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Since Surface was first announced a few months ago I’ve been so excited to see what Microsoft was going to do!
Microsoft was able to do something here that it has not been able to do in a LONG time, and that’s generate a LOT of buzz and excitement for a consumer device! Yay! Finally a tablet that will fit that little hole in our geeky hearts! Something that will run office, we can actually use for work and play and FINALLY a viable alternative to the iPad… As time went on, the buzz stayed pretty constant with nerds and geeks dreaming of what magic Microsoft might perform here. In the midst of all the buzz the faithful just KNEW that Microsoft was going to make a real stand here and over deliver and blow away the world with a great piece of hardware at great price.
I’m not sure who set expectations, but this magic price point of $299 started floating around. Could it be? Could Microsoft be so serious about taking market share away from Apple that they would release such an awesome tablet at that price point? Yes! Surely they would. How else could they hope to succeed???? I was prepared to buy one for everyone in my family…
And the buzz grew….
Until….
The interwebs have been buzzing today with supposedly leaked prices of the Surface tablet. With the base model starting at $499 and adding that cool click keyboard tacking on another $100 to that price:
However, the pricing was quickly removed and we held out some small sliver of hope that Microsoft realized that pricing like that would not make sense… and then came the nail in the coffin:
http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/Press/2012/Oct12/10-16announcementPR.aspx
Surface!!??! You could have been a contender!! Instantly, images began to flash in my head and the Hitler meme almost writes itself on this one! What have you done Microsoft?? As a huge geek and a big fan of Microsoft, this greatly depresses me. Microsoft had SUCH a huge opportunity here, and if these prices end up sticking, I’m afraid Surface will go the way of the HP TouchPad.. and here’s why:
Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it
How many other tablets have come and gone at this price? Most of them? Can anyone name a successful tablet at this price point besides the iPad??? People have been screaming for a mid-priced tablet somewhere above the Kindle and below the iPad, and here was Microsoft’s chance to use their buzz and present something at a price point that would make it THE must have item for your geek for Christmas. Now, it’s just another tablet that runs a a cooler Windows OS. Remember how HP’s servers crashed from people trying to order a $149 TouchPad?? The demand is there and the demand is huge!! But I don’t see HOW Surface can succeed at this price point!!
Yeah, but it’s competitively priced versus the iPad and I get Office!!
Okay, so let’s be real honest. Unless you are an Apple Hater or a Microsoft Fanboi WHY would you pay the same price for a Surface tablet versus an iPad? An iPad has more market share, better resolution, TONS more apps, and it’s got all that history so Apple has had time to tweak it and get it “just right”. Microsoft needed a great price to sway those undecideds and maybe even bring in a few Apple loyalists…
Win8 may be a superior OS, the snap keyboard is one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a while, and Surface is more than likely a better device all around… but just being better will not give you market share or longevity. Does anyone still remember the Commodore Amiga??? Enough said…
Arrogant Naysayer!
I want to make sure I’m heard here. I rant because of my geeky passion for technology. Because I want Microsoft to succeed here. Because I want a decent tablet that is a real business tool and more than just a toy… AND will be around and supported for more than a couple of years. Maybe Microsoft is playing the long game here. Maybe they realize there is no way they will sell those 5,000,000 units they are producing at this price point. Maybe this is all some sort of plan that I’m just too ignorant to realize and in 3 years the Surface will be the next xBox. I hope so…
Will I still buy a Surface? Probably… I would have LIKED to have bought four though…
