Microsoft is betting that their industrial design and engineering will sell these products. I think they're coming from the wrong end of the price spectrum, and I do not find the product they presented to be nearly as cool as the make it out to be.
Have you ever heard of the term, "fail-safe"? It's the idea that if something were to fail, it would not require intervention to prevent a catastrophe. Similarly, the Surface tablet sports a fold-out, rear prop, which, if it were to fail, it would fail miserably, resulting in the prop breaking off and some potentially unsightly rear, fully exposed. A close-up review of the photo / video of the side profile suggests the rear exposed area is utilitarian and not entirely clean.
Price too, is an issue that I believe will come up. A solid magnesium-based alloy that is CNC milled, adds tremendous cost. So if cost is not an issue but size and weight are (which is why one would go with a milled magnesium alloy body), then why not go for the thinnest and lightest tablet out there, rather than the Surface tablet running WindowsRT?
And now that all the OEMs have seen Microsoft's plans that are several months off from retail sales, they can play catch up. Some might even put their Windows8 tablet plans on hold, to see how Microsoft fares.
It's a no-win game that Microsoft is playing.
Note: I was secretly harboring the hope that Microsoft realized it made a mistake when it dropped the development of the Courier. I was quite disappointed today.
By the numbers:
Model
|
Platform
|
Weight
|
Thick
|
Price
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
Toshiba Excite LE
|
Android
|
535g
|
7.7mm
|
$530
|
Asus Transformer Prime
|
Android
|
586g
|
8.3mm
|
$500
|
Samsung Galaxy Tab2 10.1
|
Android
|
581g
|
9.7mm
|
$400
|
Microsoft Surface Tablet
|
WindowsRT
|
676g
|
9.3mm
|
TBD
|
Apple iPad 2012
|
iOS
|
652g
|
9.4mm
|
$499
|
 |
| from Microsoft's Surface tablet site - tablet with blue keyboard |
 |
| from Microsoft's Surface tablet site - side profile with prop extended |
 |
| from Microsoft's Surface tablet site - rear quarter view with prop extended |
 |
| screen capture from Microsoft's Surface tablet video |
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