Microsoft still isn’t divulging official Surface numbers, but it looks like it’s at least making a (tiny) dent in the tablet market.

Microsoft shipped 900,000 Surface tablets for the first quarter, accounting for 1.8 percent of the tablet market, according to IDC’s latest tablet numbers. Altogether, Windows 8 and RT tablet shipments across all manufacturers hit 1.8 million during the quarter.

Those numbers are slightly less than Strategy Analytics’ latest figures, which noted that 3 million Windows tablets were shipped for the quarter. The true numbers likely lie somewhere between those two figures.

While Microsoft is clearly just getting started with the Surface devices, its numbers seem particularly poor compared to Apple’s 19.5 million iPads shipped in Q1, as well as Samsung’s 8.8 million units shipped. Surface shipments were likely hurt by their limited availability and the late release of the Surface Pro, which started shipping in February in the U.S. and Canada.

PC shipments also dropped precipitously in the first quarter, and IDC wasn’t shy about blaming Windows 8 for the decline.

The Surface Pro made up most of the Surface units shipped, according to Strategy Analytics. I found the Pro to be a far more useful device than the Surface RT, mostly due to its speedy Intel processor (which can also run older Windows programs).

Microsoft’s first Surface tablet was all about disappointing compromise, but the new Surface Pro is full of possibility.

It has an Intel processor, so it can actually run older Windows software. It features a sharp 1080p display that makes text, pictures, and movies pop. And it has has a stylus pen … for some reason.

The Surface Pro ($899 for the 64GB version, $999 for the 128GB model) isn’t perfect, but it comes much closer to Microsoft’s initial vision of the Surface as a machine that can serve as both a fully functional laptop and a solid tablet. Unlike the Surface RT, released just a few months ago, it’s more than just a heavy tablet in a PC’s clothing.

While testing the Surface Pro over the past week, I often forgot that I was using an entirely new type of computing device. It simply felt like a fast Windows 8 laptop. And while it’s far less transparent when used as a tablet, mostly due to its weight, the Surface Pro still worked well enough for casual usage while on the couch or in bed.

It’s close to the no-compromise device I was looking for when I reviewed the Surface RT — though we’re not quite there yet.

The Good: Fast, flexible, and polished

The high points of the Surface RT also apply to the Surface Pro. It features the same polished design, a case made out of a durable metal called VaporMG, and a kickstand that pops out with a satisfying thunk. I was shocked at how well-constructed the earlier Surface RT was, and the Surface Pro gave me the same impression, albeit with a bit more heft.

The Surface Pro weighs just under 2 pounds, compared to the Surface RT’s 1.5 pounds, but the slightly greater weight comes with a payoff; it’s a far more functional machine. The Surface Pro sports a third-generation Intel Core i5 processor running at 1.7GHz, along with 4GB RAM. That’s a huge step above the Surface RT’s Tegra 3 processor and 2GB RAM, and it shows.

Even though it has the same 10.6-inch screen size, the Surface Pro features a much higher-resolution 1080p display than its predecessor. That means it can run HD movies at their highest resolution, and it also makes just about everything on the screen extra sharp. The screen also supports multitouch with up to 10 fingers, while the previous Surface only supported five.

A dream to use

Launching programs, moving around the OS, and opening large media files was buttery smooth with the Surface Pro. For the most part, it managed to keep up with my typical workflow, which involves having several browsers open with dozens of tabs, a media program (Spotify, these days), and an instant messaging client (typically Trillian). In comparison, the Surface RT struggled to launch processor-intensive apps, and its paltry amount of RAM made multitasking a pain.

The Surface RT never quite fit into my workflow because it could only run Windows 8 apps — not so with the Surface Pro. Its Intel processor means it can run any Windows application that ran on Windows 7. I was able to run browsers other than Internet Explorer (there’s still no Chrome or Firefox version for Windows RT), and I even installed iTunes for fun. The freedom and flexibility of the Surface Pro made the limitations of the Surface RT seem even more egregious in retrospect.

Gamers will also appreciate the horsepower behind the Surface Pro, as it’s capable of playing a lot more than just Angry Birds. I installed Valve’s Steam client and was able to pull down Half-Life 2: Episode Two in around 15 minutes. The game took about 20 seconds to launch, and loading the first chapter took only around 12 seconds. That’s about on par with my giant desktop, which has a modern Nvidia GTX 560 video card and a three-year old quad-core processor.

I was able to play Episode Two smoothly at 720p with midrange graphics settings, which was more than adequate for the Surface’s screen size. That’s pretty impressive for a computer with only integrated graphics capabilities. (Going up to full 1080p gaming is perhaps asking for too much: At that setting, Episode Two was playable, but with a low framerate.)

The Surface Pro’s battery life was comparable with other ultraportables, lasting around five hours on a full charge. It’s paltry compared to tablets like the iPad, which typically get around ten hours of usable battery life, but the difference is understandable given the Pro’s size and horsepower.

