Surface Phone in late 2017?

[Indistinguishable]

But it WILL be about specs, regardless of what you think. And microsoft is not creating a new category - that is all marketing speak a la Apple.
You even admit to it yourself: You think it will be "category defining".
But the reality is, that a year from now, those specs in the article will be less than impressive. And I'm not alone in thinking that if they make a "Surface" phone, with all the features dreamt up by that site and others, it better have the specs to match. Especially since it will likely be just a tad on the expensive side.

The specs in the article are meaningless. And Apple has nothing to do with this. If you don't know what i'm talking about, you haven't been observing the direction that Microsoft has been going with it's hardware.

The Microsoft Surface division is not about creating rivals for current hardware. They're about defining new categories and setting new standards for OEMs. I've cited two examples, the Surface Book and the Surface Studio. Both category defining. Both unprecedented in their respective markets. Surface Mobile will be the same way. I don't know what the big innovation will be - but I can guarantee you that if the device comes to market, it will be innovative.

They're not trying to create a iPhone or Android competitor. They're not trying to create a successor to the Lumia 950/XL. They're trying to take Mobile technology to the next level.

 

[milkyway]

nokiapoweruser.com - LOL

 

[Danobe]

The specs in the article are meaningless.

That was the point.

And Apple has nothing to do with this. If you don't know what i'm talking about, you haven't been observing the direction that Microsoft has been going with it's hardware.

It was the argument that was Apple-esque. Not the phone.

 

[Indistinguishable]

It was the argument that was Apple-esque. Not the phone.

Microsoft's hardware creation philosophy is not a marketing ploy. In fact, judging by their production #'s and pricing, they don't even seem to be targeting a massive consumer market share.

They are literally creating new categories of devices. Apple has made the same type of laptop, tablet, desktop, and phone for a decade. Microsoft has created new types of products. And that's what a Surface Mobile will be.

 

[Danobe]

Suure. A smart phone with a bit of improved "Surface" features is "creating a new category".

Seriously, I would love a Surface phone, but to claim that "specs doesn't matter" is obviously not true - and that was part of the Apple-esque argument. It does matter.

 

[mattiasnyc]

Suure. A smart phone with a bit of improved "Surface" features is "creating a new category".

Seriously, I would love a Surface phone, but to claim that "specs doesn't matter" is obviously not true - and that was part of the Apple-esque argument. It does matter.

Specs will always matter, everyone agrees with that, but the question regarding specs is if it's specs that drive sales. I would agree that it probably isn't, seeing the specs of the Surface Studio (minus the screen). So from that standpoint the argument isn't Apple-esque, because it's really about something else.

And it seems to me at least that MS is actually trying to develop the mobile experience, contrary to Apple (these days). I too could see how a successor to the 950 would make sense. A better continuum experience makes total sense to me. Some have questioned whether we'll have these "dumb terminals" in abundance so that we can hook up our phones to them, but I think that actually makes sense. The first step is connecting to already existing "smart" devices such as TVs etc, and the next step is the consumer considering buying a cheaper device that is "dumb" because we already carry our phones with us almost all the time anyway so hooking up to a different display/input device(s) makes sense.

So really the question to me is exactly what MS can bring to the device experience beyond that. Hopefully the W10M will continue to develop, HP will sell X3's with peripherals to their target market and get well received, and that will lay a foundation for a new nice reception of an MS phone next year.

I think the smartest thing MS can do is aim for the niche. Forget competing with iOS and Android. I think that's the way in.

 

[Indistinguishable]

Suure. A smart phone with a bit of improved "Surface" features is "creating a new category".

You don't know what features are going to be on the Surface Mobile. That's precisely what makes the Surface team's work so exciting and worthwhile.

No one anticipated the canvas ability of the Surface Studio. And it created a new category within the All-In-One PC space. No one anticipated the functionality of the Surface Dial. No one anticipated the ways that Microsoft would reinvent the convertible laptop with the Surface Book. This is all new and category defining stuff.

Panay, Myers, and Nadella have made it clear that they're seeking to do the same thing with the Surface Mobile. I'm not making this up.

