Microsoft
has embarked on a bold new adventure, which I must say, is surprising, knowing
the nature of their Operating System Partnerships with Computer makers. But for
me, a follower of Microsoft for years, this is the good ‘ole Microsoft that
used to be run by CEO Bill Henry Gates III that I know.
Microsoft
is pushing the envelope and breaking with tradition when on Monday June 18th 2012AD
they launched their own pair of Tablets Tablet running the touch-centric
Windows 8, dubbed the Microsoft Surface Tablet as stated in the article “Microsoft
breaks tradition with Microsoft Surface Tablets”,
June 18, 2012 4:33 PM PDT by Mary Jo Foley, CNET
News.
If deceased Apple CEO Steven Paul Jobs were alive today, he would
have said, “Great! Now Microsoft is following us and making their own
hardware”. True, but it’s a little deeper than just that, Steve!
But in a Twist of Fate, the design of the 10” Microsoft Surface Tablet,
which includes a built-in Keyboard and Microsoft Productivity software,
means that Microsoft’s Design may be better that Apple’s as opined in the
article “Microsoft
Surface shows Apple could be wrong”,
published June 19, 2012 6:00 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, CNET News.
Again, I took my time coming around to this story which I had read
back in June 2012 and followed on line during the live blog announcing the
launch from CNET (thanks guys!), due to the fact that even to this date, no
hard details exist on the specs of concern to me; the battery life and pricing.
Here’s what I know: Microsoft has launched two (2) Tablets that
they themselves designed, which they christened with the name “Surface”.
Microsoft already has an expensive Tabletop computer called Surface that was
manufactured by Samsung Corporation, for those of us with good memories.
So they rechristened that original device named “Surface” with a new name, PixelSense, as noted
in the article “Microsoft
renames its old Surface computer as PixelSense”, published June 18, 2012 7:20 PM PDT by Steven Musil, CNET
News.
PixelSense, unlike the new Microsoft Surface Tablets that
have now stolen their thunder, has received lukewarm reviews, despite the
technology being cutting edge in its conceptualization; camera(s) underside an
opaque table tracks the placement of your hand or finger or other
objects on a glass surface and projects an image unto that surface, making
it a oversized touchable computer screen.
Version 2.0 Of PixelSense (formerly called Surface, try to
remember that!) turns the entire screen into a camera instead of having a
camera behind the screen! In essence, you are touching a gigantic camera lens,
which also acts as a projecting screen for images from a connected
computer.
A whole new class of Screen Technology that differs from
Capacitive Touch Screens. Microsoft, with enough marketing savvy, can now begin
licensing this technology once they can get the screen thin enough to be used
in other devices.
Meanwhile the new kids on the block, dubbed Surface, are a pair of
Tablets:
1. Windows 8 Pro Surface Tablet that supposedly use low-power, super
fast Quad-Core Intel Sand Bridge of Ivy Bridge Processors, clearly geared
towards Corporate and Enterprise Users
2. Windows RT Tablets, using Windows RT, designed to use low-power
ARM Processors, clearly geared towards Home and Residential Users
First the Specs that are known:
Windows 8 Pro Surface Tablet
1. Running Windows 8 Professional (hopefully not a trial version!)
2. 903g weight
3. 13.5 mm Thick
4. 42 Watt-hour Battery
5. 3 mm Touch Cover integrated Keyboard and Pen with Palm Block
6. 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD Display with 16:9 aspect ratio angled
at 22 degrees
7. Built-in Magnetic Kickstand with Vapor Magnesium Casing
8. Supports micro-SDXC, USB 3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO
antennae
9. Comes in SSD (Solid State Drives) with sizes 64 GB and 128 GB
Windows RT Surface Tablet
1.
Running Windows 8 RT Version
(here’s hoping again that this is not trial!)
2.
676g weight
3.
13.5 mm Thick
4.
31.5 Watt-hour Battery
5.
3 mm Touch Cover integrated
Keyboard and Pen with Palm Block
6.
10.6-inch ClearType Full HD
Display with 16:9 aspect ratio angled at 22 degrees
7.
Built-in Magnetic Kickstand
with Vapor Magnesium Casing
8.
Supports micro-SDXC, USB
3.0, Mini DisplayPort Video, 2x2 MIMO antennae
9.
Comes pre-loaded with Office
Apps (which suggests it’s being marketed to Corporate world!)
10. Comes in SSD (Solid State Drives) with sizes 32 GB and 64 GB
As I said before, no pricing info and no battery Life info! Even
the great Eric Franklin, CNET News resident expert on Tablet Specs and Testing
came up with no clues or leaked news on the pricing, with his prices being
nothing more than stomach rumbling and guesses as stated in the article “Just
how much will Microsoft Surface cost?”,
published August 7, 2012 4:45 PM PDT by Eric Franklin, CNET
News.
