Surface Pro Coming February 9th

I am trying very hard to contain my excitement..........looks like it is working.

too heavy for me. I like my Surface RT though.

Way too expensive for me. 

Yeah, I really enjoy mine as well.

  I have an Asus Vivo Tablet which is also Win8 RT and I absolutely love it! It is even changing the way I do business with Office pre-installed and full SkyDrive integration for the first time ever when I am on a job site I can effectively modify an invoice or write a change order when a customer asks for a change while in the feild.

  In the past I would have to go back to the office or call in a change order not to mention that I would then have to wait till my next arrival before presenting the customer a bill. Now I make the changes email it to them while on site they have a copy and so do I ,if a hard copy is requested it can be mailed out .This process has already saved me $200 in fuel in the last 2 weeks .

BRAD IS THERE ANY HOPE OF ANYTHING STARDOCK FOR RT ?

At least a something to change the APP Screen background PLEASE!

It has been explained to me that Microsoft is very restrictive on what goes in the store and this I understand .....So I started writing my own .dll to change the App screen background which while I am having some success a new one would have to be made for each wallpaper group.

Thank you

Harley

Agreed.  Plus I think the RT tablet is the perfect marriage with a Windows Phone 8 device. 

Also the reduced battery life of the PRO (due to the more powerful proc and higher screen res etc.) is not worth it in my opinion.  Anything that I could see myself needing more horsepower for than the RT is capable of delivering can wait to be run on my Win8 Pro desktop!

For someone who lives on the bleeding edge and loves to embrace new releases/technologies, I find this somewhat surprising. Given the increased business opportunities with the pro version, such as live demonstrations of unreleased games/Stardock betas while on the road, I figured you'd be one of the very first to order a Surface Pro. 

Oh, and don't blame me for the expense now the seed has been planted... it'll be your responsibility if you nurture then harvest it.

While I can agree with you to some extent and see Surface RT being more than adequate for most users, I believe businessmen would see the pro version as a godsend.  It would be less bulky than an Ultrabook, yet with similar processing power and memory and able to perform complex tasks with complex programs.   For example, a graphic artist could take examples of his/her work to clients and make requested adjustments with full versions of Photoshop/Paintshop Pro right there and then... something a Surface RT would not enable them to do.  Similarly, a software developer [as alluded to above] could take working versions to demonstrate rather than a mere video of the same.

So yes, the pro version will have a place in computing, though probably more for business persons and high-end hobbyists with cash to burn... cos at that frakkin' price I dunno it's for me.  The ability to install what the heck I want appeals to me greatly, so the pro version would be my natural choice but the $900 price point would likely see me settling for the RT, which I've recently seen going for $465 AUD with a couple of traders.  It will still be a while before I can afford one anyway, so it could be that I'll pick one up cheaper again when the time comes.

I am a businessman, and while I had initially considered waiting for the Surface Pro here are some reasons why I didn't.

The RT does everything my Windows Phone 8 handset does and for me (the type of business I'm in) that is more than enough.

The RT has excellent battery life (for a tablet).  Getting a tablet that would have around a quarter of the battery life of my phone didn't seem like a good 'marriage' at all.

I do understand however that some businessmen (in other business than myself) would see a need to do the things you mentioned above.  In those cases however I would wonder why they wouldn't just wait for a Lenovo HELIX or something like that which in my opinion is actually better than the Surface Pro.

In my opinion, the Surface RT is pretty much the (intended use of) tablet MS had in mind.  The Pro version is in my opinion sort of a shot at appeasing the crowd unhappy with RT's 'limitations' and in such a case there are other manufacturers who do it better.

Just my 2 cents...

Like I said, I can see how the Surface RT would be more than ample for many business people, but I also see how it would be lacking for others and why the shorter battery life of the pro version would not be too great an issue. I mentioned graphic artists and software developers as being two types of professional who might opt for a Surface Pro, and in their line of work they are likely to have access to power wherever they may go to demonstrate their work.  So yeah, there's obviously room and a need for both.  However, I do not see the pro version as being there to appease anyone unhappy with RT's limitations. 

