As much as I love my two iPads, I am going to check out the fulll Windows 8 Surface when it, ahem!, finally surfaces. There is a good chance that it will prove to be a valuable tablet for productivity purposes.

And it will apparently come with a stylus! As I understand things, there will be two sensor grids: one rather course for touching buttons, etc, and a finer one that will react to the stylus point.

Any thoughts about how it will compete (or not) with our beloved iPads?

Too early to tell. It's half-baked at this point.

I see no reason to judge before a product is delivered. But I'm interested, and Microsoft is welcome to compete for my money.

I have moved your thread as this is nothing about iPads. I suggest yu wait until the product is available. As right now it is not available

Looks good, but, as with my previous tablet testing, the HUGE selling point for me with ipad is its silky smooth touch screen facility. So far the others just dont match up even close. Lets wait and see.

I do like the keyboard/cover though. Awesome idea.

Originally Posted by sjleworthy

Looks good, but, as with my previous tablet testing, the HUGE selling point for me with ipad is its silky smooth touch screen facility. So far the others just dont match up even close. Lets wait and see.

I do like the keyboard/cover though. Awesome idea.

I've not noticed touchscreen responsiveness varying among my six iDevices vs. my Samsung Galaxy Note or Kindle Fire. (But I know some users have complained about lag in other devices.) Samsung makes some Apple screens, so it's not like Apple has cornered the technology, though they've tried to via the lax granting of patents:

Apple Gets Touchscreen Patent, Makes Things Potentially Awkward for Rivals | PCWorld

Originally Posted by Kaykaykay

Too early to tell. It's half-baked at this point.

I see no reason to judge before a product is delivered. But I'm interested, and Microsoft is welcome to compete for my money.

Originally Posted by col.bris

I have moved your thread as this is nothing about iPads. I suggest yu wait until the product is available. As right now it is not available

Some good advertising potential here.

The Microsoft Surface. So new, even Bill Gates can't get one. Yawn. NEXT...

Originally Posted by KevinJS

Some good advertising potential here.

The Microsoft Surface. So new, even Bill Gates can't get one. Yawn. NEXT...

If we're buying imaginary products, I can afford whatever I imagine, lol.

Well, now! I thought this was "on topic"! After all, my question was how folks perceived the Surface as a competitor to the iPad.

It is not a discussion about the iPad or an existing product. It is an imaginary (for now) product that can have huge potential. Microsoft has an opportunity here, but it would not be the first time they have blown it. Think Zune. They are wise to make their own tablet, and they have manufacturing experience. The other tablet manufacturers are too invested in Android to be interested, and Apple has shown that the best product has to be an integration of the OS and hardware. There are issues that can create major hurdels:

Microsoft mimicked the secrecy of Apple, but made mistakes in the intro. They did not allow the participants any time to try the tablets and see what they could do. Obviously, they are far from a ready product. The media was selected for being very friendly to Microsoft, so it was even more of a bad idea to not let them experience the OS. No mention of price, which is going to be a big question mark. How are they going to get around the total lack of apps? They should have at least a thousand apps developed in-house, or through an agreement with top app producers. How are they goiing to treat customers with Windows phones that are being left with no upgrade path?

Oh, I believe in the iPad! My question wasn't intended to derogate the iPad at all.

But I do think that if Microsoft delivers a quality product we will all benefit. I am convinced that the tablet is far more than Gee Whiz! Movies! Games! Internet browsing! Photos! I appreciate it for its great contribution to my productivity. (Don't get me wrong---I like to watch a video now and then and play a game or two also. But, to me, that is a bonus.)

If Microsoft does deliver the goods, industrial and business firms will probably be more inclined to support tablets. And that will be good for us all.

Who knows? The Surface just might (Wash my mouth out with soap for heresy!) turn out to be a nice tablet.