Hello all, literally just got back from the Meet the Surface 2 event at my local Microsoft Store, still shaking from excitement! It really was a good time, plus Panos and Steve both seemed like very down to earth people, they seemed genuine.
So, anyways, I'll try and regurgitate as much info as I can remember, but the excitement is causing my mind to fail me. Feel free to drop questions, it will likely jog my memory so I can tell you what Panos said. Anyways, here are the ones I can remember, in no particular order:
Q: Why does the Surface 2 have a different color from the Surface Pro 2?
A: Panos said that it was in an effort to help differentiate the products. People often asked, "what's the difference?", so the different colors (silver for the Surface 2 and the original black for the Pro 2) were made to help the products really stand out and differentiate from each other. He said he didn't want to make customers feel stupid or silly, like if they saw an iPad 2 and iPad 3 side-by-side, and asked what the difference was, they'd simply be told to look at the screen. Panos said people wouldn't truly see the difference, say they saw it, even though they really have no idea what's up. He said that while he'd like to offer more color options, he felt it'd be best to avoid confusing customers.
Q: I was hoping for more USB ports, how come we're limited to the one?
A: Panos said every single hole they put in the device was like a missing tooth. Sure, it adds more versatility, but it detracts from the design of the product. Every hole makes it look and feel less premium, and so in order to absolutely ensure a premium experience, only one USB port. He also said they had the Docking Station coming soon for those who need more ports.
Q: During the original product launch, you mentioned how the Surface could resist a sledge hammer. Also tonight, you said you could throw a Surface, but not an iPad. Care to put such claims to the test? (My personal question, response was amazing!)
A: He started off saying that I listen way too closely, like the press, but he made the best of the situation. He said that he obviously didn't condone anyone trying anything like this on their Surface, and a sledge hammer could obviously break it, but he mentioned some mail he got. He said he got about 10 emails from people who bought a Surface thanking him. Why? Because they were juggling their Surface and their little kid, and in the chaos, left their Surface on the roof. They drive off, the Surface falls, and he said for some mysterious reason, they always get run over, yet they always survive. Impressive stuff, but don't try this at home.
Q: You get 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years, awesome! But when happens to my data when that expires?
A: Well, he hinted that this offer would be available for all future Surface purchases and models ("Buy another device," *wink*), but he said your data would be preserved. You'd just be unable to add or access anything until you either subscribe or remove content from the cloud.
Q: Why no digitizer support for the Surface 2?
A: They want to get this in as many hands as possible, and so sadly, that means cutting a few corners. The majority of the people who really want/need the stylus are already going to be aiming for a Pro anyways, so they made the decision to help spare the expense of what would otherwise likely be a niche feature.
That's all I can think of, but again, posting questions may jog my memory. Also, here's just some personal experience of mine.
As he was demoing the new kickstand, he randomly chose me to bare the Surface 2. With the kickstand in its original position, it was rather wobbly, I was subconsciously using my right hand to support he. He noted this, flipped out the stand, and WOW! Major difference! Instantly no wobble and very stable, and it was then that I could admire the great built quality of this. It was really cool. There's a new word he made up for this: lapability [lap-AH-bill-IT-ty]. Spread it around. In essence, the new kickstand works great for the lap, surprisingly more stable than I imagined. It's the most lap-a-capable device on the market.
We also got what was, apparently, the first public unveiling of the new Touch Cover gestures (Panos wasn't even aware Steve was going to do it until after the fact). The gestures are very nice. It can tell if your fingers are just fluttering around or actually typing. In addition to that, one gesture is: place two fingers on any of the letter keys, and you can use that to move the cursor around (up down, left right, diagonal, you name it). Then we have highlight and delete. Again, two fingers: you place them on the number row, scroll left to right, and it'll highlight words, then just lift away to delete. Finally, you can easily access the auto-suggested words by, again, two fingers, but this time on the space bar. Left to right to highlight a suggested word, release to select. All of them were met by oooohhhh's and aaahhhh's from the audience. I honestly think I'm sold on Touch Cover, those gestures look useful and cool.
The new Docking Station also looks sweet, I like the design and how the Surface docks into it. Very clever. Overall, it was great fun (massive turn out, barely legal from a fire marshall perspective). Panos has a great sense of humor and an awesome personality. He did mention: this device isn't for everyone. It's designed for people who want to get stuff done. It can be used for play, but the whole purpose of this is to get real work done, and do it well. He also said the Pro is for the truly productive people out there, and so you should really examine yourself and ask, "Do I need this?" before dropping a huge wad of cash on it. He said it's not for everyone, and that's ok.