Ultimately, I was impressed at what I was able to do with the Surface Pro. It’s particularly impressive that it’s lighter than Apple’s 11-inch MacBook Air, which at 2.4 pounds is one of the lightest ultraportables around. This is where the Surface’s dual identity comes in handy: It may be hefty for a tablet, but it’s a featherweight dream when compared to other ultraportables.

I’ve been hesitant to recommend any tablet as a PC replacement so far, but the Surface Pro’s capability to offer the best of a complete PC while also dabbing in tablet territory could make it the only computing device some may need.

The bad: Even more awkward as a tablet

I’m no fan of big tablets, and the Surface Pro is by far the biggest tablet I’ve come across yet. It’s far too heavy to hold one-handed (even for short periods), and its wide screen makes it awkward to balance as well. In a time when we have small tablets like the iPad Mini weighing in at .68 pounds and roughly the size of a paperback, the Surface Pro feels like a dictionary.

But I suppose that’s the price you pay for including the hardware necessary to make it a functional Windows 8 ultraportable as well. I was disappointed in the Surface RT because it felt mostly like a tablet. But because the Surface Pro feels more like an ultraportable, its tablet deficiencies seem less egregious. Eventually, I got used to holding it on my lap or knee for casual web browsing.

When it comes to its size, the Surface Pro sits in a space all by itself right now: It’s lighter than other ultraportables, but far heavier than other tablets. That makes it easy fodder for gadget geeks who want the Surface to fail, but I see it more as a sign that Microsoft is actually daring to be different than the crowd.

I didn’t spend much time with the Surface Pro’s stylus pen, mostly because there wasn’t much of a compelling reason to use it. It’s helpful for doodling in image editing apps, but I’ll never get used to taking handwritten notes on glass screens (sorry, Galaxy Note fans). It was particularly useful for navigating Windows apps that weren’t optimized for touchscreens, though I don’t think that was Microsoft’s intent.

The Windows 8 problem: Apps and stability

Windows 8 apps aren’t exactly helping the Surface Pro’s tablet standing either. Microsoft has managed to get a decent selection of Windows 8 apps, but there’s nothing that feels truly groundbreaking or inspired. I spent most of my time with the Surface Pro inside of the desktop environment running older Windows apps.

Microsoft also has some work to do when it comes to the Surface Pro’s stability. It would occasionally get stuck in portrait mode, and on several occasions, the Surface failed to recognize the touch and type keyboards. Rebooting fixed most of the issues I ran into, but I also had a few blue screen crashes when repeatedly plugging and unplugging the keyboards. (At least Windows 8’s blue screen of death has a frowny face. Upgrade!)

The verdict: This is the Surface you’ve been waiting for

For all of its failures as a pure tablet, the Surface Pro is a compelling offering as an ultraportable/tablet hybrid. The Surface RT gave us a mere glimpse at the future of computing, but the Surface Pro’s combination of power and flexibility brings it right to your fingertips.

It may not be for everyone, but it’s worth serious consideration if you’re looking at Windows 8 ultrabooks. I have a feeling we’ll look back at the Surface Pro as the first time Microsoft’s Surface dream was more reality than hype.

For once, the future seems bright for Microsoft.

Additional takeaways:

• I wrote this entire review on the Surface Pro using the Type Cover (which has mechanical keys) something that I found impossible to accomplish on the Surface RT due to a keyboard bug. I was able to type as quickly as I usually do, and I didn’t notice any significant increase in typos.
• On the other hand, I’m still no fan of the Touch Cover (whose pressure-sensitive keys are embossed into the surface) — I used it to take notes during an interview and was left with complete gibberish.
• Yes, the title of this review was taken from John Woo’s seminal crime drama A Better Tomorrow.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

If Microsoft wants to win in 2013, it needs to win in the mobile realm. That much is clear. But how does it take the crown from the likes of Apple and Google?

While Microsoft wouldn’t explicitly tell me about its plans for 2013 or generally talk about what it wants to accomplish, there is a lot we can glean from looking at what Microsoft did in 2012 and from the company’s previous statements. I’ve also talked to two experts who have kept close tabs on Microsoft’s product strategy over the years.

Here are three big things Microsoft will focus on in 2013:

Tablets, tablets, tablets

With the launch of the Surface RT and the Surface Pro, it’s clear Microsoft wants to be part of the tablet conversation. Microsoft was actually one of the first players in tablets back in the early 2000s, but the market shrugged off its efforts. Now that Apple’s iPad and Android tablets like the Nexus 7 have come to dominate the slate space and PC sales are falling off, Microsoft wants to get back in the tablet game.

“Microsoft will place a do-not-fail priority on tablets in 2013,” Forrester infrastructure and operations analyst David Johnson told me.

Johnson does not expect Microsoft to release its own smartphone hardware this year, so tablets will get full priority. Besides making Surface better, he said the other big priority will be making Windows RT lighter and better.

“I’d expect RT to be the focus for now, but they could do an entirely new tablet OS as well if that doesn’t work out,” Johnson said.

