News Microsoft releases Surface Pro pricing, specifications

[will_123]

I think that if you want the light and portable option then it needs to provide a great battery life. What the point in having the most portable device in the world if its tied to the wall for juice half the time?

[Nexxo]

Yup, but technology is as technology does. We are not up to full-fat Windows mobile devices weighing less than 2lbs. with 12 hour battery life yet. Not even Apple could pull off that miracle --it's why iPads run on iOS and not OSX.

[GoodBytes]

I agree. CPU needs to be less power hungry while still faster, and new battery technology needs to be released.

We are at a stage right now, where not only its doable, but you are going to get a great experience out of it. That is, without costing 3000$, which was the entire problem out of convertible laptop (heavy, short battery life (less than 4h), too big (12inch), lack of power, and cost 3000$) is why these devices never pick up. That was 3-4 years ago. So for sure it only only get better from there. But we are here now, 2012, and this is one of the current technological limitation. Nothing Microsoft could have done to rectify this problem. Better battery cost a lot more and are heavier.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by will_123

I think that if you want the light and portable option then it needs to provide a great battery life. What the point in having the most portable device in the world if its tied to the wall for juice half the time?

This is a good point. Until the tech improves, I think ultrabook plus tablet is preferable to a single compromise.

[GoodBytes]

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

This is a good point. Until the tech improves, I think ultrabook plus tablet is preferable to a single compromise.

Perhaps, but it does cost you a lot more, than buying a single device.

So basically it comes down to:
-> Pay a premium price, by getting 2 device, but you have no downside
-> Pay one device at the cost of an ultrabook, and you have this hybrid device, at the cost of battery life.

So it ultimately comes down to budget, and what is more important.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by GoodBytes

Perhaps, but it does cost you a lot more, than buying a single device.

So basically it comes down to:
-> Pay a premium price, by getting 2 device, but you have no downside
-> Pay one device at the cost of an ultrabook, and you have this hybrid device, at the cost of battery life.

So it ultimately comes down to budget, and what is more important.

You forgot the option of just buying an ultrabook. Which would be where my money would be for a single device at the moment. Haswell could change all of this though.

[GoodBytes]

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

You forgot the option of just buying an ultrabook. Which would be where my money would be for a single device at the moment. Haswell could change all of this though.

But an ultrabook is not a tablet. You can't write on it.
So in your case, its that you don't need a tablet, and that's not the subject here.

[Nexxo]

Haswell supposedly drops TDP from 17W to 10W for the same processing power. Might shave a bit off battery life. Meanwhile The newly developed FIPEL light sheets may shave off some more due to reduced power consumption by the backlit screen. Here's hoping.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by GoodBytes

But an ultrabook is not a tablet. You can't write on it.
So in your case, its that you don't need a tablet, and that's not the subject here.

This is the defining feature of a tablet for you?

We are talking about a tablet that pretends to be an ultra book. Therefore an ultrabook is relevant to the topic of conversation as well as an alternative to the pro.

[GoodBytes]

Originally Posted by theshadow2001

This is the defining feature of a tablet for you?

We are talking about a tablet that pretends to be an ultra book. Therefore an ultrabook is relevant to the topic of conversation as well as an alternative to the pro.

Fine, you can't carry it like a... tablet... It's bigger, and heavier.

[theshadow2001]

Originally Posted by GoodBytes

Fine, you can't carry it like a... tablet... It's bigger, and heavier.

I refer you to will123s comment above

[Nexxo]

Tablets are not necessarily light-weight:



Simple OS (only ten lines of code), but the update cycle is a bit crap. Two releases within the first month, and then nothing for over 2000 years.

[Anfield]

Originally Posted by will_123

I think that if you want the light and portable option then it needs to provide a great battery life. What the point in having the most portable device in the world if its tied to the wall for juice half the time?

Look at smartphones, not one manufacturer has managed to release a smartphone that lasts more than a day under "normal" use yet and smartrphones have been around far longer than tablets. One of the main problems with the original iPhone was the atrocious battery life, yet not one smartphone relapsed by a competitor has managed to beat it in battery life in any significant way.

The same applies if you look at it from the laptop angle, just ignore the ultrabook word, its nothing but a fashion word made up by intel, but compact laptops have been around for ages, Toshiba and Sony for example have been making them for like a decade already. I still remember when a Toshiba sales rep showed up where I used to work like 10 years ago with a hyper small laptop, hyper small until he admitted to carrying like 3 spare batteries, feel free to draw you own conclusion what that meant in reference to the battery life.
And things really haven't improved too much since.

And the whole battery problem isn't just limited to small devices, just look at the atrocious range of electrical cars.

Point simply being, there is still no revolutionary battery technology out there that is cheap enough to mass produce or someone would have done so.

Although some people are finally waking up...
http://www.computerworld.com/s/artic...ost_in_5_years

[GoodBytes]

Bluestack is considering offering their app Windows RT app next year.
BlueStack is a program that allows to run Android apps.

http://microsoft-news.com/bluestacks...to-windows-rt/

http://metrostore.preweb.sk/ reports that Windows 8 app store has now over 25 000 apps.

[GoodBytes]

CNet reports that Intel will release a 10 Watt Ivy Bridge CPU
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-575...y-bridge-chip/

Also, apparently, Intel has a software, currently out, which allows to tweak the the current 17W Ivy Bridge down to 13W.