So the first opinions are in on the new Microsoft Surface Tablet and the verdict isn’t great. Sam Biddle from Gizmodo gave his view on Bloomberg TV and he was pretty critical calling it ‘a real let down’.
According to Biddle the device was a complete flop as a computer replacement. The keyboard was a real struggle to type on and the track pad was unresponsive and didn’t ‘cut it’.
However he said the design was great. The engineering on the keyboard was phenomenal and it snaps beautifully into place. The kick stand was also a great addition.
Biddle thought the Surface worked better as a tablet but was not a challenger to the high end. Overall he seemed very disappointed.
Bloomberg’s Rich Jaroslovsky was more positive. One bright point is that the keyboard which Biddle disliked so much can be replaced with one with real keys (although this is more expensive at $130). Jaroslovsky found this easier than typing on glass. This might solve many of issues Biddle had.
Perhaps the biggest disappointment with the Surface is the confusion over Windows 8. The Surface only runs Window RT, a variant of Windows 8. It doesn’t run software for earlier versions of Windows. I thought the whole point of Windows 8 was to have one seamless operating system across all devices. But now they seem different anyway. Moreover Jaroslovsky saw the potential for a lot of confusion between tablet and desktop mode on the tablet. For example there are two different versions of internet explorer.
The tablet side of the Surface is not as intuitive as similar rival devices and takes getting used to. The space also gets eaten up very quickly by the windows operating system and built in apps. So it doesn’t seem as good as a laptop or a tablet.
The price is also very disappointing The Surface starts at $499 the same as the latest iPad. But at this price the Surface doesn’t even come with the keyboard cover which turns it into a laptop so it’s largely irrelevant as this is pretty much a necessity. For that it’s $100 more. At such a high price it’s difficult to see the Surface making big inroads with so many other great cheaper alternatives. Neverthless as Jaroslovsky says Microsoft get points for being bold, and the $499 version of the Surface has already sold out. The jury is still out for the moment but the first opinions suggest this product is in danger of being a flop.