The new Microsoft Surface Pro is set to hit stores on
February 9th. On paper, the specs and the price points between the
Macbook Air and the new Microsoft Surface Pro look almost identical. In reality, I think the Surface Pro will
prove to be a tough sell for Microsoft.
Anyone who has flipped on a television in the past nine
months has been bombarded with Microsoft’s relentless ad campaign for the
Surface, the most prominent of which features a diverse ensemble of hip young dancers
playing hot potato with the Surface, all
whilst cavorting and pirouetting in a fountain. What I gather from the ads is that Microsoft
wants us to know that the Surface is cool.
The ‘coolness’ of the Microsoft Surface is subjective. I wouldn’t
presume to offer judgment. I will say that the wispy male dancer with the
Justin Beiber-esque haircut did a poor job explaining the advantages and features
of the new Surface tablet in the commercial by tossing it 30 feet straight up into
the air. Had it survived the fall, I might have been impressed, as the Macbook
Air is notorious for its fragile screen.
I'm confused why Microsoft felt the need to power the Surface Pro with an i5 processor. Its seems like overkill. An i5 processor is typically found in machines that are used for gaming and editing video. The 64GB version if the Surface Pro has only 23GB of available hard drive space, so I don't see anyone using it as a gaming machine or storing Hi Def video. For browsing the internet and running basic applications on the Surface Pro, the i3 processor would have been more than sufficient and would have driven down the unit cost as well.
I'm confused why Microsoft felt the need to power the Surface Pro with an i5 processor. Its seems like overkill. An i5 processor is typically found in machines that are used for gaming and editing video. The 64GB version if the Surface Pro has only 23GB of available hard drive space, so I don't see anyone using it as a gaming machine or storing Hi Def video. For browsing the internet and running basic applications on the Surface Pro, the i3 processor would have been more than sufficient and would have driven down the unit cost as well.
I harbor no strong allegiance to either Microsoft or Apple. Whenever I’m in the market for a new gadget, I
typically buy the least expensive device with all the features I need. I own two
Asus laptops with dual boot Windows 7/Unbutu operating systems, an iPod, and two
iPhones. And last year when I needed an e-reader tablet, I went with the Kindle
Fire. With that said, I don’t think Microsoft tried hard enough with the new Surface
tablet make it a viable laptop replacement. It has a serious lack of hard drive storage space, one usb port, no keyboard included,
below average battery life, limited app selection from the Microsoft store, and
a clunky Windows 8 interface. For the casual user who needs a stylish and functional
laptop for school, watching movies, word processing, video/photo editing, and
browsing the internet, I still think the Macbook Air is a better option. Be careful not to drop your expensive little toy. A replacement screen for the Air will likely cost you around 700$ at the Mac Store.
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