Really awesome, and my excitement for the Surface 2 grows. Feel free to fire off some questions, and I'll do my best to remember/answer.
So, anyways, I'll try and regurgitate as much info as I can remember, but the excitement is causing my mind to fail me. Feel free to drop questions, it will likely jog my memory so I can tell you what Panos said. Anyways, here are the ones I can remember, in no particular order:
Q: Why does the Surface 2 have a different color from the Surface Pro 2?
A: Panos said that it was in an effort to help differentiate the products. People often asked, "what's the difference?", so the different colors (silver for the Surface 2 and the original black for the Pro 2) were made to help the products really stand out and differentiate from each other. He said he didn't want to make customers feel stupid or silly, like if they saw an iPad 2 and iPad 3 side-by-side, and asked what the difference was, they'd simply be told to look at the screen. Panos said people wouldn't truly see the difference, say they saw it, even though they really have no idea what's up. He said that while he'd like to offer more color options, he felt it'd be best to avoid confusing customers.
Q: I was hoping for more USB ports, how come we're limited to the one?
A: Panos said every single hole they put in the device was like a missing tooth. Sure, it adds more versatility, but it detracts from the design of the product. Every hole makes it look and feel less premium, and so in order to absolutely ensure a premium experience, only one USB port. He also said they had the Docking Station coming soon for those who need more ports.
Q: During the original product launch, you mentioned how the Surface could resist a sledge hammer. Also tonight, you said you could throw a Surface, but not an iPad. Care to put such claims to the test? (My personal question, response was amazing!)
A: He started off saying that I listen way too closely, like the press, but he made the best of the situation. He said that he obviously didn't condone anyone trying anything like this on their Surface, and a sledge hammer could obviously break it, but he mentioned some mail he got. He said he got about 10 emails from people who bought a Surface thanking him. Why? Because they were juggling their Surface and their little kid, and in the chaos, left their Surface on the roof. They drive off, the Surface falls, and he said for some mysterious reason, they always get run over, yet they always survive. Impressive stuff, but don't try this at home.
Q: You get 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years, awesome! But when happens to my data when that expires?
A: Well, he hinted that this offer would be available for all future Surface purchases and models ("Buy another device," *wink*), but he said your data would be preserved. You'd just be unable to add or access anything until you either subscribe or remove content from the cloud.
Q: Why no digitizer support for the Surface 2?
A: They want to get this in as many hands as possible, and so sadly, that means cutting a few corners. The majority of the people who really want/need the stylus are already going to be aiming for a Pro anyways, so they made the decision to help spare the expense of what would otherwise likely be a niche feature.
That's all I can think of, but again, posting questions may jog my memory. Also, here's just some personal experience of mine.
As he was demoing the new kickstand, he randomly chose me to bare the Surface 2. With the kickstand in its original position, it was rather wobbly, I was subconsciously using my right hand to support he. He noted this, flipped out the stand, and WOW! Major difference! Instantly no wobble and very stable, and it was then that I could admire the great built quality of this. It was really cool. There's a new word he made up for this: lapability [lap-AH-bill-IT-ty]. Spread it around.
In essence, the new kickstand works great for the lap, surprisingly more stable than I imagined. It's the most lap-a-capable device on the market.We also got what was, apparently, the first public unveiling of the new Touch Cover gestures (Panos wasn't even aware Steve was going to do it until after the fact). The gestures are very nice. It can tell if your fingers are just fluttering around or actually typing. In addition to that, one gesture is: place two fingers on any of the letter keys, and you can use that to move the cursor around (up down, left right, diagonal, you name it). Then we have highlight and delete. Again, two fingers: you place them on the number row, scroll left to right, and it'll highlight words, then just lift away to delete. Finally, you can easily access the auto-suggested words by, again, two fingers, but this time on the space bar. Left to right to highlight a suggested word, release to select. All of them were met by oooohhhh's and aaahhhh's from the audience. I honestly think I'm sold on Touch Cover, those gestures look useful and cool.
The new Docking Station also looks sweet, I like the design and how the Surface docks into it. Very clever. Overall, it was great fun (massive turn out, barely legal from a fire marshall perspective). Panos has a great sense of humor and an awesome personality. He did mention: this device isn't for everyone. It's designed for people who want to get stuff done. It can be used for play, but the whole purpose of this is to get real work done, and do it well. He also said the Pro is for the truly productive people out there, and so you should really examine yourself and ask, "Do I need this?" before dropping a huge wad of cash on it. He said it's not for everyone, and that's ok.
Really awesome, and my excitement for the Surface 2 grows. Feel free to fire off some questions, and I'll do my best to remember/answer.
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