Our Surface 2's future

[WillysJeepMan]

I do not get the point. The questions are orthogonal and not related, right?
MS has no cost of developing an "ARM version" because before compilation there is not such a thing like an ARM version. They developing the Windows code in C/C++ and then just compile for ARM or x86. There certainly is some cost associated with testing. As i mentioned above there is much less cost assiated with just deploying full Windows (including all features like desktop) on ARM tablets than developing a tablet UI on top of Windows Phone/Mobile. I would even argue, that removing the desktop with all the dependencies is much more effort than leaving the desktop in on top of the fact that you are creating more variants, which require more testing.
Now the apps question is completely unrelated. But in order to give incentives to developers to make apps for the platform you need users. It has been shown in the past, that a large percentage of app-store downloads were done from RT devices. The reason here is clear, RT user are much more likely to access the app store than say Surface Pro users, who use their tablet as laptop replacement.

If compiling x86-based C/C++ code for ARM was a simple matter of setting a compile-time switch I would agree... but it's not.

 

[Cruncher04]

If compiling x86-based C/C++ code for ARM was a simple matter of setting a compile-time switch I would agree... but it's not.

It _IS_ just a matter of a compile time switch. Thousands of store developers do this every day! It would be harder if you change the compiler, say from visual C++ to GCC due to special pragmas, attributes and a mismatch in implemented features of the C/C++ language. But it is the same compiler with a different code generation backend.
It would also be harder if you would rely on 3rd party libraries, where no sources are available. But that does not apply to Windows. (This is currently the biggest problem when compiling Windows desktop apps for ARM.)
There are exceptions, like small parts of the kernel and the Java-Script and .Net runtime engines. But these are already there for ARM and dont have to be touched when developing new features.

 

[Jason Gilbert]

Got an S2 for Christmas, and I like it so far. I also have Lumia 830, and I find myself wanting (expecting?) some of the features from WP on the Surface:

1. Separate inboxes for all of my email accounts. The mail app on the S2 is good, but I want to see what's in each account. Also, a modern outlook app would be great.

2. Battery life indicator on the start screen.

3. Notifications in one easy pull-down location.

4. A kill button on each app when you bring up the list of running apps. (I know you can just swipe down. I'm being petty.)

I guess the point of all this that if W10 for RT devices is really just a bigger version of WP10, I'll be pretty happy with that. I like the desktop, especially for managing files, but I can live without it.

 

[thecaringkind]

I must admit that I still don't understand the folks who are vehemently opposed to the desktop. It is useful if only in terms of being able to find and move your files around from internal memory to/from the microSD card or plugged in USB flash memory. If some folks just don't see a purpose or need for the desktop just don't use it.

What am I missing?

 

[jhoff80]

I find myself wanting (expecting?) some of the features from WP on the Surface:

1. Separate inboxes for all of my email accounts. The mail app on the S2 is good, but I want to see what's in each account.

Are you talking about separate tiles for each? That's possible. It's just slightly buried in that it's in the "Manage folders" button in the bottom left.

 

[fatclue_98]

I must admit that I still don't understand the folks who are vehemently opposed to the desktop. It is useful if only in terms of being able to find and move your files around from internal memory to/from the microSD card or plugged in USB flash memory. If some folks just don't see a purpose or need for the desktop just don't use it.

What am I missing?

Check out the post above yours. Most of the items that person wants are on the desktop. Outlook, battery meter and task manager.

 

[Jason Gilbert]

Are you talking about separate tiles for each? That's possible. It's just slightly buried in that it's in the "Manage folders" button in the bottom left.

Yep, worked. Thanks.!

 

[Ed Boland]

Got an S2 for Christmas, and I like it so far. I also have Lumia 830, and I find myself wanting (expecting?) some of the features from WP on the Surface:

1. Separate inboxes for all of my email accounts. The mail app on the S2 is good, but I want to see what's in each account. Also, a modern outlook app would be great.

2. Battery life indicator on the start screen.

3. Notifications in one easy pull-down location.

4. A kill button on each app when you bring up the list of running apps. (I know you can just swipe down. I'm being petty.)

I guess the point of all this that if W10 for RT devices is really just a bigger version of WP10, I'll be pretty happy with that. I like the desktop, especially for managing files, but I can live without it.

Congrats on the new Surface 2! It really is a fantastic device, and a lot more capable than what first meets the eye.. A couple of the most used apps that I had on mine were the Remote Desktop client (opens up a whole world of possibilities!), and the PLEX client app.

 

[Jason Gilbert]

Any suggestions for a guide to setting up the remote desktop app? Wife runs her own business with server and six or seven workstations. She wants to remote in on the surface and get things done at home. I can make it work when I'm connected to the wifi at the business location, but it won't work when I take it home.

Also, should I be using the remote desktop app in the modern UI or the remote desktop tools on the desktop?

 

[onlysublime]

Use the Teamviewer Touch app. Install it on both the system to be controlled and on the Surface 2. When you have it launched on the home system, write down the code. On your Surface 2, type in the code. It's better if you create a profile for your account so that you don't have to retype everything. Just save the settings so that the next time, you just have to tap on the computer to control it.