Office 365 and Office 2013

Another major tool in Microsoft’s belt is Office. Outside of Windows OS and Windows Server, Office has been the most important product in the company’s history. The latest version of the productivity suite for consumers just hit the market this week, and it’s actually quite nice.

Microsoft is pushing its Office 365 subscription service, which runs $100 per year, as the best deal you can get. A subscription to Office 365 lets you install five copies on your PCs or Macs and deeply connects to the cloud to back up your documents. Office 365 also gets you Office on Demand, which lets you stream a copy of Office to any Windows 7 or 8 PC and doesn’t count toward your number of installs. There’s also a version for students — Office 365 University, which costs $80 for four years of use.

The new versions of Office 365 and 2013 are more touch-friendly, so it’s somewhat better suited for tablets and touch-screen laptops. The most basic version of the latest Office comes pre-installed on the Surface RT tablet and will be able to be installed on the Surface Pro tablet, which hits stores on Feb. 9. A mobile version of Office also comes pre-installed on Windows Phone devices, one of the biggest selling points for that OS.

There have been perpetual rumors that Microsoft will release native Office apps for iOS and Android some time this year. But Microsoft has routinely denied these rumors.

“It’s not certain, but I’m betting on Office for iOS and Android,” Johnson said. “Enterprises won’t be proactively buying Surface Pros. Employees might not want to buy Surfaces, but they could buy iPads for work.”

Avi Greengart, research director for consumer devices at Current Analysis, also believes iOS and Android apps for Office are on the way.

“If Microsoft doesn’t put Office on those platforms, it risks losing that franchise,” Greengart said. “It’s also important for Microsoft to develop a more touch-friendly version of Office for Windows tablets. The version today is not there yet.”

Windows 8 and Windows Phone apps

The third pillar for Microsoft’s mobile success in 2013 will be apps built for Windows 8 and Windows Phone that help get people better interested in those platforms. Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 together have millions of users, and the two even share a kernel so it’s easier to develop for both platforms at the same time.

“It’s all about apps,” Johnson said. “Apps on Windows Phone are good, but they’re not quite as complete as iOS and Android apps. 2013 will see a big push on app development.”

Windows 8 especially needs apps to get people excited about tablets like Surface and hybrid laptops like the Lenovo Thinkpad Helix or Samsung’s ATIV Smart PCs running that OS. A number of good applications already exist for Windows 8, but will the company invest further to make Windows 8 a must-have OS?

And better apps on Windows Phone certainly wouldn’t hurt either. Windows Phone sales haven’t been particularly impressive, but they could get better with smart productivity apps and imaginative Xbox games. Hell, the success of Microsoft’s Xbox console could arguably be traced back to exclusive titles like Halo and Halo 2, so why not have an exclusive set of games on Windows Phone to help turn heads?

Greengart thinks Microsoft needs to bring an exclusive Halo game to Windows Phone and improve the overall presence of Xbox on Windows Phone.

“Game exclusives could drive adoption of the Windows Phone platform,” Greengart said. “Why isn’t there a Halo application for Windows Phone? Where are the games that are branded with more than just your Xbox Live avatar? These issues need to be addressed.”

What do you think will drive Microsoft’s mobile destiny in 2013?

Steve Ballmer photo via Sean Ludwig/VentureBeat

Microsoft sold a paltry number of Surface tablets in the last quarter — somewhere between 680,000 and 750,000 units — research firm IHS iSuppli told CNet.

The firm estimates that Microsoft shipped around 1.25 million Surface tablets in the quarter, which makes the low sales figure even more depressing for Microsoft. Additionally, IHS iSupply noted that return rates for the Surface were “very high.” (Those return rates aren’t surprising, given how much the Surface disappointed me in my review.)

“If you put the high return rate together with low sell-through [sales out] rate, that’s indicative of a problem,” iSuppli analyst Rhoda Alexander told CNet. She pointed to the steep learning curve of Windows 8 as one potential issue. I’d wager that many consumers have also been frustrated by the inability to install normal Windows apps, and the small number of Windows 8 apps available.

While the sales estimates aren’t exactly rosy for Microsoft, Alexander also notes that they’re similar to the results from some Android devices. (That’s not exactly a good thing, since most Android devices don’t sell well.) She also points out that the Kindle Fire had similar issues when it launched — but it has since gone on to carve out a decent chunk of the tablet market.

With the Surface Pro tablets on the horizon, which have Intel processors and can run full Windows apps, Microsoft may need to work hard to entice consumers who weren’t interested in the Surface RT.

Microsoft’s soon-to-be-released Windows 8-running Surface Pro may cost an internal organ plus a year’s servitude, but price relief — at least on other Windows 8 tablets — sounds like it’s coming soon.

“We’re working closely with chip partners and OEMs to bring the right mix of devices,” Microsoft’s chief financial officer Peter Klein said today on the company’s earnings call, adding that Microsoft is looking to “expand the product lineup” and provide “a greater variety of devices at a bigger variety of price points.”

Surface Pro, which Microsoft plans to release Feb. 9, comes in $900 and $1,000 versions. The original Surface, which runs a stripped-down version of Windows called RT, is available in $500 and $600 models.

