Meh. I dont feel much innovation there. They are simply using the keyboard port as a USB replacement to connect a dedicated peripheral. Its not bad per se, but its proprietary and you may as well throw it all away when you buy a non surface tablet late on. I doubt this will change anything.
I hate to say it: but when Apple comes out with such covers for the iPad during their fall iPad event, it will all suddenly be innovative and revolutionary. Some people will point out that the Surface has it, but then people will say 'but Apple added this feature that makes it work'.
Why can't we see it for what it is? Microsoft was the first (I think) to use an extremely very flat keyboard that doubles as a screen cover on a tablet. While not revolutionary, it is a good step forward, as good as Apple's introduction of covers that double as a stand. Now they added something fun and playful to the range. Maybe professional musicians won't use it, but it adds a lot of fun to the device for amateurs. And if they open up the 'platform' and provide an SDK, it may lead to interesting new covers.
They are trying nice new things (touch covers, hybrid devices), pushing tablets in new directions. In fact, my next tablet may well be a Surface Pro, after being an iPad user before it was introduced in The Netherlands.
Ha Microsoft is the scapegoat for most. M$ hate from the 90s just carrying over. Remember when they brought out the Flat Design, the amount of skepticism here was amazing. Slowly Gmail switched, then Youtube, Andoid, Yahoo and now IOS. MS gets comparatively less credit for anything they come up with but don't bother, its a techy hivemind thing and it will fade.
Some people will point out that the Surface has it, but then people will say 'but Apple added this feature that makes it work'.
I used to own a Nomad Jukebox. It was a decent MP3 player but was marred by crashes, terrible battery life, and excessive bulk.
While I still think Nomad's offering was good, my friends iPod was excellent. Better battery life, polished UI, and the thing was tiny - well, as tiny as a hard-drive based MP3 player could be.
No one cares who made it first. All that matters is who makes it work, and makes it work well.
"Microsoft was the first (I think) to use an extremely very flat keyboard that doubles as a screen cover on a tablet."
Microsoft introduced tablets way before than Apple too. Sometimes been the first is not a guaranteed of success.
Although I with Microsoft on this, we desperately need a productive tablet and not just a consuming device. Let's see if that comes, and if it is MS who brings it, let's see if they can take advantage of the innovation this time.
Comments
Meh. I dont feel much innovation there. They are simply using the keyboard port as a USB replacement to connect a dedicated peripheral. Its not bad per se, but its proprietary and you may as well throw it all away when you buy a non surface tablet late on. I doubt this will change anything.
I hate to say it: but when Apple comes out with such covers for the iPad during their fall iPad event, it will all suddenly be innovative and revolutionary. Some people will point out that the Surface has it, but then people will say 'but Apple added this feature that makes it work'.
Why can't we see it for what it is? Microsoft was the first (I think) to use an extremely very flat keyboard that doubles as a screen cover on a tablet. While not revolutionary, it is a good step forward, as good as Apple's introduction of covers that double as a stand. Now they added something fun and playful to the range. Maybe professional musicians won't use it, but it adds a lot of fun to the device for amateurs. And if they open up the 'platform' and provide an SDK, it may lead to interesting new covers.
They are trying nice new things (touch covers, hybrid devices), pushing tablets in new directions. In fact, my next tablet may well be a Surface Pro, after being an iPad user before it was introduced in The Netherlands.
Ha Microsoft is the scapegoat for most. M$ hate from the 90s just carrying over. Remember when they brought out the Flat Design, the amount of skepticism here was amazing. Slowly Gmail switched, then Youtube, Andoid, Yahoo and now IOS. MS gets comparatively less credit for anything they come up with but don't bother, its a techy hivemind thing and it will fade.
I used to own a Nomad Jukebox. It was a decent MP3 player but was marred by crashes, terrible battery life, and excessive bulk.
While I still think Nomad's offering was good, my friends iPod was excellent. Better battery life, polished UI, and the thing was tiny - well, as tiny as a hard-drive based MP3 player could be.
No one cares who made it first. All that matters is who makes it work, and makes it work well.
Microsoft introduced tablets way before than Apple too. Sometimes been the first is not a guaranteed of success.
Although I with Microsoft on this, we desperately need a productive tablet and not just a consuming device. Let's see if that comes, and if it is MS who brings it, let's see if they can take advantage of the innovation this time.