Post your recent Microsoft Store/kiosk experience after the release of Windows 8/Surface on this thread!
I'll start with my experience today at the Bellevue, WA location. Unfortunately I did not take pictures (was too excited trying to get my hands on some devices and talking to people) but try to bare with me.
First thing I noticed before I even got into the store was that it was crowded. I mean REALLY crowded. They had an artist outside the store demoing the Fresh Paint app on a huge 30-somethingish touchscreen, which I thought was an excellent way to grab the attention of shoppers passing by. Got the attention of my dad who later told my little sister who's into drawing and painting.
Going into the store, I noticed that all the Surface display units were being used by shoppers. There was always a small gaggle of people waiting around each Surface. I had to definitely wait a good 5-10 minutes before even getting my hands on one of those sleek babies. Good news for those who want to play with them before buying them, the display units are not tethered to the table! You can hold the Surface up in all of it's magnificent glory!
Don't do any hasty though, they have staff standing guard to make sure you don't take one and run!
Holding one in my hands, it wasn't heavy or huge at all for a tablet despite what some tech bloggers will tell you (cough Joshua Topolsky cough). It felt really solid and refined. Now I'm kinda biased but it felt more premium than even an iPad (gasp!). Kickstand is sturdy and doesn't seem like it would ever come loose. Only knock on the kickstand is that there is only one dimple that lets you open it which is on the leftside.
Colors and photos on the screen were vibrant and a pleasure to look at. And for all the whiners who say it's low res, you can't really tell the pixels on the 1366 x 768 screen unless you shove your face at it. So it gets the job done in person. Yes there is a bit of lag if you switch apps fast enough, but it's a non-issue in real world usage I'm sure. All in all, the Surface does a fantastic job at showcasing Windows RT.
Now I was the most excited to try out the Touch Cover. I was surprised at first with how much force you need to pull apart the keyboard and Surface. But it gives you the confidence to dangle it upside down by the keyboard and not worry about dropping it. Clicking in and out with the keyboard was fun, the sound it makes when it connects is really satisfying and I did it a couple of times just to get it out of my system.
Typing on the Touch Cover was interesting. With no tactile feedback, it feels like tapping on a something like a cloth covered table. The type detection works well (maybe too well), resting your fingers on the keyboard doesn't trigger any keys. I say it maybe works too well because some keys didn't register while I was typing, causing some words to jumble like with no spaces (helloI'm) or miss some letters (thi is awsome). The learning curve doesn't seem to be bad though, one of the employees cited it being a week of usage. The Type Cover is something that all of us are probably familiar with and feels like a Macbook Air keyboard so typing on that should be no problem.
I compared the Surface RT to the Asus VivoTab RT, which they had in store with the dock as well. First off people didn't know that the VivoTab RT is mechanically secured to the dock so they were trying to pry the VivoTab RT from the dock. This made me realize what a smart decision it was to have the Surface magnetically connect to the keyboards because it wasn't immediately obvious on the VivoTab RT that you have to slide the switch on the left side of the VivoTab RT to undock it. I actually had to show a couple of people how to do it
I can't say too much about the screen compared to the Surface (didn't scrutinize it that much). It was lighter and thinner in the hand than the Surface. However it didn't feel as solid, with minor flex in the chassis due to the ugly brown plastic strip on the top.
After playing around with the Surface hardware, my dad wanted to buy one (he's a Microsoft employee but we don't get the free Surface RT until December). Turns out that all the 32GB ones are sold out on opening day Friday. Not only that but all of the Touch Covers except for the pink and white ones were sold out! And the VivoTab RTs were sold out on opening day too! I asked a couple of employees if they knew when they'd be getting a new shipment of Surfaces and none of them knew apart from the fact that they get shipments in general on Mondays and Fridays. So either there are is (1) a supply shortage with the 32GB Surfaces or (2) people are gobbling them up or (3) perhaps both.
I have a feeling Microsoft has a homerun on its hands with the Surface and Windows RT tablets in general. It may not be a success in the same way as the iPad, but I don't think that's what Microsoft was aiming for. They may not sell as many as the iPad, but if they sell a fair number of them and consumers consider Windows RT tablets as competitive to the iPad, then I would say they were successful. Chime in with your thoughts and keep fighting the good fight!
