iPad mini anyone?

[PUDDY]

I have been waiting for a while for get an ipad or similar. I was waiting to see what came out on tuesday. Upon reading this thread I now see the MS Surface, which seems really cool. I really only wanted to get a tablet for my son to play games on and for me to do social media stuff on when I can't sit in front of the computer, and perhaps see how it can help work productivity. I was sure i'd wanted the ipad for the compatibility with my itunes ipod and iphone. However I do alot of gaming and the new smartglass software for Xbox is coming out tomorrow I believe. It appears to work for all tablets etc. So i'm not sure what i'd rather have. The surface look great but if I can do the same stuff with smartglass on an ipad, perhaps i'll just stick with that.

[Darren]

Originally Posted by dukegrad98

I am intrigued by the new Surface tablet, and would love to tinker around with one, but the price point is just too high for me to personally justify. Tablets are just toys for me -- and (have a laugh) I'm pretty happy with my low-end Playbook. It syncs perfectly with my beloved Blackberry phone, and it's perfect for a quick web-browse in the courthouse where I can't whip out my 15.6" laptop, or to skim e-mails or check a Youtube link on the sofa before a weekend nap. A tablet is not a real business tool for me, and my discretionary gadget-toy budget seems to top out in the $200 range.

I like the Asus Transformer model of having a "dock" with a real keyboard, extended battery, and so on. However, I don't think anyone has done it very well yet. I've already revealed my dislike for Android/Google as a system. It would have to be a 10.1" or larger "tablet" to have any hope of replacing a real laptop. When the first Motorola Atrix phone came out, with its dock technology, I was pretty excited. But again, it was Android, and the dock setup wound up having a lot of limitations.

Still waiting for the ultimate convertible device, I guess!

Cheers, John

The surface is anything but a toy, with the integrated cover keyboard it is quite the productivity device with the full office suite. You can even get a pro version which is a full blown PC in the same form factor.

[CobraDVM]

I suspect the Surface will ultimately suffer the same fate as the Zune hardware. Microsoft tends to have a "me too" feel to some of their hardware - just doesn't seem to appeal or have much flair.

(Sorry Darren)

[UrQ]

Originally Posted by CobraDVM

I suspect the Surface will ultimately suffer the same fate as the Zune hardware. Microsoft tends to have a "me too" feel to some of their hardware - just doesn't seem to appeal or have much flair.

(Sorry Darren)

Time will tell, Zune, Kin and others were failures, but so were the Apple Lisa, Macintosh Portable, Apple Newton, etc. The xBox falls into your "me too" and it stands #1.

I doubt that the Surface will be a failure, you should try one before you judge, I have been using one for months now its a fine piece of hardware and a fine OS, yes it lacks apps, but don't tend to use many, if I need them I write them.