Beta
×

Thank you!

We are sorry to see you leave - Beta is different and we value the time you took to try it out. Before you decide to go, please take a look at some value-adds for Beta and learn more about it. Thank you for reading Slashdot, and for making the site better!

CNN Anchors Caught On Camera Using Microsoft Surface As an iPad Stand

samzenpus posted about a week ago | from the not-meant-to-be-seen dept.

It's funny.  Laugh. 236

MojoKid writes Since the release of its Surface Pro 3 tablet, Microsoft has pushed their new slate hard. It's as if the company wanted it to overwrite that part of our memory that recalls the Surface RT and its monumental losses. This past August, we saw the company make a big move by deploying a boatload of Surface Pro tablets to every team in the NFL, gratis. All season so far, coaches and even players have made use of them to plan their next course-of-action, and for the most part, they seemed to be well-received. Unlike some of the products Microsoft tries to get us to adopt, the Surface Pro 3 really is a solid tablet / convertible. Unfortunately, at least where the CNN political team is concerned, Microsoft hasn't won over a few anchors, like they have in NFL, when they were supplied with brand-new Surface Pros. In recent shots captured and tweeted about, a Surface Pro 3 can be seen acting as an "iPad stand," and quite an expensive one. As humorous as this is, it might not seem that interesting if it were just one correspondent who pulled that stunt. Let's be honest, some people just like their iPads. That wasn't the case, though. There were at least two commentators using an iPad on the same set, despite having the Surface right in front of them and seemingly hiding it behind Microsoft's darling Windows 8 slate.

Sorry! There are no comments related to the filter you selected.

Gibson got it right... (5, Funny)

Indiana Joe (715695) | about a week ago | (#48324509)

...the street does have its own uses for technology.

Re:Gibson got it right... (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325249)

Another great use for a closed surface is as a thermal insulator between a cold counter top and a hot coffee mug.

Re:Gibson got it right... (3, Informative)

Jeff Flanagan (2981883) | about a week ago | (#48325323)

CNN commentator labels iPad controversy 'false and idiotic', claims he was using both tablets

http://www.windowscentral.com/... [windowscentral.com]

Could have been worse (1)

SomeoneFromBelgium (3420851) | about a week ago | (#48324511)

If they were drawing on it (it's a surface afther all...)

Re:Could have been worse (2, Insightful)

Isca (550291) | about a week ago | (#48324541)

At least they would have been using a core functionality. The surface pro is one of the better devices to come out of redmond. It hands down beats the Ipad in lots of areas except for the apps. But the Apps are what people want, and they certainly don't want to give up the interface they are used to.

Re:Could have been worse (5, Insightful)

spire3661 (1038968) | about a week ago | (#48324565)

They are NOT comparable devices. Surface Pro addresses an ENTIRELY different segment of users and is an entirely different class of machine (can run arbitrary code)

Re:Could have been worse (2, Insightful)

wed128 (722152) | about a week ago | (#48324685)

technically, the iPad can run arbitrary code. they are both computers, and Turing complete even!

Re:Could have been worse (3, Informative)

Wootery (1087023) | about a week ago | (#48324891)

Continuing the Slashdot obtuseness: an iPad will run arbitrary (user-supplied, not-Apple-approved) JavaScript without issue.

Re:Could have been worse (1)

Guspaz (556486) | about a week ago | (#48325603)

Is it really so obtuse? As JavaScript engine efficiency improves, the gap between what you can accomplish with a native app and a JavaScript app narrows, and as CPU performance continues to improve, what you can accomplish with JavaScript increases. Lots of apps on iOS and Android these days are just thin wrappers around a browser anyhow, and the user never notices.

Re:Could have been worse (5, Insightful)

SmallFurryCreature (593017) | about a week ago | (#48324599)

The surface pro is one of the better devices to come out of redmond. It hands down beats the Ipad in lots of areas except for the apps.

and the sales.

Re:Could have been worse (3, Insightful)

ericloewe (2129490) | about a week ago | (#48324613)

iOS does not have a wider variety of applications than Windows.

The vast majority of Win32 applications that runs on the Surface Pro is much larger than iOS's app store selection.

Re:Could have been worse (4, Insightful)

Isca (550291) | about a week ago | (#48324635)

The vast amount of apps out there are not tablet optimized however, and the majority would actually be hard to use without a keyboard and mouse.