“We think of Surface as one part of the overall Windows 8 story,” Klein said. “It highlights interesting innovation, and demonstrates tightly integrated software and hardware.”

Klein admitted that Surface has seen “limited distribution this quarter,” but he said that Microsoft’s “goal is to expand that” and is looking “forward to continuing the growth of that business.” Unfortunately, Microsoft did not break out any details on Surface sales in its earning release or the following conference call for analysts, preferring to speak mainly in generalities.

But analyst estimates of Surface sales for the holiday quarter have been in the 600,000 to 1,000,000 range … or about 3 percent of Apple’s sales of iPads in its recent record-breaking quarter. In other words, Microsoft desperately needs more models and better price points: A Surface Pro can cost more than a MacBook Pro, or double what many Windows 8 laptops run.

It wasn’t clear from Klein’s initial comments whether Microsoft itself might release more Surface models to potentially fill lower price points, or only work with OEMs. A Microsoft spokesperson I talked to after the call clarified that Microsoft is primarily addressing any need for lower price points on Windows tablets by working with OEMs.

Klein did not, however, reveal any timing for the announcement and release of new models.

photo credit: methodshop.com via photopin cc

These days, the best gadgets on the market are all aiming at the same lofty goal: no compromises. Consider the most recent MacBook Pros, Sony’s NEX lineup of cameras (and similar mirrorless shooters), or Jawbone’s fantastic Jambox Big wireless speaker: These devices may have their minor flaws, but for the most part they work so well that you practically feel empowered by their capabilities.

Without compromises, these devices feel as if they were formed purely to accomplish a specific task well and never get in your way. In the end, isn’t that the the entire point of good technology?

From the moment Microsoft debuted the Surface tablet back in July, it’s seemed like the ideal no-compromise device. It’s far thinner than any ultraportable laptop could hope to be, and, with the innovative Touch and Type covers, it also has the potential to be a more productive tablet than Apple’s iPad (or any other tablet, for that matter). The Surface is also the best device in which to introduce Windows 8 and its newfangled touch interface to the world.

For all of these reasons, the Surface seemed like a major step towards the future of computing, and not just Microsoft’s attempt to copy the iPad. Unfortunately, the reality doesn’t live up to the Surface’s no-compromise promise.

After testing out the Surface (starting at $499, $599 with a touch cover) for almost a week, I found a lot to like about Microsoft’s first computer. But the heavy weight of compromise keeps it from living up to its massive potential as a revolutionary device.

The good: Microsoft’s best-designed product ever

The Surface is Microsoft’s first attempt at building its own computer — but you wouldn’t know that at first glance. With its solid construction, attractive lines, and satisfying “thunk” when popping out its kickstand, the Surface feels like the Windows PC equivalent of a luxury car. The Surface has an Apple-esque level of obsessive design. For example, that wonderful kickstand sound didn’t happen by accident; it required a custom hinge.

But Microsoft also manages to make its design noticeably different from Apple’s. After all, a device as important as this shouldn’t be easily mistaken for an iPad.

The Surface’s case is made out of a metal Microsoft calls VaporMG, which is incredibly durable while being three times lighter than aluminum, it says. VaporMG comes from a magnesium alloy, and it feels almost alien in your hands. It’s cool to the touch and will instantly make you forget any plastic Android tablet you’ve ever felt.

Windows 8 made real

In several ways, the Surface is Microsoft’s Windows 8 vision manifested in an actual piece of hardware. Its boxy design and bright keyboard covers evoke Windows 8’s expressive Live Tiles. The Surface eschews the friendly curves of the iPad. It’s all flat shapes and straight lines — it’s all “serious business.” And of course, it sits halfway between tablets and traditional laptops, the same line that Windows 8 straddles.

It’s tough to understand what Microsoft is getting at with Windows 8 when you upgrade your current laptop or desktop. A mouse and keyboard, or an older touchpad, simply doesn’t give you the same experience as a touchscreen. But with the Surface, the entire thought process behind Windows 8 just clicks (yes, like the lovely kickstand).

We had plenty of nice things to say about Windows 8 in our review, but the Surface actually runs a stripped-down version of the OS called Windows RT, which is for devices running mobile ARM processors. The two operating systems look essentially the same, but one big difference with RT is that you can’t run older Windows applications. Given the paucity of apps in the Windows Store, that could prove a problem for many consumers.

Microsoft will also release the Surface Pro in the next few months, which will be heavier and more expensive (no pricing details have been revealed yet), but it will have more horsepower and will run older Windows programs.

Who needs a cover when you can have a keyboard?

While it’s an intriguing device on its own, the Surface feels half-complete without one of the covers, which double as keyboards when unfolded. As a standalone tablet, a great deal is working against the Surface (more on that below). But as a device that can swap between being a tablet and laptop easily, it’s a wonder.

