So, Microsoft is determined to keep going with its Surface devices, with CEO Satya Nadella reassuring OEMs that Redmond does not want to compete with them.
Opening the Surface Pro 3 (SP3) announcement, Nadella said “Our goal is to create new categories and spark new demand for our entire ecosystem. That is what inspires us with our devices and hardware.”
“We don’t want to build hardware, for hardware’s sake,” he said.
Now on the one hand, I’m sure that’s a relief to all those OEM manufacturers who had been chided in the past, by me among others, for their lack of imagination and creativity in the early Windows 8 devices. On the other, it means that Redmond is determined to keep making its own devices as it sees a need for these new categories to be explored outside of the OEM and partner ecosystem. Does that mean that there is an inherent weakness in that ecosystem? Not necessarily.
Just last month, we published our hands-on review of the latest Google Android smart phone, the Nexus 5, kindly donated by Google as our reference device for comparative reviews. Its very existence is testimony to the fact that even a very healthy OEM and partner ecosystem for devices — that of Android smart phones — can benefit from a reasonably priced, well balanced reference device that is free from the pressures faced by any one manufacturer. It is a strategy that has worked well for Google for many years now and there’s nothing to say it will not work equally well for Microsoft.
Now, that said, the major claim for the SP3 is that it is the tablet to replace your laptop, with Panos Panay, corporate vice president for Surface Computing, citing a statistic that said 96% if iPad owners also have a laptop. With a healthy dose of pragmatism, the camera during the announcement then turned to the audience where the front line of journalists all had large fruit-bearing machines sitting on their laps while they looked on. Microsoft has never had a problem in recent years admitting where it is in the market. But Panay went on to demonstrate that the SP3, even with the new Type cover, was still lighter than a 13” MacBook Air, with a greater display area on its 12” screen.
Our goal is to create new categories and spark new demand for our entire ecosystem. That is what inspires us with our devices and hardware. We don’t want to build hardware, for hardware’s sake — Nadella
That’s all very well, but I’m typing this on a Surface Pro 2 with a 22” screen attached, plus various USB attachments, including a wireless keyboard and mouse. It works just fine and when I am out and about I bring my Type keyboard and I pretty much have my full desktop with me wherever I go. But it’s on a small screen and with a keyboard and trackpad experience that isn’t quite laptop or hybrid spec. But, I’m used to it and have adapted. Why then, I ask, would SP2 owners plump for an SP3? There are already 8GB RAM, 512GB storage options and Core i5 versions, so what will tempt me?
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