Re:Could have been worse (2, Insightful)

hjf (703092) | about a week ago | (#48325131)

Objection! Speculative.

Re:Could have been worse (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325159)

Overruled, concrete evidence is trivial to find.

Re:Could have been worse (2)

RavenLrD20k (311488) | about a week ago | (#48325279)

I strenuously object! I don't want to have to do the research! /s

Re:Could have been worse (0)

LordThyGod (1465887) | about a week ago | (#48325547)

The vast amount of apps out there are not tablet optimized however, and the majority would actually be hard to use without a keyboard and mouse.

And there is the virus / security thing, the difficulty in keeping MS bound applications updated with the OS, the MS tax and so on. The ecosystem is too much of a 90's holdover for people doing most things.

Re:Could have been worse (5, Interesting)

Ed Avis (5917) | about a week ago | (#48324793)

In terms of sheer numbers, I'd guess you are right: more Win32 applications have been written since 1995 or so than there are apps for iOS. Especially if you include in-house software.

In terms of applications to do something most people want to do, which is a subjective measure I admit, iOS may have the lead. Particularly so if you look for software that's optimized for tablet use: there are a lot of very capable Windows programs which are rather less usable on a tablet than with a physical keyboard and mouse, whereas iOS apps are all designed around touchscreen use.

For example, I've been looking for a map program (similar to Google Maps) that runs on a handheld Windows 7 PC with attached GPS. It's surprising how few choices there are that do the basic function of showing your GPS position on a map, and aren't some crusty thing last updated in 2004. True, if I included Windows 8 "Metro" apps there would be a wider choice, but still it is dwarfed by what you get on Android or iOS. (FTR - in the end I went with Anquet Maps for hiking maps and Mapfactor PC-Navigator for city use.)

Re:Could have been worse (1)

tysonedwards (969693) | about a week ago | (#48325045)

So, you're complaining that using a Legacy OS in conjunction with devices that typically did not include GPS support and where touchscreen capabilities largely didn't exist doesn't have the application support that you'd want, namely up-to-date, finger friendly apps for you to use on your capacitive screen Windows Tablet?

That's like the argument that people use for why they don't have Photoshop or XYZ Product for Linux... I have it and it is of tremendous value to me, but I can't use it to it's potential because I don't have all the tools that I need it to do.

Handheld, finger friendly touchscreen devices running Windows are receiving support now because people are buying them, and the mere fact that there is a viable market where a developer *can* make money and thereby will be able to feed themselves means that they are likely to build said products and support those users as there is a segment of the market that *actually has* those products. And I say that as a long time Tablet PC User, back to the Compaq TC1000 and various models of the Fujitsu Stylistic slates over the years. Until Windows 8, they *were* a hobby! Great for Journal until OneNote came on the scene, and then OneNote was where it was at, and now with Windows 8 they're largely useful for everything. However, in terms of devices with GPSes and thereby helping with your use case, that is still the extreme minority and typically relegated to a USB or Bluetooth Accessory versus built in to *every* Android or iOS Tablet made, hence the disparity in what's available for each platform that also meets your functional requirements.

Re:Could have been worse (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324913)

and 95% of those are complete garbage to run without a mouse and keyboard.

your point?

Re:Could have been worse (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325579)

Seems about the same garbage ratio the AppStore has.

Re:Could have been worse (1)

oh_my_080980980 (773867) | about a week ago | (#48324951)

And yet more people use the iPad....

Re:Could have been worse (4, Insightful)

nine-times (778537) | about a week ago | (#48324889)

It hands down beats the Ipad in lots of areas except for the apps.

I think this sort of thinking misses what has made Apple successful over the years. Techies keep worrying about whether a device beats another in terms of functionality, and meanwhile Apple focuses on usability. Yes, having a full desktop OS running on a tablet allows you to do more, but Windows 8 is a mess of an OS. Yes, Windows 8.1 improves the mess a bit, but it's still a mess.

At least, that's been my experience. Using Windows 8 on a desktop, I'm thinking, "Well it would be pretty good if they got rid of all this touch-interface crap. It's confusing and useless." Using Windows 8 on a tablet, I'm thinking, "The tablet UI could use a little work because it's a little too confusing. It's great that I can run desktop stuff, but for that stuff, I'd probably be better off with a laptop." Using an iPad? I'm probably not thinking much about the features and interface, because it's pretty clear what the device is, what it does, and how to use it.

