{"id":4498,"date":"2012-07-04T06:01:49","date_gmt":"2012-07-04T05:01:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/?p=4498"},"modified":"2012-07-01T19:03:35","modified_gmt":"2012-07-01T18:03:35","slug":"what-is-underneath-the-surface","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/desire\/what-is-underneath-the-surface\/","title":{"rendered":"What is underneath the Surface?"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Microsoft announced the Surface and Elysium Magazine was impressed. The Padlet (PC – tablet) looks fantastic and received a positive reaction from the \u201cearly adopters\u201d. Elysium Magazine looks at the Surface to establish whether or not this is the future of mobile computing. Lets start with the basics….<\/p>\n


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What is the Microsoft Surface?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Surface is the name Microsoft’s chosen for its own-brand line of tablets, powered by the new Windows 8. There will be two versions, both of which have 10.6-inch screens, and pop-out kickstands at the back.<\/p>\n

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The first Surface model will run Windows RT, the tablet-based version of Windows 8, alongside an ARM processor. It’s 9.3mm thick and weighs 676g, with a chunky 32GB or 64GB of storage.<\/p>\n

The second Surface (Pro) model runs Windows 8 Pro, and has an Intel Core i5 Ivy Bridge processor, as well as 64GB or 128GB of storage. As a result the hardware makes it a bit thicker at 13.5mm, and heavier at 903g.<\/p>\n

The RT version won’t have access to the full Windows desktop, so you’ll be stuck with the touch-friendly interface. The Pro version gets the whole Windows experience, but will likely be more expensive.<\/p>\n

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A Tablet with a keyboard?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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The Surface features a choice of two screen covers which attach magnetically and fold down to reveal a slick looking keyboard. The cover has touch-sensitive keys and is 3mm thick. A 5mm Type Cover is also available and is bound to be less reactive and sensitive.<\/p>\n


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Screen specs rival the new iPad?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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There are no confirmed specifications on the screen display as yet but Microsoft is describing the regular version as boasting an ‘HD Display’ while the Pro edition has a ‘Full HD Display’. That likely means the starter option has a 1,280×720-pixel resolution, while the Pro should be an impressive 1,920 x 1,080 pixels.<\/p>\n

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Both resolutions are brilliant but not even close to the new iPad’s 2,048 x 1,536 retina display. What we do know is that the 10.6-inch screen has a 16:9 aspect ratio which Microsoft are keen to shout about; this mean it will be fantastic for watching movies sans black bars.<\/p>\n


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3G connectivity?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Microsoft has not made any official announcements on connectivity but Bloomberg has reported that the Surface will only ship as Wi-Fi only models. While there is no confirmed reports, the sources used by Bloomberg are said to be reliable – what will this mean to the market?<\/p>\n

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Price<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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Again, no official price for the Surface but rumours all over the web have suggested, the Surface will\u00a0 be priced around \u00a3500 for the the Pro, while the Windows RT-based model will be around \u00a3380.<\/p>\n

The Wi-Fi versions of the iPad are priced at \u00a3399 for the 16GB model, \u00a3479 for the 32GB and \u00a3559 for the 64GB.<\/p>\n

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Conclusion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

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The Surface looks the part, with great hardware options it is a real contender to replace dull laptops. They still pack a punch but at this stage appear to be pitched at a different market than the iPad. The Surface appears to be a cross between a Ultra-book and a tablet which means it may only appeal to techies rather than the mass market which have fallen in love with the iPad.<\/p>\n

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While Elysium Magazine is seriously impressed with the Surface, Microsoft may find that it cleans the floor with the likes of other Android based tablets but may still have a tough time against the iPad. Microsoft missed a trick when it revealed the Surface recently – so many people were impressed and it was featured heavily as the next best thing – there is still no release date! Although Microsoft remains cutting edge and innovative, it still has a lot to learn from Apple.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Microsoft announced the Surface and Elysium Magazine was impressed. The Padlet (PC – tablet) looks fantastic and received a positive reaction from the \u201cearly adopters\u201d. Elysium Magazine looks at the Surface to establish whether or not this is the future of mobile computing. Lets start with the basics….<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4505,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false,"jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false}}},"categories":[269,270],"tags":[3701,845,847,846,848,347,402,542],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/07\/Microsoft-Surface-tablet-008.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4498"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4498"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4498\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4505"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4498"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4498"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.elysium-uk.com\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4498"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}