“How ironic would it be if the iPad becomes the dominant mass market computer and the Surface becomes the one for artists?” John Gruber once asked. I have no crystal ball, but I love seeing Microsoft exploring new hardware to push the tablet form factor. Here they asked students at Art Center in Pasadena to design new “blades” that snap onto & extend a Surface tablet:
You can find more info on The Verge, plus a longer version of the video here. [Via Jerry Harris]
John Gruber is off base, and this was just more MS BS–just more fluff about a mediocre product.
The Surface is just another pee cee in tablet clothing, which misses the elegant concept of “tablet” as successfully presented by Apple years ago.
They laughed and scoffed until the iPad started selling like crazy.
At least these kids aren’t dancing around in an MS or an MS retail store.
But a fast-cut video which shows exactly nothing does little or nothing to make Surface into anything more than another MS failed project.
Daniel,
I use a Surface Pro daily. Why? There is nothing else like it on the market for creatives. Full stop. Battery life on the first gen is nothing to write home about but Gen 2 has doubled that and MS has shown they are willing to take feed back and reach out to creatives.
Ironically the one area you bash MS for is the one area that they are getting a lot of praise. Of all critics of the Surface never complained about was the design, what MS managed to squeeze into the form factor of the tablet is amazing. Include the Wacom pen then you do have a tool that can help use Fresh Paint or Photoshopp to quickly draw and distribute concepts. Also OneNote is the best note taking program on any platform.
If you want Apple to continue to lock you into their eco-system fine, but don’t blinker yourself to what MS is offering here. They are not perfect but Surface isn’t a flop as the media makes it out to be. Plus MS has been in the tablet game a lot longer than Apple. The final point is that the Surface RT / 2 isn’t another PC, it’s a ARM based system which breaks the traditional mould of the Windows system.
I’m not blinkered, and I’m not locked into Apple’s ecosystem. I’m there by choice–countless choices, each made freely and enthusiastically over the course of nearly three decades–every time I bought a new Apple product.
I think the Surface products are ugly and “soulless” and I’ve always detested Windoze.
And whoopie-do if some creatives like it. I couldn’t care less.
i think i’d have to agree seems like vapor at best. this is the only really cool thing microsoft has made besides maybe Tad:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BHTUlF7NA2o
Without showing the end designs, or the processes or possibilities the video is very uninspiring.
Some of it is there in the longer version – but the short video is poor.