[DUG] Windows Surface

[Jolyon Direnko-Smith]

Completely off topic but...

I got a 1st Gen Surface RT when Microsoft sold off their tax write off
stock.  I picked up a 64GB model with touch typing cover for $273 (NZ)
delivered!  I got it just to play with/as a devtest rig, but quickly came
to love it.

They were a huge missed opportunity ... for the market.  Microsoft had a
great product but the market (or rather the market commentators) didn't
"get" it.  Sure, you couldn't run all Windows desktop apps on them, but you
can't run all Windows desktop apps on an Android tablet or iPad either.
You can't even run OS X apps on an iPad.  Not even an iPad Pro.  So that
argument clearly has nothing to do with the success/failure of these
things.  At least not for the users/consumers of those massively successful
devices.

The apps that it did have were as good - and in some cases FAR better -
than the same apps on the other platforms.  And it did run Office.  Worth
pointing out is that those RT devices ran Windows 8 and latterly 8.1, not
10.

As good as the Surface Pro range may be (debatable), the one thing that the
RT had over ANY of the competition was truly amazing battery life which
none of the Pro's come even close to.   That might sound like a
non-feature, but it meant not being tethered to a charger or at least not
having to panic if you couldn't see a charging opportunity at some point on
the very near horizon.

Sure you can run all Windows desktop apps on those things, but all Windows
desktop apps are not designed to run on a tablet so being able to do so is
mostly an exercise in frustrated stabbing at the screen with a finger you
are desperately trying to pinch to form an accurate pointing tip.

But it was mostly the tech press that saw the lack of Win32 support as a
"problem" and using "number of app" in the store as a key metric rather
than the quality or relevance of the apps that were available.  And in
writing the devices off on those points put people off from even giving
them a fair crack.

They failed to SELL - they didn't sell but then get returned by masses of
disappointed customers.


On 13 December 2016 at 18:58, John Bird <johnkbird at paradise.net.nz> wrote:

> At first they came out in 2 flavours,  full WIndows 10 version on Intel
> type CPU.
>
> Also a “lite” cut down second model that ran only WIndows RT (on an ARM
> processor I think).   and had Windows 10 and Office cross compiled to it,
> and only ran universal Apps from the Windows Store, of which there are not
> so many.    I get the impression this flavour died a natural death,   was
> probably too little demand for it, with iPads and Chromebooks in the same
> space.
>
> The Surface Pro (full versions) have always had pretty good press.
>
> *From:* Jeremy Coulter
> *Sent:* Tuesday, December 13, 2016 8:36 AM
> *To:* NZ Borland Developers Group - Delphi List
> *Subject:* Re: [DUG] Windows Surface
>
> I just asked what version of the Surface it is.....turne out its a Surface
> BOOK and these have just come out and will be fine. They are basically a
> laptop....agh.....Thanks anyway.
>
> Jeremy
>
> On Tue, Dec 13, 2016 at 8:28 AM, Robo <robo555 at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/2858199
>>
>> Recent Windows Surface uses Intel x64 and regular Windows. It can run
>> most software designed for regular Windows. I say the best option now would
>> be to test it.
>>
>> Robo
>>
>> On Mon, Dec 12, 2016 at 8:16 PM, Jeremy Coulter <jscoulter at gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi all.
>>> Just wondering if anyone has had any experience with Windows Surface's
>>> and if you can run native Win32 App's on them, i.e. Delphi app's.
>>> I have a customer who uses Mac's and I told them to get Parallels and a
>>> Windows 10 Lic, which works fine, and he told me he purchased a Windows
>>> Surface! so I need to find out the above so if need be he can take it
>>> back....agh.....
>>>
>>> Thanks, Jeremy
>>>
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>>
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