Surface W8 Pro will sell, but not overthrow iPad

[ninjaap]

As for desktop computing, Windows still reigns supreme. Yes, you see a lot more people with Macs nowadays, but if it weren't for Windows on them, I don't think people would buy very many of them.

There's nothing stopping Windows 8 from being a blockbuster. It's the tablet everyone's been waiting for, because there hasn't been a real tablet until now.

Yes. And that "real tablet" dream rests on the shoulders of WP8 Pro, not RT. I see RT as just another iPad with less apps.

 

[jdevenberg]

I doubt the Surface will outsell the iPad, though it may. I do think Windows 8 Tablets will outsell the iPad though, and that is what Microsoft really cares about. Ballmer told Engadget that the purpose of the Surface was to prime the pump for Windows 8 Tabs.

 

[jimski]

I would bet that a very small percentage of iPad owners use it as a tool. The rest; to play a game, read a book, or tinker. The RT will sell well, because it will be affordable and it will work at least as good as an iPad. Apps will come very quickly, and personally I was quite content when Marketplace had 5-10k apps. So it won't be a long wait for me. And there is that number about less that 50% of mobile device owners ever installing a single app. That's a lot of potential satisfied people.

Sure, there will be people salivating for the Pro. The same group that can't wait for quad core, high res, WP8s. But face it. That represents a small, single digit percentage, of the overall market.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

 

[anon(5335877)]

I would bet that a very small percentage of iPad owners use it as a tool. The rest; to play a game, read a book, or tinker. The RT will sell well, because it will be affordable and it will work at least as good as an iPad. Apps will come very quickly, and personally I was quite content when Marketplace had 5-10k apps. So it won't be a long wait for me. And there is that number about less that 50% of mobile device owners ever installing a single app. That's a lot of potential satisfied people.

Sure, there will be people salivating for the Pro. The same group that can't wait for quad core, high res, WP8s. But face it. That represents a small, single digit percentage, of the overall market.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express Pro

I think it'll need to work better than the iPad to sell well, not just "as good as an iPad."

The different versions I'm sure are aimed to compete with different products. The RT version is an iPad competitor, while the Pro is will compete with ultrabooks and the MacBook Air.

 

[blehblehbleh]

But how long before the iPad gets the same accessory? I'm willing to bet a 3rd party will come out with one, even before the Surface is released.

I thought the only port the ipad has is the connector at the bottom? How could any 3rd party replicate the touch/type cover?

 

[ninjaap]

I thought the only port the ipad has is the connector at the bottom? How could any 3rd party replicate the touch/type cover?

Bluetooth?

 

[naplesbill]

The Bluetooth connection would not provide the gyro sensor connection to the keyboard. This is what allows the cover to know when to turn the keyboard on and off.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[ninjaap]

The Bluetooth connection would not provide the gyro sensor connection to the keyboard. This is what allows the cover to know when to turn the keyboard on and off.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

Ah. Thanks for that explanation. I was wondering what the gyro was for.

 

[ModeratorOMD]

It's going to be a hot seller by nature, the only reason people buy Macs today is because it can run Windows.

So, in essence, they have to buy one.

 

[anon(5335877)]

The Bluetooth connection would not provide the gyro sensor connection to the keyboard. This is what allows the cover to know when to turn the keyboard on and off.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

I thought it was an accelerometer and not a gyroscope?

 

[anon(5335877)]

It's going to be a hot seller by nature, the only reason people buy Macs today is because it can run Windows.

So, in essence, they have to buy one.

Umm I don't think that's true.

 

[cckgz4]

Now you just confused me right there. I don't think it has been verified that RT will have desktop. I'm going off the notion that RT will only have Metro and the other versions will have both.

I don't see why it wouldn't but I could be wrong

 

[cckgz4]

You're right, the RT will not have the Desktop mode

 

[ninjaap]

I thought it was an accelerometer and not a gyroscope?

What's the difference?

 

[blehblehbleh]

Bluetooth?

You make a good point. Googling I see they already have similar devices out for the iPad. So you could be right about them having it for the iPad before Surface debuts. I guess the upside though is the potential better typing and mouse tracking capability combined with the color scheme and thinness of the keyboard

What's the difference?

"An accelerometer measures acceleration. A 3-axis accelerometer will tell you the orientation of a stationary platform relative to earth's surface, once that platform starts moving, however, things get more complicated. If the platform is in free-fall, it will show zero acceleration."

"A gyro measures rate of rotation around a particular axis."

 

[anon(5335877)]

"An accelerometer measures acceleration. A 3-axis accelerometer will tell you the orientation of a stationary platform relative to earth's surface, once that platform starts moving, however, things get more complicated. If the platform is in free-fall, it will show zero acceleration."

"A gyro measures rate of rotation around a particular axis."

Yeah, I watched the video of the announcement and the specifically stated that there's an accelerometer in the keyboard, not a gyroscope.

 

[naplesbill]

Whether it is a gyro or accelerometer is kind of tit for tat. The point is the same. This not data that will typically transmit over Bluetooth. It is a very specific design that is not likely possible with an iPad and simply Bluetooth connectivity.

Sent from my Lumia 900 using Board Express

 

[Reflexx]

I think the Surface Pro is more competing against the Macbook Air than it is against the iPad. The RT version is the one targeting the iPad.

But I don't see it like Surface vs Apple products. I see it more like ALL the W8 devices vs Apple products. No singe W8 device is going to beat any of the single Apple products.

And I'm not even really counting Google here yet. Maybe if they do a better job of selling Android on tablets then we'll add them in.

 

[InfectedPhreak]

I think a lot of people that just want a tablet will go for the RT before thinking about picking up the Pro. First time tablet buyers, and people that just want to enjoy a good Win8 tablet will look forward for the RT. As stated the RT is for consumers, whereas the Pro is more for those who are developing or really need the extra power to use programs like Photoshop and others. So the average consumer might go for the RT before the Pro. Myself, I'm looking into definitely getting the RT.

 

[ALborntoride]

after reading some of the posts about the RT, my interest in it has risen. I was going for the Pro cause it looks like one sweet device but the RT is cool in its own way. Decisions decisions. Microsoft come on. Just have another big show Friday and tell us that the Surface will be released before school starts back.