The Touch Cover ($120), which is touch-sensitive and doesn’t have real keys, feels remarkably thin and light at just 3.25 millimeters thick and 0.46 pounds. It’s basically like trying to touch-type on a flat table: It’s tricky at first, but you’ll get the hang of it quickly. Without the Touch Cover, the Surface would simply be yet another me-too tablet. With it, the Surface feels like it comes from the future, which is exactly the emotion Microsoft wants to convey.

You’ll either love or hate the bolder color choices for the Touch Cover — cyan, magenta, and red (which looks more tangerine to me) — but it also has plain white and black variants if you want something subtler. The bright colors make the Surface stand out when sitting next to an iPad equipped with Apple’s Smart Case, something that I’m sure wasn’t accidental.

The Type Cover ($130), on the other hand, feels as good as any laptop’s keyboard I’ve ever used, including the MacBook Air. Since it features real keys, typing on it has less of a learning curve, and it quickly became my preferred Surface cover. It’s a bit thicker than the Touch Cover at 6 millimeters, and it’s a tenth of a pound heavier, but these are minor sacrifices for superior typing. (You also give up some of the futuristic vibe with the Type Cover, but it’s tough to complain when it feels so good.)

Both covers attach to the Surface magnetically with ease — I found it even simpler than attaching the iPad’s Smart Cover, and you hear a satisfying “Click” once the covers attach properly. Both also feature rudimentary touchpads, which was frustrating to use on the Touch Cover and adequate on the Type Cover. For the most part, you’ll be touching the screen to navigate the Surface, but I still found the touchpads necessary to deal with the Windows desktop interface.

Ideal for media

The Surface’s wide 10.6-inch screen is well suited for media. Widescreen movies typically fill the entire screen, and the display’s vibrant color makes photos shine. It’s nowhere near as sharp as the iPad’s Retina Display, but for most consumers it’ll do just fine. The Surface also sounds better than most tablets thanks to surprisingly loud stereo speakers.

At all of its prices, the Surface comes with about twice the memory of the iPad. That gives you plenty more room to store music and movies, in addition to all the media you’ll inevitably stream, as well as whatever the OS and apps take up, which is significant. I tested the 64 GB version of the Surface, and with only a few additional apps installed, I had just 42.3 GB free. The amount of free space will certainly be much lower if you get the 32 GB entry-level model.

You can also expand the Surface’s memory with tiny MicroSDXC cards, which are available in sizes up to 128 GB, and you can swap these in and out while the tablet is running. (The storage cards fit into an ingenious nook underneath the Surface’s kickstand — as if nothing should mar its beautiful exterior.)

Windows head Steven Sinofsky seems surprised by his Surface. (Photo: James Pikover)

The Bad: Compromise abounds

You’d think that with a quad-core Nvidia Tegra 3 processor and 2 GB of RAM, the Surface would be ready to run Windows RT without much of a sweat. That’s true for the most part: navigating around the Start screen, launching apps, and jumping through multiple open programs generally felt silky smooth.

But things begin to slow down once you have too many apps open. And so, the compromises begin.

2 GB of RAM? What is this, 2005?

“Apps don’t slow down Surface, so you don’t need to close them,” Microsoft boasts on the Surface’s website. But in my experience, that wasn’t exactly true. Running several apps at once caused noticeable slowdown when playing games, switching between apps, or dealing with media. I often had to close Windows 8 apps entirely to reclaim some precious memory (within an app, you do this by swiping from the top of the screen to the bottom). Things get even more troublesome if you’re running multiple Office applications and Internet Explorer in the Desktop.

The Surface also has a hard time navigating Flash and video content on the web. It typically stutters a few times before playing a YouTube video, and the video itself usually takes a few seconds before it begins to play smoothly.

For the most part, I blame the Surface’s paltry RAM for the slowdowns. While 2 GB is a healthy amount of memory for most tablets, it’s fairly minimal for Windows PCs. Even with the memory optimizations made for Windows RT, it often feels like the Surface is gasping for breathing room. With multiple Internet Explorer tabs, Word, and several Windows 8 applications running at once, the Surface’s memory usage would often exceed 80 percent. Things could get better as Microsoft further optimizes the Surface’s firmware and Windows RT, but for now I’m left wishing that Microsoft pushed for 4 GB of RAM (like in the Surface Pro).

If anything, the memory limitations reveal exactly who Microsoft is aiming at with the Surface: A typical consumer who wants the convenience of a readily accessible keyboard but who doesn’t really do all that much at once. For geeks and power users, the Surface Pro is where it’s at.

Pretty but awkward

Despite the overall excellence of the Surface’s hardware, I still found some things to be annoying. For one, at 1.5 pounds with a widescreen display, the Surface is almost impossible to use with one hand for very long. I’ve never been a big fan of large tablets, but the Surface feels egregiously awkward in one hand, no matter how you hold it. Instead of being a convenient handheld computer, I mostly rested the Surface on my leg in tablet mode.

And then there’s the kickstand. I love the design, but it’s not very stable when used on your lap or any non-flat surface. I don’t think we should ever have to worry about balancing our computers on our laps — that’s something notebook makers pretty much mastered several years ago.