And no launch date either since its debut on Monday June 18th 2012AD. Hence the reason for my not
even penning a launch article for this product until now; I’ve seen many a
contender too numerous to list come along that have tanked against the Apple
iPad. Their graves litter my personal Blog as well as the Geezam Blog as epitaphs of their folly; trying to sell a Tablet instead of
using the Tablet to sell customer low cost high merging Apps.
One thing is for sure though; their Wintel (Windows OS – Intel
Based Machines) partners are not pleased at all. Already, details have trickled
out regarding the impending launch of this product in the Fourth Quarter of
2012AD. Already graffiti ads have begun appearing on walls in New York City on
select streets promoting the concept as stated in the article “Microsoft
Surface Art ads pop up in NYC”,
published Friday August 24th 2012,
by Lance Whitney, CNET
News.
It’s a style reminiscent of a secret, quiet teaser launch possibly
to be twinned with AR (Augmented Reality) Advertising and anchored with QR
(Quick Response) Codes as described in my blog
article entitled “Daqri
combines QR Codes with Augmented Reality - Ads and PR Minority Report Cat on a
Hot Tin Roof” and “QR
Codes and Shopping in South Korea - My Science Project for A Virtual
Supermarket”.
These ads from Microsoft will most likely build to a
crescendo with a series of even more vague Television and Radio spots! The
Microsoft Surface Tablets are most likely to be launched in the Fourth Quarter
of 2012AD, specifically on Friday October 26th 2012AD, the same date as the launch of
Windows 8 in a bid to take advantage of the Christmas Rush.
Already, the PC World vultures have begun circling…….and their
pronouncements are protectionists at best.
Lenovo, one of Microsoft’s Major hardware partners,
criticized Microsoft's product at their Quarterly General meetings
for Stockholders on August 2012ADas stated in “Lenovo
dings Microsoft Surface: We'll provide better hardware”, published August 15, 2012 9:42 PM PD by Brooke Crother, CNET
News.
Their CEO Yang Yuanqing bitterly criticized the Microsoft’s
strategy with some very hard words, quote: “Although we don't like Microsoft
providing hardware, for us, it just adds one more competitor[s]. [They're] just
one of our many competitors. We are still confident that we are providing much
better hardware than our competitors including Microsoft. They are strong in
software, but [we] don't believe they can provide the best hardware in the
world. Lenovo can.”
PC maker Dell is also feeling pretty confident about its chances
against Microsoft’s new strategy, again criticizing Microsoft on their apparently
lackluster hardware and the fact it’s a Tablet. This time, Dell CEO Michael
Dell commented during his company’s Quarterly General meetings for
Stockholders, also in August 2012AD as stated in “Surface
Tablet less than 2 percent of market, says Dell”, published August 21, 2012 3:57 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, CNET
News.
Dell CEO Michael Dell criticism seemed to center mainly on supply
chain issues, hence his prediction of low level of penetration of this hardware
affront by Microsoft, quote: “I think there's an understanding of the number of
units that they're likely to sell is a relatively small percentage. Maybe in
the 1 [percent] to 2 percent range of total PC units during next year”.
His CFO (Chief Financial Officer) Brian Gladden seemed to respect
Microsoft’s strategy more, due to the unknown scope of pricing and Dell’s own
lack of a solid Tablet strategy thus far. His quote is quite respectful of
Microsoft as a genuine competitor, quote: “[About] Microsoft entering the space
- we've spent time speaking to Microsoft and understanding how they're thinking
about it. There clearly are opportunity for us as Windows 8 comes through and
how we differentiate our products. At the same time they've announced the
Surface product that will be in that space and we'll have products in there. I
think you'll see a diverse set of offerings that take advantage of what Windows
8 brings to market”.
So with no actual news leaking out of Redmond-based Microsoft, the
rumour mill has gone into overdrive. Using the above specs, clearly one can
reason that the Windows RT Surface Tablets is for Consumers, with the Windows 8
Pro Surface Tablet being for Corporate and Enterprise users, their bread and
butter.
Due to the expensive professional finish consisting of a built in
Touch Cover integrated Keyboard and its Vapour Magnesium Casing, it’s clear
that the Windows 8 Pro Surface Tablet is tailored towards the Corporate and
Enterprise Markets. It’s likely to be an expensive deal, especially for the
Corporate and Enterprise crowd looking for quality, due to the fact that these Tablets
are clearly built to get work done and not purely as Media consumption devices,
the main failure of previous Tablet attempts from other Tablet Challengers.