Re:Could have been worse (4, Interesting)

Lumpy (12016) | about a week ago | (#48325355)

Except it's close to 2X the price of the ipad. That tends to blow it up hard.

And honestly the Surface is not the only game in town, Fujitsu Stylistic has a better build quality and honestly is a far more mature tablet PC platform.

Ha Ha Ha humorous (-1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324535)

or Ha Ha Ha who gives a flying funk?

Re:Ha Ha Ha humorous (3, Interesting)

Russ1642 (1087959) | about a week ago | (#48325549)

The summary isn't even correct. The Surfaces were there for advertising only. Sure the hosts had a choice to use whatever they wanted but the Microsoft product had to be on display. The real screwup was by the advertising managers who agreed to the deal.

What's Their Usual Workflow? (3, Interesting)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324549)

If someone is used to finding information to do their job on one device (iPad), it can really obstruct their workflow to insist that they find their info on a completely different device (Surface) with a substantial learning curve and different apps, especially when under the extra pressure of being on camera. It's kind of like putting a NASCAR driver in a completely different car than he expects on race day with no warning.

Re:What's Their Usual Workflow? (4, Funny)

MouseR (3264) | about a week ago | (#48324867)

Or ask said Nascar driver to make a right turn.

Re:What's Their Usual Workflow? (1)

Applehu Akbar (2968043) | about a week ago | (#48324915)

Users overestimate the difficulty of working on an unaccustomed platform and have a powerful tendency to stay with the type of computer they "learned on." Apple once understood this, and gained a powerful sales advantage by giving away their computers to primary and secondary schools. The end of that policy led to such a large drop in sales that the company almost went under in the Nineties.

Re:What's Their Usual Workflow? (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325207)

If someone is used to finding information to do their job on one device (iPad), it can really obstruct their workflow to insist that they find their info on a completely different device (Surface) with a substantial learning curve and different apps, especially when under the extra pressure of being on camera. It's kind of like putting a NASCAR driver in a completely different car than he expects on race day with no warning.

Especially if the Surface isn't given to them and is used as a prop for the news room. For all we know CNN bought the Surface tablets for the news room and not for each anchor. It ends up being the equivalent of using a library's computer; sure it works, but it doesn't have your shortcuts.

Re:What's Their Usual Workflow? (1)

spire3661 (1038968) | about a week ago | (#48325615)

What is important is defining a FUNCTION you want, implementing it on the hardware you have and then providing a bridge for your users to cross over to the new method of facilitating the function. If your method is sound, your users will adapt, or they are not good users and you should replace them. EVERYONE is a user now, there is no excuse for not being able to adapt to new methods.

Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (4, Interesting)

chrish (4714) | about a week ago | (#48324553)

I'd happily give a Surface Pro 3 a try if you want to send one my way.

I was considering buying a Surface (some previous-gen ones were on sale for a reasonable price), but was driven away by the extra $$$ for the keyboard/case and the lack of decent apps in the Windows 8 store... there's a whole lot of crap there, and not a lot of things I'd like to use.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

CastrTroy (595695) | about a week ago | (#48324637)

With the Surface Pro, you don't have to worry about apps, because you can run full windows programs. You aren't just limited to what can run in the app store. You could even run a VM with Linux on it if you wanted. Run a web server, a database, Photoshop, or Solidworks. You can completely ignore the Windows App store if you want to. Personally I think it is a mistake asking extra for the keyboard though. They should make it included, and maybe add $50-$70 to accomodate the price of the keyboard. But adding $120 onto the price of an already expensive device is probably hurting adoption quite a bit.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (2, Insightful)

0123456 (636235) | about a week ago | (#48324713)

Yeah, because I totally want to be creating Excel spreadsheets on a tablet.

Being able to run Windows apps is irrelevant if they can't be used effectively without a keyboard and mouse.