Teamviewer is much easier to use. You worry less about connecting through firewalls and the barriers of the Internet.

For the PC, get the desktop version. For the Surface 2, of course only the Teamviewer Touch version is available. But it still supports a mouse.

 

[fatclue_98]

Use the Teamviewer Touch app. Install it on both the system to be controlled and on the Surface 2. When you have it launched on the home system, write down the code. On your Surface 2, type in the code. It's better if you create a profile for your account so that you don't have to retype everything. Just save the settings so that the next time, you just have to tap on the computer to control it.

Teamviewer is much easier to use. You worry less about connecting through firewalls and the barriers of the Internet.

For the PC, get the desktop version. For the Surface 2, of course only the Teamviewer Touch version is available. But it still supports a mouse.

Agree 1000%. Teamviewer also works from my 1520 but it's much better on the Surface 2 with the Type Cover.

 

[tgp]

Any suggestions for a guide to setting up the remote desktop app? Wife runs her own business with server and six or seven workstations. She wants to remote in on the surface and get things done at home. I can make it work when I'm connected to the wifi at the business location, but it won't work when I take it home.

At work it's connected via LAN (Local Area Network). When you're at home, you would be using WAN (Wide Area Network). In simple speak, when you're at home you're trying to enter from the outside. Because of that, you would need to have the system set up to allow outside access. At the business location, you're already inside.

 

[jbs-horn]

Teamviewer is quite expensive to use in a commercial environment. You can use Microsoft Remote Desktop over the internet by using port forwarding. Setting up the company's router to handle port forwarding is easy and only has to be done once. In my experience, either the "Modern" or desktop versions work well. The desktop version is built into Windows RT. mstsc.exe

 

[misterl]

I am replying because it seems like your well versed on surface tablets. Now in 2015 is there any concrete word on what will happen to surface tablets namely the surface 2.

 

[Harrie-S]

I am replying because it seems like your well versed on surface tablets. Now in 2015 is there any concrete word on what will happen to surface tablets namely the surface 2.

This is everything we know so far.
http://www.windowscentral.com/windo...d-surface-2-will-get-some-features-windows-10

 

[Ed Boland]

The good news is "they're working on it". So RT hasn't been completely done away with yet.

 

[Ed Boland]

The good news is "they're working on it". So RT hasn't been completely done away with yet.

And then this:

Goodbye, Windows RT as Microsoft halts production of the Surface 2 | Windows Central

 

[Pete]

Yes, I read this with a huge amount of sadness yesterday. I've loved the Surface line since the original Surface was released.

The WindowsCentral article mentions that consumers were confused by Windows RT and the lack of legacy (desktop) application support. Personally, I don't really buy into that theory and beleive it was the press and technology blogs that effectively killed it (the word "crippled" repeated time and time again). Everyone seemed to complain that Windows wasn't fully functional, but no one seemed to understand that most users don't need that level of software and missed entirely the point that it was a tablet OS (and hugely powerful).

I've now moved over to using the SP3, but still don't use desktop software that much.

I gave my old Surface 2 to my partner and she absolutely loves it. She's never used Windows 8 before and she totally got into it and is busy enthusing over features I'd not really looked at before (like the reading list).

I see that Microsoft has been talking about tablets with the Windows 10 announcements, so we know that Windows Tablets aren't dead as a species. I hope that this time around, Microsoft do a better job of promoting it and making sure the press understand what it's about.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Yes, I read this with a huge amount of sadness yesterday. I've loved the Surface line since the original Surface was released.

The WindowsCentral article mentions that consumers were confused by Windows RT and the lack of legacy (desktop) application support. Personally, I don't really buy into that theory and beleive it was the press and technology blogs that effectively killed it (the word "crippled" repeated time and time again). Everyone seemed to complain that Windows wasn't fully functional, but no one seemed to understand that most users don't need that level of software and missed entirely the point that it was a tablet OS (and hugely powerful).

Consumers WERE confused by Windows RT and lack of legacy/desktop app support. I think that it is helpful to consider what the Windows App Store looked like when the Surface RT was first released. As bad as it is now, it was far worse then.

Then there was the original price of the Surface RT. It started out at $499 and that was BEFORE the cost of the TouchCover or TypeCover. For a device that had only a handful of apps available, that was a recipe for disaster.

If most users don't need that level of software (desktop or advanced Modern UI apps), then they most likely don't need a $500 tablet for very basic purposes that could be filled by $100 Android tablets that were available at that time.

These are the things that many of the Microsoft faithful refused to acknowledge. I was a big fan of the Surface RT/2 but I was honest with myself enough to acknowledge the reality of the situation.

As for the future of Windows RT-based Surface devices, Microsoft has been very obtuse in its communication... that isn't helpful.

 

[Cruncher04]

I've now moved over to using the SP3, but still don't use desktop software that much.

Interestingly i almost always use the desktop of my SP3. For the typical tablet use-case i always prefer the Surface 2, mostly due to the fact that it is lighter, thinner and quiter
But indeed i got the SP3 as laptop replacement, which serves this purpose well.