3 reasons Microsoft's Surface is no joke

Fortune ^ | June 22, 2012 | Don Sears

[SmokingJoe]

Many have scoffed at the idea that Redmond's tablet will succeed. But there are three crucial reasons to take the effort seriously. By Don Sears

FORTUNE -- Do not underestimate Microsoft's Surface tablet move. Its gambit to design and build its own hardware is a bold play to develop a thriving ecosystem of new products. It is centered on Microsoft's dominant property: the operating system. Monday's flashy Surface launch may have felt like an Apple event with its bright, pastel-colored keyboard, slick introductory videos and breathless hyping from little-known engineers. But, in fact, Microsoft's play is anything but Apple-like. The company is clearly trying to make tablets into hybrid PC-mobile devices, something its California rival has said is a bad idea. We don't yet know all of Surface's details -- battery life, pricing, official release dates are all to-be-determined for instance. But here are three important reasons Microsoft's Surface is likely to be anything but dead on arrival:

Reason #1: Microsoft can build an ecosystem

Microsoft (MSFT) has had success in the consumer market with the Xbox and most recently with the Kinect motion-control devices. The Xbox has become a household name with major brand extensions as an entertainment device. Microsoft disrupted gaming, and it can disrupt hardware.

Microsoft has serious engineering chops. Josh Topolosky, Editor-in-Chief of The Verge and not exactly a fanboy, was blown away by a visit to Microsoft's R&D in 2011. He wrote of that visit: "[MS] showed me a project … which would allow you to create a virtual window from one room to another, utilizing a variety of display, motion sensing, and 3D technologies… dubbed … the 'magic wall.' It was nuts. It was awesome. It was ambitious. The whole time, all I could think was: where has Microsoft been hiding guys like this?"

[OldEarlGray]

Because their technology is what we’re stuck with.

>>That’s pretty harsh.

Tell the class about who Anders Hejlsberg is and then quack about “harsh”.

[ctdonath2]

Ecosystem: the symbiotic relationships between hardware platform, operating system, applications, networking, software delivery, device drivers, etc. If any of those is inadequate, all other related products suffer. Jump starting the whole interconnected set of dependent products is what makes or breaks a broad new technology. Apple pulled it off with iOS, M$ with Xbox; many have likewise tried but failed.

[Alas Babylon!]

Because their technology is what we’re stuck with.

Oh. It's a conspiracy, I tell ya!

[Cementjungle]

Microsoft (MSFT) has had success in the consumer market with the Xbox and most recently with the Kinect motion-control devices

But, MS also has a long string of failed initiatives. They always seem to come out with things designed to compete (rather late in the game) with some other products, but then only give them half their attention, leaving the users stranded. Only time will tell how this one pans out.

[OldEarlGray]

Yawn.

Tell the class who Anders Hejlsberg is and then quack about conspiracy.

[OldEarlGray]

[OTOH, from what I’ve heard the whole TCP/IP stack has been rewritten, so hopefully these got the same treatment.]

A rewritten duck is still a duck.

[OldEarlGray]

[the best video game online system on the planet, which has been hugely successful,]

Only if you consider manufacturing a generation of Useful Idiot consumer game players to be “successful”.

The same generation who voted Hope Change and Comrade Chairman Odumbo into the White Hut.

Ask the consumers what the purpose for governance is that’s specified in the American Declaration of Independence.

The Ameriquest Generation doesn’t have a clue - but they sure like to worship their toys.

[adorno]

A product announcement with no actual product.

In real life, meaning, not in your world of fantasy, products and projects, are often announced before they are released for use or purchase. In fact, in my data processing career, companies that I worked for, often developed products and services, which were often, many months before they went into production, while having beta or demo products/services for user interaction and critiques.

Imagine in your world, where a company announces a product or service, and it immediately goes to sales, and things go horribly wrong with the user experience. What then? What would you do? Chances are that, all the people's money would have to be refunded for all of the faulty products and services, and, your company will end up with a very damaged reputation, if not out of business. There is also the trial balloon, where a company announces a product to gauge the potential users' reaction. If a product is very negatively received, then, a company will have time to either pull back the whole thing, or to go back to the drawing board for modifications.

But, knowing that, this is Free Republic, I never thought that I'd have to explain things that should be common sense, to somebody that, actually visits and posts in this forum. Perhaps you're still growing up, or are too juvenile to think about actions and reactions and repercussions? I call people with that kind of trait, "liberals". ;)

[adorno]

Such desperation!

Why equate people who use a game system, with the people who voted for Obama? What is the interrelationship? When you don’t really have a good argument, why reach for a desperate and incoherent argument?

[Revolting cat!]