Besides which, you can buy an entire Android tablet for less than the cost of the keyboard alone.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

CastrTroy (595695) | about a week ago | (#48324761)

If what you want is an Android tablet, then go ahead and buy one. A Surface Pro isn't really comparable to an Android Table. The Surface Pro has an Intel Core (i3,15,i7) processor and is a full Windows Machine, and has a 12 inch screen. Just because it has a touch screen doesn't mean you should compare it to a $100 Android tablet in terms of price. It does so much more than an Android Tablet. If an Android tablet fulfills all your needs, then you should buy one because they are cheap. Or wait until the HP Stream 8 comes out which runs full Windows, and will only cost $150.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

0123456 (636235) | about a week ago | (#48325017)

And you completely ignore my point.

The number of people who want to run Windows apps on a tablet is roughly the same as the number of people who wanted to run Windows apps on previous generations of Windows tablets for the last decade or more. That is, hardly any, because they're not designed for it.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325137)

I think you're missing his point.

It comes with a keyboard/touchpad. It can function as a laptop as well as a tablet.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

Chris Mattern (191822) | about a week ago | (#48325223)

It comes with a keyboard/touchpad.

I thought the keyboard was $120 more.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

0123456 (636235) | about a week ago | (#48325673)

If you actually read this thread, you'd see that even he admits that the keyboard costs $120 more. You can almost buy a complete laptop for the cost of just the Surface keyboard.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325255)

If what you want is an Android tablet, then go ahead and buy one. A Surface Pro isn't really comparable to an Android Table. The Surface Pro has an Intel Core (i3,15,i7) processor and is a full Windows Machine, and has a 12 inch screen. Just because it has a touch screen doesn't mean you should compare it to a $100 Android tablet in terms of price. It does so much more than an Android Tablet. If an Android tablet fulfills all your needs, then you should buy one because they are cheap. Or wait until the HP Stream 8 comes out which runs full Windows, and will only cost $150.

So is it a bad laptop or a bad tablet? Heck, MS doesn't even know and can't figure out how to sell it. Saying it's a "full Windows Machine" sells it as being as heavy as a laptop or that I have to carry around a power supply "just in case." If I want a full Windows Machine, I'll buy one. They're cheaper than a Surface Pro.

Incidentally, MS should never have come out with the RT. It makes them look like scammers which is probably why the Pro sell poorly. The refuse to say in plain English that the RT doesn't run regular Windows apps, so why would I believe anything they say about the Surface Pro?

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

Sleuth (19262) | about a week ago | (#48324767)

Yeah, but then you have to run some Android knock-off of Excel... On a tablet!

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

Cro Magnon (467622) | about a week ago | (#48324851)

OTOH, maybe an Android knock-off would work better than Excel, on a tablet.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

Lumpy (12016) | about a week ago | (#48325493)

Google's office apps work fantastic on android tablets.
Apple tables come free with the apple office suite and my coworkers have no problem opening Office files on it.

Re: Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325557)

The Dell Venue 8 Pro ids a full x86 Windows tablet. Full price for them is down around $250 now and you can find deals for them at under $200. They run full Windows 8.1 with an x86 processor, and come bundled with Office 2013 at no extra cost.

So it's not very expensive to try out real Excel on a Windows tablet. I have one, and the browsing experience on Internet Explorer on a tablet is great. Everything just works on every website. It's by far my preferred tablet at home for casual web surfing.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324935)

Yeah, because I really want to run an Apache server on my tablet. Jumped the shark much?

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (0)

Cro Magnon (467622) | about a week ago | (#48324895)

I have two concerns about the Surface Pro 3. The big one is price. Last I looked, it was still a pretty pricy machine. Also, I had the chance to play with the RT and the keyboard was total crap! Does the Pro 3 have a decent keyboard? It would need to be MUCH better than the RT one I tried.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1, Troll)

Lumpy (12016) | about a week ago | (#48325475)

Yup. I've been driven away because the price is simply outrageous. and at that price point, a non replaceable battery makes it even more of a "not gonna buy it".

$600 and a non replaceable battery that will last 3 years is far more acceptable than $1400 and a non replaceable battery.

Microsoft needs to NOT chase the "thinner is better" at their pricepoint. they can easily make the battery replaceable and only make the device an extra 2mm thicker.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325613)

I think the idea is to give them to people who will pay for them... my business sense is a bit fuzzy though.

Re:Hey, MS, give them to people who will use them! (1)

Guspaz (556486) | about a week ago | (#48325667)

I'd be happy to give the Surface Pro 3 a try, but it isn't a replacement for my tablet, it's a replacement for my notebook. It's an ultrabook without a built-in keyboard, the evolution of Microsoft's TabletPC. And there's nothing wrong with that, I've heard good things about the product... but as a notebook, not a tablet.

