Next gen Surface in testing !!!

[mitchellvii]

We could go into detail as to why they screwed the pooch this round but that's just beating a dead horse and after a while its just getting blood everywhere and means an extra load of laundry. I don't think MS expected the corporate side to embrace the RT as they did or wanted to do. The enterprise was far more enthusiastic about the RT than the public ever was. A device that is on LOCK DOWN on the ability to install software is a HUGE plus for Enterprise Mamangement - now with the Join features in 8.1, Outlook RT and Gemini( granted they need to offer some sort of path to easily upgrade the H&S Office license, perhaps just sell an Enterprise RT model?). Anyway I agree with you that the RT 2 is on its way but I think The Pro2 is also on its way but not until AT LEAST March 2014. I seem to remember having this same discussion with you like 6 months ago, when most of this stuff was less clear to the consumer. Look it up, my posts on this are here somewhere.

A Surface RT 2 with a Snapdragon 8 cpu and 1080p (could we hope?) resolution with a pen would be a very compelling enterprise device. The best news for MS is that apparently no one else will be selling RT at all so they have the entire space to themselves.

 

[Spaniard]

I'll wait for Broadwell Surface Pro 3 lol

 

[CrippsCorner]

Vaporware. I'll believe it when they announce it.

The concept of a Surface Pro II is problematic:

1) It was worth it to MS to risk angering their hardware partners with the Surface Pro I in order to get the Windows 8 brand out there.

Won't they want to do the same for Windows 9!?

 

[machistmo]

A Surface RT 2 with a Snapdragon 8 cpu and 1080p (could we hope?) resolution with a pen would be a very compelling enterprise device. The best news for MS is that apparently no one else will be selling RT at all so they have the entire space to themselves.

As long as my company is paying for the device, I will use it. I am currently using the ThinkPad Tablet2 at work and it is ok at best. For what I use the device for it is perfect in almost everyway. Its got a dock, albeit only USB 2 ports on the device and the dock, but its got a dock (MUST HAVE FOR NEXT MS PRODUCTS). Its Ethernet on the dock is only 10/100 but serves the purpose. I use it to keep inventory or take an inventory if needed and to support the 15 others I recently deployed as part of a test group in the field. The keyboard/stand (Mithcellvii I would love to hear your review of it) is the WONKIEST piece of Garbage I have seen to date on any tablet. Its like all these manufacturers are throwing whatever they come up with at the wall and seeing what sticks. Right now there is no perfect Windows Enterprise Tablet. I keep coming around full circle to a good Ultra Book and finding that a hard form factor to beat. Could it be that the market and expectations of the consumers in the market are two different things? I think people tell themselves they just want a tablet to do certain things when in reality they want a tablet to be everything they need, period. All I know is that for me, the tablet has to have a dock to allow me to put out to a larger display. Portability and Field use aside, when I get back to the office or to my home office, I want to be able to dock and work at my desk when I want to.

Again I think we are still waiting for the hardware to make the tablet we all want a reality, regardless of what each of us thinks is the perfect tablet, the hardware just hasn't quite caught up to our imaginations yet. Its coming, but its not here now, that is for sure.

 

[mitchellvii]

The new price reduction makes a Surface Pro II more plausible but it will be a 'refresh' not an 'upgrade'. Haswell CPU and adjustable kickstand with same screen and same everything else. At the new price point that could compete well with the more fabulous ATIV Q and other hybrids. Maybe an 11.6" inch screen too but no higher resolution. One benefit of an 11.6" screen is that it would allow room for internal pen storage.

Chances of SP II (refresh) just went up by 50% now that it will no longer be sharing a price point with better kit. That being said, throwing in a free keyboard or a year of Office 360 would increase the odds by 75 to 80%.

 

[machistmo]

The new price reduction makes a Surface Pro II more plausible but it will be a 'refresh' not an 'upgrade'. Haswell CPU and adjustable kickstand with same screen and same everything else. At the new price point that could compete well with the more fabulous ATIV Q and other hybrids. Maybe an 11.6" inch screen too but no higher resolution. One benefit of an 11.6" screen is that it would allow room for internal pen storage.

Chances of SP II (refresh) just went up by 50% now that it will no longer be sharing a price point with better kit. That being said, throwing in a free keyboard or a year of Office 360 would increase the odds by 75 to 80%.

One of the best things about the RT and the Surface Pro is the TYPE keyboard. Why they don't make that standard equipment is anyone's guess. MS missing the mark again. Seriously, go check out the Tablet2 keyboard and you will agree that MS has the field beat in this area.

 

[Krooked]

there will be a sp2. don't worry. most of the r and d has been done. add a haswell chip and more memory and its most of the way there. bump up the camera, make it a little thinner, lighter and give the pen a silo and its off to production. They love having the sp shown of in the stores and they are great machines. no brainer

Oh absolutely. As far as I've been told, the SP was far outselling the RT until they dropped the RT's price.

Truth be told, the DC area is all about business, so there were far more businessmen looking for ultrabook replacements than there were people looking for a "tablet" that can do office work, which may explain the disparity.

Though I suspect the SP2 will be a bit thinner, lighter, and cooler than our current brick.

 

[fonzman78]

'At the new price point that could compete well with the more fabulous ATIV Q'

The 'more fabulous ATIV Q'? Do you actually own one of these to make this statement? I suppose to each his own. I look at the ATIV Q and think 'Meh". It's another heavier PC tablet want to be that is loaded to the gills with the latest gizmos that allow you to flip, turn, spin or pull apart to turn a PC laptop to turn it into a tablet. As I've said before, at the end of the day, it's just another PC laptop trying to be a tablet.

I'll take the SP any day over these 'convertible' PC laptops. I visit the MS store weekly to see what's new. I research new units daily to see if anyone is coming out with something that closely resembles the SP. No dice. Faster processer - yes. Better screen resolution - check. Runs Android also - yep (if you want that I suppose). Slot to store your stylus - affirmative. More ram/storage - absolutely. But better form factor - negative!! The SP is slick and sexy. It folds up real nice into a really portable full computer. It's a business professionals dream. Walk into any meeting with an SP and you will be the talk of the meeting for the next 15 minutes.

I hope you are wrong about there not being an SP2. This is one business professional that will absolutely buy the SP2 once it comes out as long as it maintains it's form factor - a Tablet that is also a full computer. As I said earlier, to each his own. For me, the SP is the perfect tablet/computer.

 

[mtalinm]

One of the best things about the RT and the Surface Pro is the TYPE keyboard. Why they don't make that standard equipment is anyone's guess. MS missing the mark again. Seriously, go check out the Tablet2 keyboard and you will agree that MS has the field beat in this area.

that one's easy. if you bundled a keyboard, the base price would be >$1000. then the macolyte media would have had to compare it with a MacBook air instead of an iPad and probably noticed that it was a good machine. but MSFT marketing is dead-set on being the worst in the world, so they didn't.

 

[machistmo]

that one's easy. if you bundled a keyboard, the base price would be >$1000. then the macolyte media would have had to compare it with a MacBook air instead of an iPad and probably noticed that it was a good machine. but MSFT marketing is dead-set on being the worst in the world, so they didn't.

Hard to argue with dead-balls accurate sumations of the situation. :tongue:

 

[drolem]

Chances of SP II (refresh) just went up by 50% now that it will no longer be sharing a price point with better kit. That being said, throwing in a free keyboard or a year of Office 360 would increase the odds by 75 to 80%.

The chances of 2nd revs (both RT and Pro) appearing soon are 99.99%. I docked off 0.01% because there is always a possibility of a major natural disaster.

 

[ultra99]

hmmm....speculations?