Slow down there, fast typer

As much as I liked the design and theory behind the Surface’s covers, actually using them to type for prolonged periods was a major headache. Both the Touch and Type keyboards would often miss characters, and sometimes entire words, if I typed too quickly. If I slowed down to about half my typing speed, things generally worked fine.

Apparently, Microsoft is aware of this issue, and I’ve been told a software fix is coming soon. (If it were a hardware issue, the Surface would be doomed.) But it doesn’t make the best first impression for a device that’s supposed to represent the future of computing. Heck, even DOS on a 386 was able to keep up with speedy typing!

Windows RT: A decent, but barren, start

While Windows 8 is getting most of the hype right now, it’s Windows RT that may truly determine Microsoft’s future. It’s the first version of Windows built for a chip architecture outside of x86 processors, so it won’t run on Intel or AMD chips. And due to its lightweight nature, Windows RT could potentially run on devices with very compact and low-power CPUs, which could enable those devices to be even smaller and thinner than the Surface.

But as it stands now, Windows RT still needs to grow quite a bit before I’m satisfied with it. It takes the Surface around 25 seconds to boot to the login screen, compared to about 10 seconds on my Windows 7 desktop and around 8 seconds on my MacBook Air.

And then you’ve got the app problem.

Since Windows 8 and RT are still very young, it has a notable lack of good apps in the Windows Store, especially from major companies like Twitter and Facebook. In comparison, the iPad now has more than 275,000 apps, and it can also run (albeit in an ugly, blown-up screen) every other iOS app.

This will certainly change over time, but for now the Surface’s app deficiency is going to just disappoint and confuse consumers. (It’s also one of the reasons I think this week’s Build developer conference is the most important event Microsoft has ever run.)

Microsoft certainly has its work cut out for it with developers. We heard from Facebook that it’s waiting on Microsoft to build a Windows 8 Facebook app — clearly it’s not a priority for the social networking giant.

What’s truly strange about Windows RT is that, even though it’s dependent on new Windows Store apps, it still features a traditional Windows desktop. So far, you can use Internet Explorer and some touch-friendly Office apps in the desktop environment. But try to install any other Windows application, which I’m sure many consumers will, and you’ll get an error message.

Aside from helping out occasionally with multitasking, the Windows desktop on the Surface mostly feels like an oddity, like a vestigial tail inexplicably forgotten by evolution.

Windows head Steven Sinofsky turned a Surface into a skateboard. (Photo: Sean Ludwig)

The Verdict: Look, adore — but don’t buy (yet)

The Surface may be our first look at what most PCs will look like in a decade, but as it stands today, it’s more like a concept device. If you’ve ever seen a concept car, you’ll get the idea — the Surface is meant to make an impression, but it isn’t yet ready for consumers.

If I have one major takeaway from the Surface, it’s the surprising revelation that I actually like touching its screen when it’s in laptop form. We’re already seeing some Ultrabooks with touchscreens right now, but eventually it’ll be something that all ultraportable computers (including the MacBook Air) will have to support.

Most of you shouldn’t buy this Surface. Wait for the Surface Pro, or if you can, wait for Microsoft’s next Surface RT model. At the very least, wait for this Surface (and its keyboards) to drop in price and get more apps.

It will only get better, and at some point, the Surface may finally evolve into the no-compromise machine it has the potential to be.

From afar, Microsoft’s Surface tablet looks like it means serious business. You won’t question its build quality, and with its straight lines and sharp angles, you (probably) won’t mistake it for an iPad.

It’s a computing device with a personality all its own — something that’s particularly shocking given that this is Microsoft’s first stab at building a computer. From the short time I’ve used it, the Surface feels like the perfect introduction to everything Microsoft is trying to carry out with Windows 8.

But it’s also clear that, until Microsoft attracts more apps to the Windows Store, it’ll be a mere curiosity for most consumers (many of whom are probably trying to get their hands on iPad minis this holiday season).

Today after Microsoft’s Windows 8 launch event, I got my hands on a Surface unit running Windows RT (provided by Microsoft for review) as well as a variety of its cases and accessories.

I’ll admit, the Surface feels plenty awkward the first time you pick it up. Since it features a wide 10.6-inch screen with a 16:9 aspect ratio, it’s a bit of a struggle to hold it in landscape mode with one hand. In portrait mode, it feels like you’re holding a high-tech legal pad.

But once you attach one of the covers and pop out the Surface’s kickstand, Microsoft’s vision becomes clear. As much as Microsoft is selling the Surface as a tablet, it seems most at home on a flat surface (yes, I know, hilarious). I received both the Touch Cover, which is reminiscent of Apple’s iPad Smart Covers with a flat touchable keyboard, and the Type Cover, which is a bit thicker and sports actual keys.

These covers aren’t just a way to protect your new Surface — they’re the entire crux of Microsoft’s plan. Windows 8 isn’t just Microsoft’s tablet strategy, it’s Microsoft’s everything strategy. And the Surface, with its detachable keyboard covers, is trying to be an everything machine.