I'll start with my experience today at the Bellevue, WA location. Unfortunately I did not take pictures (was too excited trying to get my hands on some devices and talking to people) but try to bare with me.
First thing I noticed before I even got into the store was that it was crowded. I mean REALLY crowded. They had an artist outside the store demoing the Fresh Paint app on a huge 30-somethingish touchscreen, which I thought was an excellent way to grab the attention of shoppers passing by. Got the attention of my dad who later told my little sister who's into drawing and painting.
Going into the store, I noticed that all the Surface display units were being used by shoppers. There was always a small gaggle of people waiting around each Surface. I had to definitely wait a good 5-10 minutes before even getting my hands on one of those sleek babies. Good news for those who want to play with them before buying them, the display units are not tethered to the table! You can hold the Surface up in all of it's magnificent glory!
Don't do any hasty though, they have staff standing guard to make sure you don't take one and run! Holding one in my hands, it wasn't heavy or huge at all for a tablet despite what some tech bloggers will tell you (cough Joshua Topolsky cough). It felt really solid and refined. Now I'm kinda biased but it felt more premium than even an iPad (gasp!). Kickstand is sturdy and doesn't seem like it would ever come loose. Only knock on the kickstand is that there is only one dimple that lets you open it which is on the leftside.
Colors and photos on the screen were vibrant and a pleasure to look at. And for all the whiners who say it's low res, you can't really tell the pixels on the 1366 x 768 screen unless you shove your face at it. So it gets the job done in person. Yes there is a bit of lag if you switch apps fast enough, but it's a non-issue in real world usage I'm sure. All in all, the Surface does a fantastic job at showcasing Windows RT.
Now I was the most excited to try out the Touch Cover. I was surprised at first with how much force you need to pull apart the keyboard and Surface. But it gives you the confidence to dangle it upside down by the keyboard and not worry about dropping it. Clicking in and out with the keyboard was fun, the sound it makes when it connects is really satisfying and I did it a couple of times just to get it out of my system.
Typing on the Touch Cover was interesting. With no tactile feedback, it feels like tapping on a something like a cloth covered table. The type detection works well (maybe too well), resting your fingers on the keyboard doesn't trigger any keys. I say it maybe works too well because some keys didn't register while I was typing, causing some words to jumble like with no spaces (helloI'm) or miss some letters (thi is awsome). The learning curve doesn't seem to be bad though, one of the employees cited it being a week of usage. The Type Cover is something that all of us are probably familiar with and feels like a Macbook Air keyboard so typing on that should be no problem.
I compared the Surface RT to the Asus VivoTab RT, which they had in store with the dock as well. First off people didn't know that the VivoTab RT is mechanically secured to the dock so they were trying to pry the VivoTab RT from the dock. This made me realize what a smart decision it was to have the Surface magnetically connect to the keyboards because it wasn't immediately obvious on the VivoTab RT that you have to slide the switch on the left side of the VivoTab RT to undock it. I actually had to show a couple of people how to do it
I can't say too much about the screen compared to the Surface (didn't scrutinize it that much). It was lighter and thinner in the hand than the Surface. However it didn't feel as solid, with minor flex in the chassis due to the ugly brown plastic strip on the top.
After playing around with the Surface hardware, my dad wanted to buy one (he's a Microsoft employee but we don't get the free Surface RT until December
). Turns out that all the 32GB ones are sold out on opening day Friday. Not only that but all of the Touch Covers except for the pink and white ones were sold out! And the VivoTab RTs were sold out on opening day too! I asked a couple of employees if they knew when they'd be getting a new shipment of Surfaces and none of them knew apart from the fact that they get shipments in general on Mondays and Fridays. So either there are is (1) a supply shortage with the 32GB Surfaces or (2) people are gobbling them up or (3) perhaps both. I have a feeling Microsoft has a homerun on its hands with the Surface and Windows RT tablets in general. It may not be a success in the same way as the iPad, but I don't think that's what Microsoft was aiming for. They may not sell as many as the iPad, but if they sell a fair number of them and consumers consider Windows RT tablets as competitive to the iPad, then I would say they were successful. Chime in with your thoughts and keep fighting the good fight!
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