First Post! (-1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324573)

Yipppeeee!

Re:First Post! (-1, Flamebait)

JamieKitson (757690) | about a week ago | (#48324597)

Well done.

nfl forced to use surface (1, Insightful)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324575)

Microsoft didn't "win over" nfl teams and coaches. They paid so much money in sponsorship fees to the nfl, that the nfl required teams to use them.
Given a choice, they'd still be using iPads.

Re:nfl forced to use surface (5, Informative)

nabsltd (1313397) | about a week ago | (#48324681)

Given a choice, they'd still be using iPads.

This is the first season that any electronic device could be used by coaches and players during an NFL game. They weren't using iPads before...they were using steno pads.

Re:nfl forced to use surface (1)

alexmogil (442209) | about a week ago | (#48325197)

They can still use the printouts and faxes, too. If you watch some of the old school QB's like Peyton Manning, it seems like he refuses to use anything but the printouts.

Microsoft can't win (5, Insightful)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324581)

They put full Windows OS in their tablet, it's not as easy to use as an iPad.

They put a tablet OS in their tablet, it doesn't have full Windows functionality.

Re:Microsoft can't win (1)

Savage-Rabbit (308260) | about a week ago | (#48324769)

They put full Windows OS in their tablet, it's not as easy to use as an iPad.

They put a tablet OS in their tablet, it doesn't have full Windows functionality.

You could say the same about the OS X/iOS and Linux-Desktop/Android combinations. Put a desktop OS in a tablet and it's a bitch to use, put a tablet OS in a tablet and you can't do half the things you could do on a laptop and a significant portion of what you can do on both platforms is more clumsy and time consuming to accomplish on the tablet. Which is also why I've bought a phablet left my iPad at home andy only use it for reading, watching videos and playing games and drag my laptop with me to do real work on the road.

Re:Microsoft can't win (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324771)

Then they should dump the idea of using Windows on their tablet and develop a usable tablet OS instead.

Re:Microsoft can't win (1)

jfdavis668 (1414919) | about a week ago | (#48325199)

The RT devices had no killer app. Each device needs something to set it apart. The killer app they tried to sell was a crippled version of Microsoft Office, which didn't work though the tile interface. Still too desktop oriented for a touch oriented device. Then they came out with Office for iPad, which is fully configured for touch. Why don't they port that to Windows RT? They may be able to get somewhere.

Rebrand old Windows RT devices as iPod Stands (5, Funny)

jfdavis668 (1414919) | about a week ago | (#48324583)

That is one way that Microsoft can make some money from them. As seen on CNN...

Re:Rebrand old Windows RT devices as iPod Stands (2, Funny)

MiniMike (234881) | about a week ago | (#48324917)

And if they slip, will they be the first Microsoft product to make an iPod crash?

Re:Rebrand old Windows RT devices as iPod Stands (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325221)

iOS wasn't made to run on Microsoft hardware.

Re:Rebrand old Windows RT devices as iPod Stands (1)

Ronin Developer (67677) | about a week ago | (#48325451)

Oh, come on moderators! I actually laughed when I read this comment (even if it was from an A/C)...It tied in perfectly with the the parent comment.

Re:Rebrand old Windows RT devices as iPod Stands (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325611)

Wooooooosh.. yes woooosh

Probabaly cheaper than OEM (3, Funny)

Overzeetop (214511) | about a week ago | (#48325181)

I think the Surfaces will be less expensive than most of the Apple branded and MFI certified components.

Still not very interesting? (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324585)

> As humorous as this is, it might not seem that interesting if it were just one correspondent who pulled that stunt.

Even when there are 3 it is not very interesting. Mildly funny at most.

Re:Still not very interesting? (2)

amiga3D (567632) | about a week ago | (#48324877)

It's fucking hilarious.

Yesbut does it run Linux (3, Interesting)

serviscope_minor (664417) | about a week ago | (#48324591)

Yesbut does it run Linux.

That's not a glib comment. I mean it. In the thin, light (and good performance), the Surface Pro looks like a really, really nice machine.