I’ll need to spend more time with both of the covers before I can fully judge them. But after some initial pecking, I’m definitely a fan of the Type Cover. It’s not much thicker than the Touch variant, and the keys are infinitely better. For consumers who care about typing quickly, it’ll be the obvious choice.

What’s most surprising about the Surface is how solid it feels. Microsoft didn’t cut any corners, and its obsessive design (yes, which feels oddly Apple-like) is evident from every angle. It’s an appropriate companion for Windows 8 — a new type of computer for a new type of operating system.

The strong design, together with the innovative functionality of the covers, gives the Surface a distinct personality from its competition. You’ll definitely notice those brightly colored Touch Covers in the wild. Having personality is important — it’s something that most Android devices lack, and it’s also a big part of Apple’s success with the iPhone and iPad. As our devices become smaller and more personal, we also need to feel an emotional connection with them. The Surface manages that much.

When it comes to the software side of things, I easily synchronized my Gmail account as well as contacts and calendars (a simple process). Moving around the OS feels smooth, though I haven’t had a chance to really overwhelm the Surface with multiple apps. I had one hard crash inside of the New York Times app, which forced me to reboot the Surface (and didn’t show me any error message).

Mostly, I’m surprised that Microsoft is still missing some major app partners — in particular, Twitter and Facebook. Thankfully, FlipToast is a free app available on Windows 8; it aggregates social networks into a single interface. Geeks and power users will figure out ways to survive without their favorite programs and services, but mainstream consumers will likely just be confused. More apps will come, but the lack of important apps right now makes it hard to recommend a Surface at launch.

Check back for my full Surface review next week. For now, take a look at our hands-on pics of the Surface below.

July 9-10, 2013
San Francisco, CA

Early Bird Tickets on Sale

Microsoft’s Surface will be shipping on Friday, and the early reviews are already in.

Short summary? It’s an amazing piece of hardware, with desperately bad flaws in its operating system and app ecosystem.

It’s also an amazingly diverse crop of opinions for a single piece of hardware. Clearly, Microsoft has created something surprisingly new, and no one quite agrees on how to evaluate it yet.

Still, do you want one? Probably not.

Every reviewer praises the sophistication and originality of the hardware. Everyone is impressed with how sturdy and clicky the kickstand is. Nobody likes the two cameras (one front-facing and one rear-facing), which take mediocre pictures and are slow besides.

But after that, opinions diverge. Are the optional keyboards (the $120 Touch Cover, which includes a touchscreen keyboard, and the $130 Type Cover, which has actual keys) easy to type on or not? Is the Windows 8 operating system a delight to use or a confusion? Is the lack of Windows RT apps a temporary problem or a huge impediment? Should you just wait for the heavier Surface Pro that’s coming in a few months and will run the full version of Windows 8? Is the battery life impressive or disappointing? You won’t find a definitive answer in these reviews.

One thing does seem clear, however: Windows RT, the OS that this version of the Surface runs, needs apps, bad. No Twitter. No Pandora. No Facebook. Without these major apps, you might be hard-pressed to find something to do with the tablet besides browse the web and play with the Start screen’s cool, colorful tiles.

Here are the highlights of the major reviews, with links to each.

David Pogue, New York Times:

You’d have to be fairly coldblooded to keep your pulse down the first time you see the Surface: its beauty, its potential, its instant transformation from table to PC. How incredible that this bold, envelope-pushing design came from Microsoft, a company that for years produced only feeble imitations of other companies’ fresh ideas.

And how ironic that what lets the Surface down is supposedly Microsoft’s specialty: software.

The Times praises the Surface hardware, from its crisp design and its expandability (USB port, video-out port, memory card slot) to its excellent Type Cover keyboard. But Windows RT is a let-down, with the inability to run the millions of Windows apps out there and just a tiny number of compatible apps in the Windows Store.

Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal:

Microsoft’s Surface is a tablet with some pluses: the major Office apps and nice, optional keyboards. If you can live with its tiny number of third-party apps, and somewhat disappointing battery life, it may give you the productivity some miss in other tablets.

The WSJ review calls the Surface “historic,” rightly, because it is Microsoft’s first computing device. But the review proceeds to ho-hum the whole experience: Despite some high points (nice hardware, good keyboards) the list of disappointments is long: poor cameras, a screen that doesn’t measure up to the iPad’s resolution, a lack of apps, and “mediocre” battery life: Just seven hours.

Mat Honan, Wired:

This is one of the most exciting pieces of hardware I’ve ever used. It is extremely well-designed; meticulous even. …  It is a new thing, in a new space, and likely to confuse many of Microsoft’s longtime customers. … But overall it’s quite good; certainly better than any full-size Android tablet on the market. And once the application ecosystem fleshes out, it’s a viable alternative to the iPad as well.

Wired found the two keyboard covers worked great as keyboards, but not so well as covers — they had a tendency to come open. He was smitten by the operating system, and found it easy to use and even addictive. But the lack of apps troubled him.

Wired did blind, side-by-side tests of the Surface display compared with the iPad’s Retina display. Testers preferred the Surface for watching HD video, slightly, but vastly preferred the iPad for reading text.