 

[Danobe]

You don't know what features are going to be on the Surface Mobile.

As I said: Specs do matter. Saying they don't is just not ture.

 

[Indistinguishable]

As I said: Specs do matter. Saying they don't is just not ture.

Literally no one in this thread has said that specs do not matter. What I said is that the Surface Mobile will not be about specs. It will be about something far more innovative than the quality of the display or the processor. We do not know what specs the Surface Mobile will have. See the original quote below.

A Surface device won't be about specs. Just like the Surface Studio, and Surface Book are not about specs. It's about creating a new category. I don't know what specs the Surface Mobile device will have. But I do know it'll be something creative and category defining.

 

[theefman]

Without the apps and functionality people use and expect today, and will be even more dependent on in the future, the mythical Surface Phone even if powered by twin nuclear turbines wont make a jot of difference.

 

[Danobe]

Literally no one in this thread has said that specs do not matter.

A Surface device won't be about specs.

And, funnily enough, that's the same sort of beginning of the quote you quoted yourself on:

Just like the Surface Studio, and Surface Book are not about specs. It's about creating a new category. I don't know what specs the Surface Mobile device will have. But I do know it'll be something creative and category defining.

 

[petvas72]

Without the apps and functionality people use and expect today, and will be even more dependent on in the future, the mythical Surface Phone even if powered by twin nuclear turbines wont make a jot of difference.

I agree, unless of course Microsoft makes it possible to offer us a feature that will make us go wow. I am not sure what this could be, but I will be waiting for it..

 

[Indistinguishable]

And, funnily enough, that's the same sort of beginning of the quote you quoted yourself on:

 

[MDK22]

OK, I saw the same article quoted in a National Tech magazine today, eWeek.

I believe there is some truth to what has been written & YES, specs do matter ...
BUT, even more, performance matters.
Some over blown Android spec'd devices do NOT perform & Apple has just recently jumped into the specs battle.

The rumor is, the Surface Mobile Device (no longer phones) will run x86 apps.
They're also talking 64bit Windows Mobile.
That's BIG.

IF, this does come to pass, that could be defining.
Forget your laptop, it's all on / in your phone (or the cloud).

... and IF this is targeted for release in about a year, those specs will (still) be good ...
Good enough to perform the task @ hand.

 

[JaimitoFrog]

Certainly if anything, it will be released with RS3 or later. And judging by all the new Surface devices that were made over the years, it will be more than just a phone running W10m or continuum. It won't be just a better spec Elite x3. If they don't wow us, it won't do anything to their mobile market share. The rumors of curved glass, multiple screens, or hologram stuff might be cool. Hopefully they will have something before 2018.

 

[Kot Prada]

Suure. A smart phone with a bit of improved "Surface" features is "creating a new category".

Seriously, I would love a Surface phone, but to claim that "specs doesn't matter" is obviously not true - and that was part of the Apple-esque argument. It does matter.

Actually, specs matter only for **** like Android. It's like making bigger and bigger engine for a car with square wheels.

For iOS and Windows mobile specs isn't the main point.

 

[Danobe]

Actually, specs matter only for **** like Android. It's like making bigger and bigger engine for a car with square wheels.

So specs doesn't matter according to you.

Yet the very next sentence reads:

For iOS and Windows mobile specs isn't the main point.

So it still matters according to you.

Just because, say, performance, inclusions, and fuel economy may not be the "main points" of getting a car, it still matters. Especially when you're attempting to sell it to the public.

 

[Kot Prada]

Just because, say, performance, inclusions, and fuel economy may not be the "main points" of getting a car, it still matters. Especially when you're attempting to sell it to the public.

"Performance" and "Specs" isn't the same.

 

[Danobe]

"Performance" and "Specs" isn't the same.

No, but poor specs will make performance poor. Specs are the prerequisite for performance.

 

[mattiasnyc]

Jeez... nobody's saying it'll have poor specs. Read what people write and read between the lines.

The whole point people were making was that the surface phone, should it appear, won't be about top-of-the-line specs, but about performance that's good enough to execute what it will be about, which is something other than pure performance.