It's as fast as the best Mac Air/Ultrabook. It's also the lightest in the category, falling under 1kg including the keyboard (I think even giving my venerable eee 900 a run for it's money). Not sure if the keyboard is good enough though. Other nice thing is it has a stylus. I don't really care for touch screens on a laptop at all (completely useless as far as I care). A stylus on the other hand makes a world of different when you bring out the GIMP (or inkscape). This is something I do actually do from time to time.

Can't stand Windows, as it happens (or OSX), so the question for me is whether it runs Linux. If it does, it will probably be my next laptop.

Funny thing, the only thing I've ever liked about Micros~1 (see I didn't go for M$) is the hardware. I used their keyboards and mice for years.

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (2)

jellomizer (103300) | about a week ago | (#48324625)

The big problem with today's mobile devices, is that they are so locked down that it is nearly impossible (Sure it can be done, but it is tough) to install a new OS on it, or worse have backup media to restore it back to factory condition if you happened to prefer Windows over Linux for tablet usage.
Unlike a PC where you plug in a USB Stick or a CD/DVD if you sill have one of those and when it is booting you can hit Esc, F1, F2, Del.... Whatever to bring you into the BIOS and say boot from this drive instead, you will need to find an alternative way of fighting the OS security to get a new OS on.

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (1)

serviscope_minor (664417) | about a week ago | (#48324663)

Mostly, but the SP3 is a PC in a fancy box. It even has a USB port. Only one which is a bummer (my eee has 3 and the Zenbook 11 inch, sadly no longer updated) has 2.

As for perferring windows: that ain't gonna happen :) Especially as I want it as a light laptop rather than a tablet.I have a bad back so those extra 2-300 grams matter.

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324667)

I'm not sure about running it bare metal...I always cringe at the idea of fussing with Linux installs on a laptop.

It comes with Windows 8.1 so you could always spin up a VM via Hyper-V. That's my plan at least.

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (1)

jfbilodeau (931293) | about a week ago | (#48325287)

Hyper-V to run Linux? Sure! Let me spend $$$$$$$$$$ on a tablet just to virtualize my favourite OS and get access to a tiny fraction of what the hardware offers. There are cheaper tablets out there where I can natively install Linux AND get uncompromised access to hardware.

The reality is some people don't want Windows on a tablet (or other computers for that matter).

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (1)

CastrTroy (595695) | about a week ago | (#48324715)

I hear that people have run Linux on it, but that Linux kind of sucks on it as it isn't set up to use the touch screen very well. So you're paying a lot of extra money for something that has a digitizer which you can't really use to it's full potential. Also, I'm not sure how easily it can be fixed, but due to the high resolution of the screen, all the controls and icons show up super small, which would make it difficult to use.

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (1)

jfbilodeau (931293) | about a week ago | (#48325303)

I don't have a problem running Linux on tablet. What WM are you using?

Re:Yesbut does it run Linux (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325409)

You are a known Linux zealot, anti-Wayland troll, and all-around asshole. Not to mention British! So, your comment is indeed glib and trollish. GIMP is slow, regardless of the hardware and OS it's running on. Huge memory footprint, sluggish, and horrible un-optimized filters. Inkscape, which I have used in conjunction with Photoshop, is a nice alternative to Adobe Illustrator. It's still buggy but not nearly as slow or poorly designed as GIMP. In fact, just about every other free alternative to GIMP is a better choice.

hey microsoft... (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324601)

time to update those product placement buys to be exclusive on-set or on-camera... and shitcan whoever didn't add exclusivity to them in the first place.

This is news worthy? (1)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324617)

It was one anchor, and she probably wanted to use her own personal device rather than the Surface provided. Why does anyone care about this?

Re:This is news worthy? (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324779)

nice try M$

Re:This is news worthy? (2)

amiga3D (567632) | about a week ago | (#48324897)

It's the humor. You don't see the humor in a hideously expensive tablet computer by Microsoft being used as a stand for an Apple iPad? Turn in your geek badge right now.

I don't believe it (1)

unixcorn (120825) | about a week ago | (#48324619)

To me, the picture looks like they were using both devices. If not, why not line up the iPad to completely block the Surface?

Re:I don't believe it (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324805)

There are more pictures available and two of the anchors were doing exactly that. The Surfaces probably weren't even turned on.

How is it that Microsoft marketing can screw things up so consistently? It's not like they don't have the cash to hire on a competent marketing team/partner. Boggles.

