The Surface as I see it

     The Microsoft Surface is a very unique being that was launched a few weeks back and it took the entire tech world by storm. There were many questions left answered and unanswered and everyone had mixed views when leaving MILK studios. The Surface has two variants: 1 Surface RT which is launched at the same time as Windows 8. Most likely we will see the Surface and Windows 8 at some kind of event with Windows Phone 8 and probably have some other ground breaking news like Windows 8 will launch with 100,000 apps (for WP8 and Windows 8/RT). 2 Is the Surface Pro which will be launched three months after the Windows 8 launch with (speculating) the new Xbox 720/8 machine. The Surface machines have their own dedicated website surface.com with some specs and a gallery of photos. So far we have only seen two "accessories" that look like they will come with the devices depending on which one you buy. The Surface RT looks like it will get the touch cover that comes in five different colors that works like a big tablet with a slightly raised surface that the keys you touch with no tactile feedback. Then the Surface Pro looks to come with their innovative type cover that is a little thicker and comes with keys that provide a tactile feedback and only in black. Also the Surface Pro will come with a Wacom active digitizer that looks buttery smooth in action. So if you really want the full Windows 8/7 side with an intel core i5 processor and unknown amount of RAM the Windows 8 Pro running Surface Pro is really the best out there. There is no flex from the magnesium made casing and they are both super slim considering they both sport USB ports. Also the MagSafe connector can (as per a patent) not only charge the device but transfer files. The Surface is a halo device. 

     The Surface is made to force other OEMs to make better devices than what is currently out there to beat Apple at their own game. The Surface is the epitome of quality and beauty in a slim and functional shell. The surface is very impressive and the specs are very good. The one thing is price. Everyone has their own quote and since it is a premium product it will be at a premium price. I think the RT version will go for $499 for the 32GB version to try and undercut the Ipad. The RT 64GB will roll at $599. The Pro 64GB will be $699 also beating the Ipad competition and the 128GB model will go for $799. The touch covers will come with the RT versions and the type cover will come with the Pro models. Of course this is all speculation, but isn't that what everyone else is doing?

Our Precious Ecosystems

     Many people think that the recently revealed Surface and the just released Nexus 7 are nothing more than Halo generating products that are aimed for pushing OEM's to make better products not necessarily market share is a farce. The Nexus 7 and the Surface are poised to take two different markets. They both feature the luxury of full compatibly with their respective app markets and a high quality build and a relatively low price for their markets. Recently revealed is that the Android army consists of 400 million Android devices + compared to 350 million IOS devices and a small number of Blackberry devices and  Symbian and relatively few Windows Phones. I foresee the Blackberry market losing business share to Windows Phone/Windows 8 and the IOS kingdom under attack from the Android advance. Even if Windows 8 fails sadly Linux will not rise to the top even though Android is Linux at her core. Today at the Google I/O conference they announced 600 million apps in the Google Play store and a new magazine and movie store with movie rentals and tv series which will defiantly rival that of the 550 million app packing Itunes store which also features newsstand for magazines, and sells movies like the Google Play market. Microsoft will integrate the Zune software into Windows 8 and currently features movies, music, podcasts, but no book store (possible B&N integration but that is speculative) and no magazine store. The biggest seller to the general public is an ecosystem which Google looks like it has it all wrapped up. The Nexus 7 which will be up for pre-order soon and features a kindle fire like look with a 1280x800 IPS display and a tegra 3 core and most important Android 4.1 jelly bean. This device will be the one to beat in the current 7 inch market recently dominated by the Kindle fire in price and the Galaxy tab 7.7 tab in quality and I think the Surface will knock the Ipad off of its pedestal where whenever you have a review people will say it is better than the Ipad, but I think in quality and design will compare their devices to the Surface even though it is a tough act to follow. The IOS ecosystem is expanding at a quick rate and the Google Play ecosystem is at an even faster rate and the Blackberry system is dwindling and the Microsoft system is emerging into a viable contender.