But large orders from Corporate and Enterprise customers,
effectively Economy-of-scale in purchasing, should make their adoption seem
like a sweet deal; Tablets, lightweight and professional looking built for
Work, not play and coming built-in with Microsoft Productivity Apps as stated
in the article “How
to Trade a $200 Microsoft Surface Tablet”,
published 22-08-2012 by Benzinga Editorial, Forbes Magazine.
However it's very possibly and highly likely, as a means of
breaking into the consumer market, where the Apple iPad clearly has dominance,
that Microsoft may be going to use the Razor Blade Strategy.
Microsoft may be willing to cut prices for the Windows RT
Surface Tablet to as low as US$199, which is the MPP (Magical Pricing Point)
that is critical to igniting a Fire Sale for this products debutante debut. The
Windows RT Surface Tablet will most likely twinned with a two (2)
year subscription of their Cloud-based Services.
This according to EnGadget anonymous informant in their
article “Microsoft
Surface for Windows RT Tablet coming October 26th for $199?”, published August 14th 2012 11:27AM By Tim Stevens, Engadget.
Analyst IDC is already predicting this too, with Microsoft
allegedly ramping up to unveil a three million (3,000,000)
Tablet Strong push into the market come October 2012AD as stated in their
article entitled “Microsoft
to build more than 3 million Surface Tablets, says IDC”, published August 17, 2012 2:46 PM PDT by Brooke Crothers, CNET
News.
IDC analyst Bob O'Donnell in a phone interview with CNET News
Brooke Crothers, waxed upbeat and optimistic with his predictions, quote:
“Probably a little over 3 million, both [Intel] x86 and ARM. If they
build a few million units there's no way they can sell it through Microsoft
store only. So I think that they'll sell it through traditional retail also.
You can't build that many products without having a much wider distribution
strategy. They just haven't shared that [strategy] yet”.
If the above is true, Microsoft would clearly be preparing for a
massive run or on their product, thereby suggesting a lower priced product
and possibly bundled with Service Subscriptions to make up for lost revenue.
This pricing Strategy, reminiscent of the Xbox Strategy used by
Microsoft to make it big in the Gaming and Console Market. A Gaming
Console Market now still ga-ga over the Microsoft Kinect which was a success as
stated in my blog article entitled “Nintendo
Wii vs Microsoft Kinect - War of the Worlds in Jodine Spark's BattleField”.
This past adventure with the Xbox has gone well for Microsoft as
stated in my Geezam Blog article entitled “Nintendo
and Sony vs Smartphones and Tablets: Post – Portable Gaming Era”, which is now reaping rewards from Xbox Gaming Subscriptions,
making enough revenue for their sacrifice to be seen as a commercial
success.
However, it’s estimated, based on the cost of components and
manufacturing of the Microsoft Surface Tablets, Microsoft stands to lose about
US$50 per Tablet were they to sell the Windows RT Surface Tablet for US$199 as
pointed out in the article “Microsoft
Surface RT Tablet for $199? Let’s Be Realistic”, published August 16, 2012 By Jared Newman, Time Magazine
Even with Economy of Scale and low Cost outsourced Chinese
Manufacturing from Foxconn…...
This is a lot steeper than the losses of US$2.70 off each Amazon
Kindle Fire that IHS iSuppli estimated it took Amazon to make their 7” Tablet, placed
at about US$201.70 and which Amazon sold at US$199 as opined in my Geezam blog article “Amazon
Kindle Fire vs the Apple iPad – The Stats Wars worth Reading About”.
So clearly if Microsoft goes this route, they’ll have to salve the
wound with a bevy of attractive subsidies in the form of Subscription Services
for the strategy to work long term. A crib of Amazon Online Store and Apple’s
App Store Strategy and a strategy that makes sense for them as the Amazon
Kindle Fire is effectively a storefront for the Amazon.com as noted in the
article “Why
a $200 Surface Tablet makes sense for Microsoft”, published AUGUST 21, 2012 BY SIMON HILL, DigitalTrends.
What’s Microsoft’s Strategy to address distribution remains a
mystery. But Microsoft may choose to retail their products online stores with
large customer bases such as TigerDirect and Amazon as well as through the
traditional Brick and Mortar Distribution via Staples and Best Buy to
catch the Christmas 2012AD rush.
Especially around Black Friday, as at that price for a Tablet’s,
that’s a steal and “Kindle” wood for a Fire Sale!