Re:I don't believe it (1)

Wycliffe (116160) | about a week ago | (#48325433)

How is it that Microsoft marketing can screw things up so consistently?

It's not microsoft's fault. If they want greater adoption, donate them to the schools. If they want
greater publicity, donate them to newscasters (which is what they did). The problem is that if
you give 100s of devices away then yes more people will use them but people will still use other
devices too unless you actually ban all other devices. There are two photos. How many photos
are there of just the surface or just an ipad? You're never going to get 100% of people to like and
use your product. Yes, it looks bad, but with the popularity of the ipad it was bound to happen
a few times where they are caught in the same room with someone using one and not the other.

And they say.. (5, Funny)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324669)

Microsoft doesn't support Apple products..

1 million sold (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324677)

1 million Surface units sold this year (based on the revenue number Microsoft publishes), that's about 0.6% of the tablet market.

Face it, they make a passable laptop replacement, but they're overpriced, way thicker than the Android/Apple tablets, and really need the case with keyboard and stylus to be usable. The software is still not touch friendly.

Windows 8.1 mish mash too.

It's trying to compete with the likes the Samsung Tab S, and IPad Air, far better touch friendly products, thinner with longer battery life, and a bigger user base.

This will be paid placement, Microsoft will have paid CNN to put the Surface Pro 3 on the desks of the newsreaders, but that doesn't mean they're paid to *switch* to using the Surface, and they already use their iPads, so why would they change?

Re:1 million sold (1)

sandytaru (1158959) | about a week ago | (#48324823)

But if you're going after people who had been using windows laptops before and didn't need a lot of horsepower, they're fantastic. My husband is a professor. His school offered all the profs iPads; he asked for a Surface instead. He's used the heck out of that thing. It handles his email, runs Office, plays videos, and even lets him run some video game emulators. It's the opposite of my bulky fat gaming laptop, although my system can run circles around his Surface in terms of sheer horsepower.

Re:1 million sold (1)

oh_my_080980980 (773867) | about a week ago | (#48324975)

Wow read email, play videos and games...yeah tablets can't do that *eye roll*

Re:1 million sold (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325171)

It handles his email, runs Office, plays videos, and even lets him run some video game emulators.

So, just like an iPad at twice the price.

Did not provide them 'gratis' to the NFL... (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48324699)

"This past August, we saw the company make a big move by deploying a boatload of Surface Pro tablets to every team in the NFL, gratis."

This confused me, it seemed odd that they only had to hand them out to get the publicity. But as usual, the summary was a bit misleading in this. Instead, MS paid hundreds of millions to the NFL.

Here, among other places:

http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/8/6120643/microsoft-surface-at-nfl-games-described-as-ipad-like

come on people (0)

FudRucker (866063) | about a week ago | (#48324845)

there has to be a gay joke in there somewhere

I've Actually Been Kicking Around The Idea (1)

Greyfox (87712) | about a week ago | (#48324899)

The surface pro looks like it'd be a halfway decent little machine once you get done wiping windows and installed Ubuntu on it. And Ubunutu looks like it'd be a halfway decent OS once you got done wiping Unity and install Enlightenment on it. I've been keeping an eye out for a possible replacement for an aging 17" powerbook, which was also a pretty decent machine once you got done wiping OSX and installed Ubuntu on it. I'd mostly be previewing videos from a GoPro, processing them minimally with Kdenlive, and uploading them to youtube. It would be nice to have a few more gigabytes of storage than the current round of tablets offer, as less than a couple hundred gigabytes starts to get cramped awfully fast when you're pushing video around like that, but I wouldn't be out more than a week or so at a time and could just sync up with a file server at the house with git annex whenever I'm home.

Re:I've Actually Been Kicking Around The Idea (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325383)

I understand you'd wipe your GoPro lens with an handkerchief, but what did you install on it?

This baffles me... (4, Interesting)

TheBilgeRat (1629569) | about a week ago | (#48325575)

Off topic: I cannot imagine for one second that Ubuntu through whatever hack is required to run natively on a macbook is a better user experience than OSX itself. I get a lot of the legitimate mac bashing that goes on (expensive hardware, elitist culture, etc etc) but the OSX gripes baffle me.

