Why a Surface Phone doesn't make sense for now

fardream

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I can understand the logic behind Surface - to set a standard for PC/RT tablet manufactures and provide a pure Microsoft Windows 8/RT experience. PC manufactures tend to produce a lot of sub-par hardwares with a lot of bloatware and cannot even get drivers right (Apple's bootcamp is way better than what Sony has for Windows 7). The problem is Microsoft has a great software product, but not a great hardware to run it on.
However, these points don't hold for Windows Phone 8. The hardware produced by Nokia is amazing, and there is nearly no bloatware (or can be easily uninstalled without a trace left). The problem on Windows Phone is Microsoft itself - it doesn't help developers (heck, how could you let Bloomberg be a Nokia exclusive?), built-in apps suck (how could you forget to implement EAS security policy securing storage card and how could you not add a timer/stopwatch?), 1st party apps suck (photosync is not available, Skype is so heavily advertised and half-baked beta, PDF reader cannot delete anything, weather app is not supporting the latest features), and finally xbox music/video are disasters. These problems cannot be solved by Microsoft producing its own phones (and Surface Phone owners would lose all Nokia Exclusives).
Of course, Microsoft made some many stupid design decisions in the development of Windows Phone (like not supporting xbox video), therefore, a non-sense surface phone might happen.
 

anon(1019781)

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Microsoft should have come out with a Surface Phone INSTEAD of a stupid Surface RT Tablet, which is failing miserably, and sold it directly to consumers unlocked at a low price of $399.
 

CJ Thunder

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With a Dell investment, maybe we see them make a 'Surface' phone. Maybe a DVP2 or stronger RIM fighters.

Microsoft should have come out with a Surface Phone INSTEAD of a stupid Surface RT Tablet, which is failing miserably, and sold it directly to consumers unlocked at a low price of $399.


Does that work well with the pure Google phone?
 

crystal_planet

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Microsoft should have come out with a Surface Phone INSTEAD of a stupid Surface RT Tablet, which is failing miserably, and sold it directly to consumers unlocked at a low price of $399.
Define "failing miserably". And if it were to fail it would fail despite the price, although a lower price would have seen higher adoption rates. So you're saying msft should have opted out of the tablet arena completely to make a phone, in a market where it would be going head to head with the 920?

Yeah, that makes sense.
 

Coreldan

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Surface RT brought far more to the market than what Surface Phone ever would.

Whether or not Surface has future, I hope that at least other manufacturers adopt the form factor, which is IMO the best the tablet market has to offer and I could never justify buying a tablet until Surface, I will also have hard time to justify downgrading from my Surface to something in future that isnt as brilliantly designed. I genuinely feel sorry for iPad users who have their cases just to get a little angle to the ipad on the table and its still very little. All while I have it so easy while also having a keyboard in my use. I frigging love everything about the Surface design :D It's just spot on for me, who needs the keyboard on the go, I wouldnt have much use for a "pure tablet" like iPad.
 

tiziano27

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If Nokia doesn't have the balls to produce more than 4.4 million Lumias per quarter, Windows Phone needs other manufacturers that can bring phones to the market.
Demand for WP8 is strong, Nokia has failed miserable to meet that demand. Windows Phone can use some variety too, not everybody wants a heavy brick in the pocket.

Nokia is showing openness to try other operating system in the future, Microsoft has to cover that risk.

The future is convergence, a phone being able to run a full desktop or tablet operating system when docked in other hardware, It's a lot easier to work in this kind of projects having control of the hardware.
 

J4rrod

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Microsoft should have come out with a Surface Phone INSTEAD of a stupid Surface RT Tablet, which is failing miserably, and sold it directly to consumers unlocked at a low price of $399.

Failing miserably? 1 million sold when only available through Microsoft Store? Hmm
 

crystal_planet

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A surface phone could be a reference device for developers. Subsidised cost but lower specs.
You're just basing that off what a Nexus is. A Nexus is basically an Android without the bloat which any Windows Phone is to begin with. Besides, a "developer device" would be completely unlocked and would never be sold to the public anyways.
 

TraciLords

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I can understand the logic behind Surface - to set a standard for PC/RT tablet manufactures and provide a pure Microsoft Windows 8/RT experience. PC manufactures tend to produce a lot of sub-par hardwares with a lot of bloatware and cannot even get drivers right (Apple's bootcamp is way better than what Sony has for Windows 7). The problem is Microsoft has a great software product, but not a great hardware to run it on.
However, these points don't hold for Windows Phone 8. The hardware produced by Nokia is amazing, and there is nearly no bloatware (or can be easily uninstalled without a trace left). The problem on Windows Phone is Microsoft itself - it doesn't help developers (heck, how could you let Bloomberg be a Nokia exclusive?), built-in apps suck (how could you forget to implement EAS security policy securing storage card and how could you not add a timer/stopwatch?), 1st party apps suck (photosync is not available, Skype is so heavily advertised and half-baked beta, PDF reader cannot delete anything, weather app is not supporting the latest features), and finally xbox music/video are disasters. These problems cannot be solved by Microsoft producing its own phones (and Surface Phone owners would lose all Nokia Exclusives).
Of course, Microsoft made some many stupid design decisions in the development of Windows Phone (like not supporting xbox video), therefore, a non-sense surface phone might happen.

Question to the OP.
Do you actually own a Surface RT?

I do.
And I can say that it was the Surface that made me fell in love with the win8 concept.
So much so that I switched over from Andriod (GoogleNexus) to a L920.
That being said the 920 is only a gap filling phone for me.
The Surface is such a good peice of hardware that when MS releases the Surface phone, I'll be a buyer.
As a previous owner of a Galaxy tab 10.1 and an iPad 3 the Surface blows them away with the build quality and solidness of he unit, not to mention battery life.

I know this is a cliche but don't knock the Surface until you've owned one.


And now that the Surface can run unsigned apps, it's even better!
 

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