Microsoft is clearly aiming to make money from a pent up demand
for a Tablet designed to actually get work done as opposed to just being
purely for Gaming and Media consumption, as is the case with the Apple iPad.
It’s also a partner to their Windows 8 Phone and is the start of building an
ecosystem of products which can allow regular consumers, Corporate and
Enterprise peeps to get work done while having fun, in keeping with the mantra
of their Windows Phone advertising.
So clearly, just like the Asus Transformer, which Microsoft’s
Surface Tablet mimics as can be noted in my blog
article entitled “Asus
Transformer vs Apple iPad 2 - X-Men First Class for Ludacris' Numba' One Spot”, the Microsoft Surface Tablets are geared towards a specific
market: Working People needing a practical Tablet.
And unlike the bravado of Dell and Lenovo, Asus has not only a
clear Tablet Strategy but also strength in numbers as well as stated in my blog
article entitled “Asus
Transformer & Asian Tablets vs Apple iPad - Vybz Kartel's Straight Jeans
& Fitted Big Trouble in Little China”.
Asus has set out to define it’s Tablets as being geared towards
Gaming with the their twinning of their hardware with Nvidia’s Quad-Core
“Kal-el” Tegra 3 Processor with the debut of the Asus Transformer Prime in
November 2012AD as announced in my blog
article entitled “Asus
Eee Pad Transformer Prime to debut on November 9 2011AD - Nvidia Kal-El invites
Apple iPad to Game On”.
This adoption of Nvidia quad-Core Processor I’d predicted in my Geezam blog article entitled “Nvidia
and the Quad-Core Kal-El CPU – Android leaves A5 Dual-Core Processor in the
Dust”.
Unlike Microsoft, Surface Tablets, their Tablets run on a variety
of OS including Google Android, Windows 7 and possible Windows 8. Clearly, they
are on the move to grandfather customers away from Laptops toward Ultrabooks
and Tablets and thus provide a variety of Tablets for consumers, from regular households
to Corporate and Enterprise to choose from.
Asus, it seems, sees the Tablet as the future form factor of the
PC, an opinion I had expressed in my
blog article entitled “Intel
and the UltraBook - Stephen King's MacBook and iPad Thinner Hex” as a means of PC Makers to survive in the coming “Post-PC Era”
as predicted by deceased former Apple CEO Steve Jobs.
Microsoft is clearly thinking the same way too, as chasing the
Apple iPad is clearly not the only thing on their agenda despite the rhetoric
spouted at the launch on Monday June 18th 2012AD as stated in “Why
the Microsoft Surface probably won't be an iPad killer”, published June 22, 2012 11:23 AM PDT by Eric Mack, CNET
News.
It’s just that Microsoft cannot wait for the PC Industry to catch
up as a combination of the trend towards Mobile Computing and smartphones
promulgated by the Apple iPad and the Apple iPhone and its ilk are slowly
making them extinct as noted in my blog article entitled “Apple
deeply integrating Facebook into iOS 6.0 - The Penguins of Madagascar Microsoft
and Apple save the Devil in the Blue Dress”
may make them extinct in both the PC and Tablet markets.
This is further made plain with the recent launch of Apple iOS 6.0
at Apple’s WWDC (World Wide Developer Conference) held earlier in the year on
Monday June 11th 2012.
During that product launch, it was announced that Facebook is now integrated
into iOS 6.0.
Effectively, this is Facebook’s tacit acceptance of Mobile
Computing and smartphone usage as stated in my blog
article entitled “Apple's
WWDC heralds the Return of the Mac and iOS 6.0 - Future Hunt for Red October
Amazon and Samsung in Mini-Tablets and IPTV” .
Thus the debut of these Microsoft Surface Tablets is a clear
awakening by Microsoft and a slap in the face of the PC Industry and a Wake-up
call to them all; move toward Mobile Computing with compelling products and
low-priced high-quality hardware to regain market-share lost to the Apple iPad,
the Apple iPhone and it copycat brethren.
If you don't, reasons Microsoft via their actions, then we’ll
move you ourselves via competing with our own Tablet Design and Strategy as
opined in the article “Why
Microsoft's Surface Tablet Shames the PC Industry”, published July 09, 2012 by Ashlee Vance, Businessweek.
This now officially puts the PC Industry on notice, as with the
rebranding of the product originally named Surface to PixelSense, Microsoft is
become Batman: The Dark Knight
Rises (2012) to challenge the Apple
iPad
Indirectly, the Microsoft Surface Tablets will also coax the PC
World to do better with their designs for Tablets and develop an actual Tablet Strategy as the
future is indeed populated with UltraBooks, Tablets and Smartphones.
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