Consensus seems to be Microsoft will subsidize the Xbox One if you sign up for a Xbox Live subscription. I love Xbox, but it’s always bothered me that I have to pay $50 just to connect to the Web. It also doesn’t help that Microsoft still isn’t being entirely clear on the Internet connection requirements.
Pathetic.
Also, people don’t like sedans because they don’t have a saddle.
What it looks like when you search “Facebook” in the Windows Phone app store.
Good one from my colleague Jay Yarow. And he uses, you know, real data.
Even better, we’ll probably get to actually see the console.
Achievement unlocked. (He’s one of my newest followers!)
The Microsoft discounts are particularly tailored for portables with small displays that would likely appear this fall, these people said.
Such discounts could help reduce the price and increase the appeal of laptop computers running Windows 8, which was released last fall and offers a new touch-based computer interface. Analysts say sales have been slow, hobbled in part by the lack of devices equipped with the kind of touch-based displays that are common on tablets.
To be fair, it sounds like Microsoft is only discounting Windows 8 licenses for smaller tablets. It’s also possible this is actually for the new Windows Blue we’ve been hearing about lately.
Loving everything about the Bill Gates AMA.
Watch it, and you’ll have no idea what this thing does. Or how it’s any different than the Surface RT.
Lots of complaints that some retail locations (Best Buy, Staples) only had a handful of units on launch day. Or none at all.
Me:
…the problem is Microsoft is trying too hard to bring us the future today, and technology hasn’t caught up with an ambitious product like the Surface Pro. The Surface Pro had the potential to be as disruptive to desktop computing as the iPhone was to mobile phones, but in order to get it out the door within a reasonable period of time following the Windows 8 launch last fall, Microsoft had to fudge key features that people really care about such as battery life.
But that’s a small added value for a laptop replacement that doesn’t do a great job at replacing your laptop.
You can’t rest the Surface Pro comfortably on your lap without it flopping around. You can ‘t adjust the angle of the screen when it’s propped on a table with the built in kickstand. You need to spend at least another $100 to get the full laptop-like experience with one of the special keyboard covers. At 10 inches, the screen feels a bit small for traditional desktop computing. The cheapest model only has 23 GB of free storage, so you’ll have to buy a separate memory card because you’ll definitely need more than that.
And 83 GB for the top-of-the-line model. Not a great value for a wonky device Microsoft markets as an alternative to your regular laptop.