Sam Biddle, Gizmodo:

The Surface is instantly more charming than any Windows device that’s come before it. It’s nearly the perfect size, and the form is almost beyond reproach. If you want a tablet, use it like a tablet. If you want a laptop, use it like a laptop. Both modes seem right, like a genuine seachange step forward.

On the other hand, the Surface is undermined by a lot of flaws. The Touch Cover is “a letdown” and costs more than $100 extra. Windows RT is disappointing and feels like a “tundra” with major apps missing — like Facebook and Twitter. There’s no image-editing software. Office is a limited beta, and the desktop mode is a “cruel tease” because you can’t install any Windows software there. Should you buy the Surface? Gizmodo concludes with a flat No.

Joshua Topolsky, The Verge:

Overall, Microsoft has designed a beautiful tablet that’s unfortunately more functional as a laptop… on a desk. The styling and components are incredibly well made and high quality, but the form factor isn’t svelte or small enough to really come across as a true hybrid.

The Surface does not seem like a better tablet than the iPad or the Nexus 7 (the two best products in the category as of this writing). Even though it has a very unique and useful interface, and lots of hooks into Microsoft’s ecosystem, it still lacks the polish and apps of those two devices.

The Verge is disappointed that the Surface’s touchscreen capabilities are only able to register five points at a time — just one hand’s worth of fingers — while the iPad can register 11 separate touches simultaneously (one for each finger, plus your nose). Performance-wise, the basic OS seemed snappy and responsive, but it “seemed to bog down” when opening more apps and demanding more of them.

Little things were lacking: For instance, Microsoft’s Mail app isn’t stable, and doesn’t handle threading very well.

Jon Phillips, PC World:

The build quality throughout Surface RT is sturdy and confident, and exudes the same kind of austere precision we find in German performance cars. … Playing with Surface RT for a week is like eating Spanish tapas for the first time after a lifetime consuming only American food (iOS gear) or east-Asian fare (Android gear). Surface RT—and the Windows RT system it taps into—is zesty, zippy, playful, and different. But it also takes some getting used to, especially if you’re not adventuresome.

In an HTML5 benchmark, the Surface delivered top results, posting a frame rate of 6.9 frames per second, beating all other tablets the magazine tested. PC World found the Surface’s battery lasted for 9 hours of continuous HD playback. But while the hardware wowed PC World, they came away nonplussed by the lack of apps and the “spooky” lack of utility in the vestigial traditional Windows desktop, which runs Office — and nothing else, because the Surface RT won’t run x86 apps made for previous versions of Windows.

Tim Stevens, Engadget:

It really is lovely to plug in a USB drive and start dragging and dropping files. Or, feel free to connect that comfortable keyboard you’ve been using for a decade, or that old tank of an HP LaserJet that’s still doing the business after all these years.

The Surface is a slate upon which you can get some serious work done, and do so comfortably. You can’t always say that of the competition. It’s in the other half of the equation, that of the content consumption and entertainment, where the Surface is currently lacking.

Engadget used a JavaScript benchmark that delivered respectable results, more than twice as good as the latest (third-generation) iPad, and found the Surface lasted for nearly 10 hours in a battery rundown test.

Joanna Stern, ABC:

The Surface is full of potential, but until its software performance and apps are as strong as its hardware, I, unfortunately, will still drag both a laptop and an iPad through security.

ABC liked the Surface hardware overall, and even praised the Touch Keyboard as more “fun” than the Type Keyboard. However, the software — while promising — can get “sluggish” when running multiple apps or when typing in the tablet’s version of Microsoft Word. Also, ABC found the lack of compatible apps frustrating.

Peter Bright, Ars Technica:

The big problem Microsoft has is that right now it doesn’t matter how good Surface is. The decision on whether or not to buy depends not on Surface itself, but on Windows RT. The only third-party applications that will run on Windows RT are those that use the Metro interface and are distributed through the Windows Store. At the moment, there just aren’t that many applications, and many of the ones that exist are mediocre.

Ars Technica delivers what is probably the most in-depth review of the Surface hardware available, with extreme attention to detail. The review only glancingly covers Windows RT, but like other reviewers, acknowledges the shortcomings in the ecosystem. The review concludes that your willingness to purchase the Surface is dependent on how much confidence you have in the future of that ecosystem.

Ed Bott, ZDNet:

The Windows RT-powered Surface will not replace your desktop PC or your full-strength notebook. It is, instead, an ideal companion device for a Windows PC, with great mobility. It is powerful enough that it alone can handle most work and play duties, even on an extended business trip or vacation.

ZDNet’s review is the most positive of the bunch, calling it “drop-dead gorgeous” and praising its battery life, display, keyboards, and operating system. While acknowledging the shortage of apps, ZDNet says “this is a product that will get better with age,” and concludes with an unambiguous “enthusiastically recommended.”

(Updated 10/24 with ABC, Ars Technica, and ZDNet reviews, and removed reference to Evernote, which actually is available for Windows RT.)

Top photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired