As Surface hits stores in China, Ballmer talks it up while Apple boss calls it ‘compromised, confusing’

Microsoft's new Surface tablet launches on Friday. Ballmer's been singing its praises in various interviews, while Apple boss Tim Cook has been doing what he can to dampen any excitement.

Thanks to the earth’s rotation and the sun’s rays and the time zones and the International Date Line and the general way in which the universe has organized itself, it’s consumers in China who will be among the first to get their hands on Microsoft’s new Surface tablet.

The brand new device, which marks Microsoft’s entry into an already crowded market, launches Friday, along with the Redmond-based company’s new Windows 8 operating system.

Ballmer

In an interview with the BBC this week, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer described the new product launches as an “epic” moment for the company. “It’s right up there in the top two or three big moments, including Windows 95 and the launch of the IBM PC, and it really starts us on this new era of computing,” Ballmer said.

Asked about the Surface, Ballmer gave a perfectly worded answer that sounded like a voiceover for an ad, describing it as “the one device you need for work and for play, that you can just take with you; you can really do what you need to do for school or for your job, you can really enjoy movies, books, entertainment, reading, games, all in one thin, light package – there’ll be nothing like the Surface with Windows 8.”

China

Consumers in China will be among the first to discover if Ballmer’s words are baseless baloney or bang on the money, with many in the country about to tear the packaging off the new tablet in the next few hours.

IDG News reported “hundreds of buyers” lined up outside one particular Beijing electronics store overnight,

One guy waiting in line, Chen Shi, reiterated Ballmer’s comment that the device is for work as well as play. “The tablet supports more software features for office work, things that you would actually use,” he told IDG. “Basically, Microsoft is reinventing the tablet, because now people are used to using their tablets as toys, and only use them to play games. These tablets lack features to do work for the office.”

Cook

Of course, Microsoft is late to the game when it comes to tablets, with Apple’s iPad dominating the market since launch day in 2010, and other big-hitters such as Amazon and Google already in the business. Apple CEO Tim Cook wasted little time in throwing in a few choice comments about Microsoft’s new arrival, telling analysts during an earnings call Thursday that though he hadn’t yet had a chance to use it, he was getting the impression from reviews that Microsoft’s new tablet “is a fairly compromised, confusing product.” But he would say that, wouldn’t he.

It’s the opinions of ordinary consumers that really matter, and these will soon begin filling forums across the Web. Only then will we have a better idea if the Surface is going to sink or swim. Or simply be used as a skateboard.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Steve Ballmer suggests Surface tablet will be priced similar to the iPad

Steve Ballmer hinted that Microsoft's yet-to-be-released Surface tablet would most likely fall within the same price range as Apple's iPad.

Squashing our collective dreams of a $200 Surface tablet, Microsoft CEO Steven Ballmer implied a price more comparable to the iPad than the Kindle Fire in a recent interview with Seattle Times.

Ballmer said the “sweet spot” for the PC market runs somewhere between $300 and $800. Not exactly a concrete price for the company’s first Windows 8 tablet, but at least it’s a ballpark number — even if it varies by $500.

Microsoft’s CEO elaborates on his opinions of budget-minded tablets in the interview:

“I think most people would tell you that the iPad is not a superexpensive device. … (When) people offer cheaper, they do less. They look less good, they’re chintzier, they’re cheaper.

If you say to somebody, would you use one of the 7-inch tablets, would somebody ever use a Kindle (Kindle Fire, $199) to do their homework? The answer is no; you never would. It’s just not a good enough product. It doesn’t mean you might not read a book on it….”

We’re not surprised Microsoft is holding off on naming a specific price for its upcoming tablet. Having an undisclosed price provides a market advantage, a chance to see what the iPad Mini will cost if its released next month. Then Microsoft can release the Surface with a competitive price that truly reflects the market.

Right now, you can get an iPad for anywhere between $400 to $800, depending on which generation, storage size, and connectivity options you choose. Based on this pricing, our guess would have the Surface RT priced around the lower side of the iPad pricing. Meanwhile, the Surface Pro — aimed at a more professional market — would cap out near the high-end of that spectrum.

If Microsoft wanted to be extra gutsy, it could always undercut the iPad and price the base model of the Surface RT at less than $400, but more than $200. That way it could still be marketed as a superior product to 7-inch tablets — as Ballmer seems to want — while still being more affordable than the cheapest iPad.

Regardless of pricing, however, Ballmer seems to have complete faith in the success of Windows 8 as a whole.

“I’m not paid to have doubts. (Laughs.) I don’t have any. It’s a fantastic product,” Ballmer told Seattle Times in the same interview.

What do you think the ideal price for Microsoft’s Surface tablet would be? Do you think it will be a success no matter what it’s priced at?

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Microsoft gives away Surface RT tablets, Windows Phone 8 devices and Windows PCs to employees

Microsoft just decided to go Santa Claus on all its full-time employees. At the annual Microsoft employee event, CEO Steve Ballmer announced that each of the 90,000 or so full-time employees will be getting a host of freebies, including a Surface RT tablet, Windows Phone 8 device and a Windows PC.

This is not the first time Microsoft decided to lavishly appraise its employees. The last time they did this was when Windows Phone 7 was announced and each employee received a free device.

Regarding the Windows Phone 8 device, it’s not clear which one it would be but it’s not hard to guess that it mostly like be the Lumia 920. As for the Window PC, it could be a desktop PC, a notebook or a tablet. Engadget even has a picture sent by a Microsoft employee who received a Lenovo tablet running Windows 8.

Giving away your devices to such a large number of people has its advantages. For starters the employees are up to speed with the offerings of the company and are in a better position to show off their advantages to other people. This is an easy way to let a lot of people try out your device and thus increase your prospective buyers. Of course, it also increases the goodwill among the employees.

Of course the regular folks will have to wait till October to get their hands on any of these devices.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com