Microsoft’s second tablet computer, the ‘Surface with Windows 8 Pro’ went on sale in the US on February 9 offering the ability to run full Windows 8 on a tablet.
The original Surface, launched in October and to give its full mouthful of a title the ‘Surface with Windows RT’, uses a limited version of Windows 8 called RT widely used in rival tablets and smartphones.
The Surface Windows 8 Pro is powered by an Intel processor typically found on laptops and runs the high-end Pro version of Windows 8. So it can run any existing Windows software if you attached the optional keyboard/cover, but that adds $US130 to the price.
By bringing the full power of Windows 8 to a tablet device, the Surface Pro will make the choice between Ultrabook and tablet even harder. Walt Mossberg, reviewing the product on ‘All Things D’ said: “It ran all the software I threw at it - both the new type and the old desktop type - speedily and well.”
However the Pro is bigger, heavier, more expensive and has a shorter battery life than the RT. In the US prices start at $US899 for a version with 64GB of storage, almost half of which will be taken up by Windows 8. However additional flash memory storage can be added, and a 128GB version is available for $US999.
The iPad has been making huge inroads into the upper echelons of corporate management and Microsoft is keen to woo these executives back into the embrace of Windows - which still dominates corporate IT. The Pro is seen as a key weapon in this battle.
According to The Register “While [Microsoft] has Pros in the field with engineers, it's most likely aimed at the executive who wants an exceptionally mobile laptop along with Windows and all its applications.”
This has led US reviewers who have got their hands on pre-release products to make comparisons with the iPad, pointing out at the entry level iPad retails there for little more than half the price of the surface ($US499). However that version has only 16GB of memory, a 64GB iPad is $US699.
The new Surface weighs in 903gm compared to the RT’s 676gm and measures 27.45 x 17.29 x 1.32cm (0.4cm thicker than the RT). It has a higher screen resolution than the RT, 1920x1080 pixels compared to 1366x768, and runs an Intel Core i5 processor with Intel HD graphics 4000. The RT uses a quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 processor. The Pro has one USB 3.0 port, mini display port, headphone jack and microSDXC card slot. The RT’s USB port is USB 2.0. Neither model offers direct connection to a cellular network.
The Pro ships with Windows Mail and Messaging, SkyDrive, Internet Explorer 10, Bing, Xbox Music, video and games. The RT comes with the RT version of Microsoft Office, Home and Student edition.
About Readify
Australia-based Readify, a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner, has over a decade of experience addressing key customer challenges by developing solutions and deploying services based on Microsoft technologies.
Readify has experience and expertise writing Metro Apps for Windows Phone 7, skills in XAML as it has written solutions in Silverlight or WPF, and knows HTML 5, CSS and JavaScript.
Its clients could attest to Readify's expertise and results. Clients over the years include Universal Music, the Victorian Electoral Commission, the Australia Post, Queensland Department of Education and Training, GraysOnline, The Australian Rugby Union, e-commerce site Tireweb, St George School, NSW, Queensland-based digital agency isnt media, Job network provider Workways, the Westmead Breast Cancer Institute (BCI NSW), The Queensland Department of Child Safety, startup business Webjet, business management solutions provider MYOB, and child welfare services provider Barnardos.
For more information about Readify's Windows 8 Development services, call +61 3 9600 2339 or 1300 666 274 (within Australia) or visit the Web site at http://www.readify.net/
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