Welcome to a laptop battery specialist of the IBM Laptop Battery
Microsoft is all but unknown as a hardware brand, and many X-Boxers will recall, that wasn't all that smooth -- the 360 had a slew of problems, early on, that more experienced companies would not have had. And Microsoft is releasing a fairly middle-of-the-road device, not feature stripped, but also a bad value compared to either iOS or Android devices, hardware to hardware. They're counting on the Windows branding, and they may not be wrong. They're also clearly looking for Apple-class profits on their hardware, but at the same time leaving room for OEMs to compete, albeit at much lower profit margins. Then again, while Apple's doing 30% solid profit, HP's down at 5.7% for the same year (2011). So other companies aren't demanding the same profits... maybe it all works out.
Though were I in competition on Windows, I'd release a low cost Intel tablet against Microsoft's ARM with battery like Fujitsu FM-41 Battery, Fujitsu FPCBP83 Battery, Fujitsu Lifebook C2320 Battery, Fujitsu Lifebook C6200 Battery, Fujitsu LifeBook P1510 Battery, Fujitsu FPCBP102 Battery, Fujitsu LifeBook P1610 Battery, Fujitsu LifeBook B6110 Battery, Fujitsu FMVNBP136 Battery, Fujitsu FPCBP112 Battery. At the same MSRP, I'd be making more profit, the end user gets "real" Windows, and Microsoft gets a slap. Sure, Atom tablets won't run real Windows any better than netbooks did, but they'll run it better than RT tablets, and they'll run Metro/WinRT just as well.
If I was still a student I'd get one right away though, its light and its perfect for taking notes in class. It would be much better than carrying the laptop I used a couple years ago. The thing is I work from home and already have my Desktop PC and a Nexus 7 for when I just want to watch TV and check my Emails during commercials.
There's a reason the Surface is getting alot of buzz. It's a GREAT device! It has innovative features, showcases the fluid and fun Windows 8 UI that makes touch a joy to use, and is a great value. Yes it lacks a powerhouse Intel CPU, a "retina-class" screen resolution, and the wide-screen format has some plusses and minuses. But it's a solid and well built machine. I've spend a good chunk of time playing with one at my local Microsoft Store. You can't help but smile when using this thing.
Yes there are some quirks with how you switch into classic desktop mode for Office... but Office 2013 is pretty touch friendly... and it's technically a release preview which will be updated to final version in the next few weeks. All that said, it offers something unique to the tablet market at it's price-point. USB connectivity is huge, as is a micro-SD slot (negating the space issues on the 32GB with OS/Office on the main drive), and synergy with a growing ecosystem that will benefit from MULTIPLE devices being out on the market.
Tablets, touch-laptops, hybrids, all-in-ones, ALL will encourage developers to expand the app-store offerings. I loaded up Windows 8 Pro on my 1-year old Lenovo X220t tablet pc, and it was awesome how it automatically synced with my Windows Phone through the cloud. This is the future, where all your devices act as a single unified experience.
For a 1st generation product, the Surface is a great product. Just think what generation 2 will bring. Intel is in the hot-seat to offer ARM-competitive chips. So while the 1st Generation Surface Pro looks promising, very soon we will have a "Surface Pro" that will be the thickness and lightness of the current Surface RT, and have full compatibility with older apps, etc. A single device that is ultra-portable, and can server as the brains to a larger touch-screen monitor, full keyboard and mouse at home.
Lenovo is just about ready to release something close to this thinner-lighter Surface Pro. Their newest tablet will be super thin, and offer the latest Intel Atom dual-core cpu, and an integrated pen for ink input on top of touch. Thin pen/touch tablet doesn't have a keyboard dock that I've seen. But the point is the level of choice we are being offered. So many interesting devices. 2013 is going to be an exciting year.