I'm typing this on an early 2009 macbook my alma mater handed me freshman year. It started with Leopard and is now running Yosemite. It has a unix shell, it has vim, it has a compile toolchain (clang via xcode and gcc via homebrew), it has git...it even has x11. OSX is unix, and a darn good one. Not only that it came preloaded to edit your gnar vids from your snowboard go pro.

Back on topic, the Surface Pro 3 is a great little machine. Got one for my daughter for her graduation present, as she didn't want to learn mac or droid and wanted something to replace her aging laptop. She takes notes with the pen in her own handwriting. The keyboard/cover/thing is actually a decent keyboard - the trackpad on it is kind of meh, however. I just wish the price points were a little lower, but that's just cos I'm a cheapskate.

I have an idea (0, Flamebait)

slashmydots (2189826) | about a week ago | (#48324963)

You know what I'd like to see? An IQ test of anyone who uses Apple products all the time and an IQ test of people who use anything else. Because an intelligent person would use both and really before even powering it on, the micro SD slot would make it a clear winner.

Re:I have an idea (4, Insightful)

Doug Otto (2821601) | about a week ago | (#48325085)

Just because you value a SD slot more than life itself doesn't mean that everyone else does. I use three or four different platforms every day. Never once have I caught myself saying: "damnit, if only I had a SD card slot!"

Physical media is a pain in the ass.

Re:I have an idea (1)

TheBilgeRat (1629569) | about a week ago | (#48325595)

I run into this on my cell phone a lot, or at least did. If you have "enough" onboard storage, I never think about whether it has an sd slot or not. Its only when "enough" becomes "not enough" that I get testy. I guess the rule of thumb is spring for as much onboard storage as you can.

Re:I have an idea (2)

jfbilodeau (931293) | about a week ago | (#48325357)

IQ test != IT savviness

Most people probably have no idea what a MicroSD and would probably want to steer clear of it. (A micro sexual disease??? Is that like Ebola???)

It's real easy... (3, Interesting)

tibit (1762298) | about a week ago | (#48325165)

You can't make people use a device by edict. Just because a sports team, a league, or a broadcaster has signed some contracts, it doesn't magically make their users productive on another device. Microsoft dropped the ball by not providing decent applications for their own platform themselves. They supposedly know how to write software, yet they steadfastly refuse to write apps for their mobile platforms that are good enough to make people switch. All it'd take is good apps, nothing more, nothing less.

Because CNN anchors... (1)

websitebroke (996163) | about a week ago | (#48325183)

... or NFL coaches for that matter, are who we look to for good judgment in computing.

Missing the point (2)

loftarasa (1066016) | about a week ago | (#48325205)

The people ITT comparing the Surface Pro 3 to an iPad have got it completely wrong. The Surface competes against the Air, as a lightweight, full blown computer. The fact that it can detatch its keyboard and work with touch-only is an extra, but it is not how Surface owners spend the majority of their time.

BYOD Battle? (0)

Anonymous Coward | about a week ago | (#48325299)

I wonder if the iPads were issued to the anchors arbitrarily or if it was their choice. If I was allowed to BMOD and was suddenly ordered that because of a bullshit marketing deal I had to use Brand X I'd likely do exactly the same thing. (And such situations can lead to "no, the damn Brand X doesn't do what we need it to so we'll use what we have to use to keep doing our jobs.")

lol spin (0)

Falos (2905315) | about a week ago | (#48325651)

Doesn't matter how many extras and benefits you put in the free Porsches you give out, they'll still sit in the garages of those who can't drive stick.

"I couldn't get it on the wifi, there was no 'Preferences'. Other gear icon? Yeah, I think there was one for 'shootings' or something, so what? I don't want it anyway, it didn't come with a facebook app, and all I care about is trying to find out Who Viewed My Profile."

I'm not really mocking the market or the anchors, I target the headliners who sing clickbait about it.

Realistically... (1, Interesting)

Lendrick (314723) | about a week ago | (#48325661)

The anchors in question have iPads and are comfortable using them. Microsoft almost certainly paid CNN to have all their anchors use Surface tablets on air, and the anchors probably aren't particularly thrilled that they have to ditch the platform they're comfortable with. I'm sure that now that this (admittedly hilarious) picture has circulated, it will be mandated that CNN anchors not have iPads anywhere near them while on the air.

Load More Comments
Slashdot Login

Need an Account?

Forgot your password?