Fighting over Surace RT?
Really??? I'm guessing they have yet to actually try and use them... If they knew what they were haggling over, they wouldn't be wasting their breath....
Dixons Retail is currently thrashing out the terms and conditions to flog Microsoft's seemingly little loved Surface RT slab. Sources close to the talks say a deal is on the cards but were unsure if it could be struck before the peak festive sales seasons begins in earnest. "Dixons is likely to get it [Surface] but is still …
*cough* bullshit *cough* apple fanboi *cough*
Pish. Absolute bullshit. Have you even used one?? Or are you just regurgitating the same tired old propaganda arse biscuits as everyone else? I know 3 guys who have the surface and use it every day for work. You know, real, actual work, not just watching porn and playing pointless games. From their experience the only real problem with the Surface is the lack of 3G. Big, big mistake from MS there. Yes, there will eventually be 3G dongles etc but it's a bit stupid and smacks of "look what improvements we've made in version 2"
So yes, there are problems with Surface that can be discussed but please, don't talk drivel just for the sake of it.
I know 3 guys who have the surface and use it every day for work. You know, real, actual work
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Seriously? It doesn't have Outlook and according to zdnet -
"You'd think this would be a no-brainer, but the version of Office that coming on Windows RT-powered tablets expressly forbids its "use in commercial, nonprofit, or revenue-generating activities." It turns out you can only legally use it for business if you have an additional license for "Office 365 ProPlus, Office 365 Small Business Premium, Office Midsize Business or Office 365 Enterprise."
http://www.zdnet.com/businesses-cant-use-office-on-windows-rt-tablets-7000005882/
So I hope they have the appropriate licenses
Good information mate and thanks for pointing that out. We're a Microsoft partner so yes, there will be appropriate licenses but your point highlights my main problem with the Windows 8/Surface and that is consumer education. Too many people jump on a bandwagon without using the OS or hardware but Microsoft have failed miserably in explaining the differences between the platforms and the UI.
But I have used an iPad 3 for quite some time and my wife has an iPad 2 and they both have performance issues of their own. Apps on the iPad can be slow to load and crash too, it's not some mythical, ethereal device, it's a computer with limited processor and memory like every other.
I've not heard that apps are slow to load, I have heard that it uses a fair bit of the available disk space, but it does have a micro SD slot and USB port, which basically makes that irrelevant. What I have heard (and seen) is that it can be dropped, I've seen pictures of Steven Synofski (can't spell) using one as a skateboard, with only added wheels. The point I'm making is that I have heard of lots of iPads (about five or six from my friends and co-workers) where they've had a minor fall and needed a new screen.
I'd rather have tough and avoid cool.
My, Surface fans are a touchy lot. Microsoft have seen to it that it's not easy to try one out if you're interested (hence this article), but there are plenty of well informed reviews that back my position up. Start with Anandtech's for example http://www.anandtech.com/show/6385/microsoft-surface-review/10
App loading 2 to 3 times slower than the iPad. My rule of thumb is always aim to complete normal computing tasks in less than 2 seconds, longer than that and a system feels sluggish.
Disk usage is pretty well documented. A 32GB surface has about the same free space as a 16GB iPad. Micro SD cards aren't a simple fix either. You have to hack things so that the OS thinks that the card is part of primary disk space before you can use it to usefully store your media etc.
The schizophrenic UI is also well documented. Two versions of IE for example, one for Windows Desktop, one for Metro, which can't see each other's data (bookmarks etc)? That's pretty poor.
That's not true, certain issues have been blown out of proportion like the screen resolution (it's not that big of a deal unless you want it to be) but the performance of Surface is horrible compared to an iPad etc. RT competes directly with iPad and Android so it needs to be viable in these areas even if it has other strengths.
Having used one for a while it's equally brilliant and stupid, if only it ran smoothly and had more apps I'd have little hesitation in recommending it.
The demise of soment makes dixons one of the few major outlets, so would naturally increase it's share which surely would make currys and pc world the main seller for retail of surface????
Having used one... Nah, no thanks. My transformer prime widdles all over it. Never mind the ithingys.
DSG getting it?! oh come off it MS. You have how many companies in the channel who've been screaming for it, and the Pro for months and you aren't even attempting to offer us it? We should of all had access to it at the launch of Win8 in October. And now you finally get to act and you're going to give it to DSG who will no doubt go out of there way to load up as much bloat ware that can be possibly found to run on it just so they can tie the poor users into something. I really hope Symantec haven't made a RT version of Norton yet or pitty the poor users who get it off DSG :(
But come on MS, give it to the proper channel, and by that I mean everyone!
MS are playing a long game here, a several years long game. They can't compete with Android or iOS yet, and current apps frankly work better on Win 7, but they are betting on their dominant position to make TIFKAM the GUI people use at work, and the one they see in high street PC vendors over the next few years.
Personally I don't think it *deserves* to work, because they have put the GUI ahead of the applications (you know, the thingies most people actually use a computer for). But I fear it *may* work, due to their close, almost incestuous relationships with corporate/retail customers. Like IBM in the '70s, no-one will get fired for buying MS.