 11.6" screen and a 1366x768 resolution, which is perfect for my old eyes.