You’d do well to study the story of the fall of Osborne Computer and how their “trial balloon”, as you call it, or an early announcement of a product that didn’t yet exist, in other words vaporware, contributed to the fall of the company. (I fully anticipate your response of “that’s different”. That’s what “liberals” do.)

[adorno]

You’d do well to study the story of the fall of Osborne Computer and how their “trial balloon”, as you call it, or an early announcement of a product that didn’t yet exist, in other words vaporware, contributed to the fall of the company.

I'm quite aware of the Osborne fall, and what brought it about.

But, one thing that you are conveniently forgetting to notice, is that, what Osborne did, is not the same situation with what Microsoft has done. The Surface is a real product, even if it's not available to the general public yet, or to businesses. It wasn't just an announcement. There are millions of people, right now, using Windows 8, including myself, which is the major component of the Surface tablets. The hardware is probably the easier part for the whole ecosystem. So, your historical example, doesn't jive with the current announcement. It's real, even if you can't bring yourself to accept it.

[Revolting cat!]

The Osborne announcement concerned a real product too, as I recall.

What I disagree with you on, referring to your previous post, is that the Microsoft announcement was a matter of fact trial balloon, a common occurrence in business, as you stated. Unless you are connected with Microsoft and have inside knowledge, then you know as much as the rest of us do, and can only speculate, OK?

I think the trial balloon period in the case of Surface has passed, and that Microsoft, having conducted focus groups has developed this product in response to its research, and now is attempting to corner the market, that is to say, by announcing a tablet that is “revolutionary” because it includes, GASP! a keyboard and runs Windows, they are encouraging consumers to delay their purchase decisions and wait for the real thing.

I don’t condemn them for it, or argue that the iPad or the Samsung product is better, I have no loyalties to toys of any kind.

[OldEarlGray]

[Why equate people who use a game system, with the people who voted for Obama?]

Oh it’s not just a game system, but a generation that games the system and worships the toys it uses to do so instead of worshiping its Creator.

Just as described in Romans 1:20+

[citizen]

bump for later...

[adorno]

Oh, it is a game system alright. That’s all it is, and it’s not a religious item, nor an evil item, nor a political item. It’s not from any one religion, nor from any one political persuasion. It’s not republican, nor democrat, nor independent, nor communist, nor socialist. And, it’s not a device that can be used to lure people to vote for any one politician or party.

It’s a game system! For crying out loud!

Why go into wackiness in order to try to make a point?

[adorno]

Oh, it is a game system alright. That’s all it is, and it’s not a religious item, nor an evil item, nor a political item. It’s not from any one religion, nor from any one political persuasion. It’s not republican, nor democrat, nor independent, nor communist, nor socialist. And, it’s not a device that can be used to lure people to vote for any one politician or party.

It’s a game system! For crying out loud!

Why go into wackiness in order to try to make a point?

[OldEarlGray]

[It’s a game system! For crying out loud!]

What is the 1st commandment?

[OldEarlGray]

>>That’s all it is, and it’s not a religious item,

An item can be an object of worship without having an overtly religious nature.

Romans 1:20++

[adorno]

But, you’re still in denial about what the Surface is or will be. It’s a tablet, but, not like the others in the market right now. It’s two different tablets; one Intel-based, and one ARM-based, but both running a version of Windows 8 that performs to specifications that match the different hardware inside. It’s about ONE OS to join the different form-factors, including desktops and laptops and ultrabooks and tablets and smartphones. Android doesn’t do that, and iOS doesn’t do that.

You can be dismissive about the keyboard, but, it’s not just another keyboard and it’s not an afterthought, like with the iPad, where if you want a keyboard, you either settle for the on-screen keyboard, or you have to purchase a keyboard as an attachment. Plus, there is the USB port, for attaching other equipment, such as hard drives or bigger screens or even a regular-sized keyboard; whatever can be attached on the USB port, can be used on the Surface(s).

The biggest draw, to me and to a lot of other people, is the OS, or Windows 8, which, even in “beta” mode, is superior to iOS or Android. And, it’s backwards compatible with the millions of software that was written for the prior versions of Windows. That makes for a huge and immediate range of software which neither Apple nor Google can match. The only thing I can see that, for now, the iPad has as an “advantage”, is the retina display. But, that part is actually overkill and unnecessary.

But, the MS tablets aren’t in the marketplace yet, but, being Microsoft, you can’t count them out, especially with the clout and budgets and research and work they’ve put into creating this new and updated marketplace.

[adorno]

An item can be an object of worship without having an overtly religious nature.

Yeah, but, wacky people can be easily dismissed. Unless, of course, you want to believe like they do.