Apologies for the title I just couldn’t help myself, but as you may have realised this morning people are getting their hands on the new Microsoft Surface Pro tablets. I’ve seen more than one review asking whether it actually is a tablet though, is it just a really small laptop. Does this matter? No.
The biggest issues facing this product right now is the memory stats that are coming from reviews, and the price of add-ons that are completely necessary.
The memory issue first though, as this seems to be a bit of a big deal. Unlike every other tablet in the world which would display the amount of usable memory, so in a 64gb model you get (surprisingly) 64gb. Microsoft have gone a slightly different way an decided that when they say 64gb they mean, according to reports, around 23gb. That is ridiculous! Considering this is a machine running full Windows 8 pro, that’s a pretty feeble amount of space, and it’s a pretty long way off the 64 you were expecting!
That is bad, and an issue that may turn a lot of people off the product in general, I mean les face it its hardly what you’d call ‘good press’. Surely when entering a market such as the tablet space at the moment you would be doing everything possible to avoid creating these turn offs? If there’s only 20-odd gb of space left at least attempt to cover it, call it the 32 model, or 16 if your feeling generous! No one cares about the total amount of memory in it, they want useable space.
As for the add-ons, these aren’t just accessories, they’re required for full functionality. The keyboard covers the products entire ad campaign was based around doesn’t come with it. Not even with the 128gb (read 83) version. What?! Why are you doing this to yourselves Microsoft?! Just bundle the damn thing! At least the lesser touch keyboard, this again is an issue that will turn customers off the product (back to the becoming arms of Apple) that could easily have been avoided.
But wait it comes with a pen! Everyone loves handwriting!
When I first heard about the surface I was excited. A real alternative to the iPad, something that I could pretend was for work so much better than other tablets because I would have office. Then I saw it and though it looked great, then the RT was released and all that fell away. In my eyes Microsoft have taken a brilliant opportunity, and a great looking concept, and pissed it up the wall through their own stupidity.
Reblogged this on iPad Pos.