No, I see the pro version being offered as an alternative to the laptop/ultrabook market.  It has all the power and features of an ultrabook yet it is lighter, more compact and less cumbersome.  More to the point, it offers greater features and convenience off the shelf than an iPad, in either tablet or ultrabook mode... and whether or not there are other manufacturers who "do it better", I believe the Surface Pro will appeal to many who like the wider screen [over that of competitors] and prefer its greater freedom of use over the RT.

...my tuppence worth.

Better batteries will probably come along... or a niche market created for a solar "charging case" like those for iPhones, etc. 

Ah....'cloud computing' takes on a whole new meaning.....

"sorry...I can't work at the moment...a cloud is blocking my recharge...." ...;)

Hehe, that's typical of Melburnian weather, init... cloudy one day, overcast the next.

That's just it though......when I said other manufacturers are "doing it better" it is in fact so.  You say the 'wider screen'?  The Samsung Ativ Smart PC for instance actually has a bigger screen, the Asus VivoTab has extra battery life built into the keyboard dock.  The Lenovo Helix can attach the tablet to the keyboard 'backwards' among other features etc.  When comparing the specs of the Surface Pro with those of the other similar Win8 Pro devices available it appears to be outclassed by the competition at the moment and that is why I said what I said.

I guess what I'm saying is that anyone in business needing more than the Surface RT has to offer will likely bypass the Surface Pro and get into something the competition has to offer.  I have already seen same with a few of my clients for whom the RT just wasn't enough.

No thanks.

I have no doubt that hardware manufacturers such as Samsung can build better devices than Microsoft, who is primarily a software developer who's now delving into the realm of hardware.  However, those 'other' devices will have higher price points than Surface Pro, and thus I believe it will gain a market advantage with budget buyers and the like.

Yes, while most 'large' tablets have a 10.1" screen with a 16.4 aspect ratio, the Surface has a 10.6" screen without increasing height, thus making it wider than most and supposedly better for viewing widescreen video content with its 16.9 aspect ratio.  Now while the Samsung Win 8 tablets boast a screen size of 11.1", the entire tablet itself is just 11.1" across, which suggests its screen is roughly the same size as the Surface display.

The thing is, I like Samsung products and have a few of them ranging from a 42" TV down to a 200gb HDD, and I like the look of their tablets, but with a starting price of $1,199.99 for the Win 8 Pro series, I would likely go with a Surface Pro at $899 if I were going that way.  I've seen the specs and a video presentation of Surface Pro and I quite like it as a tablet/laptop replacement, but given it's price I may just have to settle for the RT version anyhow, despite how much I'd like to be in control over what I can install. At the end of the day, a Surface RT would give me greater options and freedom than my current Android tablet, so it wouldn't necessarily be a sacrifice if I can't have a Surface Pro.

I wouldn't necessarily refer to 'businessmen' and/or 'developers' as 'budget buyers'.....

 So you are referring to the screen resolution then which I referenced earlier in this thread.    

Your initial argument however was that businessmen and the like would go for it.  My only point in all of this wasn't that the Surface Pro wasn't going to sell, just that the (in my opinion) target market for MS tablets was/is more likely to either go with the RT or if indeed a businessman requiring 'better specs' shelling out (yes sometimes substantially) more money and going with the competition.

I'm sure either (RT or Pro) would suit most just fine.  I just feel those looking for more than the RT will have incentive to look elsewhere instead of stopping at the Pro.

Maybe not the corporate set, but there are small businessmen who still have to work to a budget, and many of the Surface Pro alternatives are up around $1500 to $1900 and not so affordably priced.  And then there are the 'digital' hobbyists and freelancers who'd more likely opt for a more reasonably priced device to ply their trades, and compared to the alternatives, Surface Pro would certainly fit the bill.

No, I was referring to screen size in inches and the aspect ratios... then saying the specs suggest that the Samsung devices do not have a larger screen after all.

My initial thought was that Surface Pro would suit/appeal to various smaller businessmen due to its price being $400 and more below competitors offerings... and despite being 400 bucks or more cheaper, it's not too shabby, either.... as a tablet and/or a less-chunky laptop replacement.  I see the RT version selling better than the Pro because it offers more than enough for the average user, but Pro will sell well enough to those looking for more but not at a premium price.