Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 and Announcement Highlights

Astro551 on 24/09/2013 - 01:38
Last edited 24/09/2013 - 07:53

Microsoft announcess Surface 2 with Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor, a 1080p display, and a new two-stage kickstand while Surface Pro 2 with updated kickstand and Haswell processor.

On 10/22, the products will launch in 21 markets.

Surface Pro 2

  • The Surface Pro 2 has the same 10.6" 1920x1080 pixels ClearType display like its predecessor, but this time with 46% better color accuracy and record low reflectivity
  • The new Surface Pro 2 is equipped with Haswell - 75% improvement, or north of eight hours endurance
  • 64/4GB RAM | 128GB/4GB RAM | 256GB/8GB RAM | 512GB/8GB RAM options
  • Weight: ~0.9kg
  • 200GB SkyDrive Storage
  • Best of Skype
  • $889

Surface 2

  • 10.6-inch 1920 x 1080 w/ Improved Color Accuracy
  • NVIDIA Tegra 4 (1.7GHz)
  • USB 3.0
  • Weight: ~0.675kg
  • Surface 2 owners get 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years.
  • Best of Skype
  • "We're selling Surface 2 at $449."

Accessories

  • The Power Cover works a lot like last year's Type Cover - it provides 30Wh of additional juice, adding 150% more battery life to the device (12 hours when you use them together).
  • While the first Touch Cover had 80 sensors, the Touch Cover 2 has 1,092.
  • Surface Remix Project - a cover dedicated to musicians

"Best of Skype" info here: http://blogs.skype.com/2013/09/23/the-best-of-skype-is-now-a…

Comments
I'm excited, I think Surface Pro 2 brings a lot of improvements to all the stuff people raised about the older one (batt life mainly, I'm not sure how the kickstand will play out but definitely keen for the hands on videos). The new features seem quite aggressive - SkyDrive Storage, Best of Skype, Screen improvements. I know a lot of these won't appeal to people, but I think it's good to know Microsoft is trying to cater for a range of people.

Surface 2 on the other hand I'm not so sure. Priced at $449, you can get get the Asus T-100 Baytrail with KB dock for $349. But I think it isn't fair to compare W8 with RT. But even so, if their aim is to take on Android and iOS it seems MSFT have some work to do. They really need to get that marketing out there, differentiating between W8 and RT, and really expand that app base on the marketplace.

I think the Surface brand is a great idea, it packs a full powerhouse into a compact form - the multitude of accessories show it can be used for a range of purposes. What does everyone else think?

Computing

Comments

  • wilbo666 on 24/09/2013 - 07:03

    On paper it looks like it ticks most / all the boxes I can think of…

    Price maybe considered slightly high (when compared to what is avaliable in other offerings) when one remembers that you need to add an extra ~$140+ if you want a keyboard…

    Lifehacker (see link below) has the announced prices for Australia (Doesn't look like there will be an "Australia Tax" which is nice!),
    http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2013/09/surface-2-down-under-no…

    Model, Price
    Surface 2 32GB, $529
    Surface 2 64GB, $639
    Surface Pro 2 64GB + Surface pen, $1019
    Surface Pro 2 128GB + Surface pen, $1129
    Surface Pro 2 256GB + Surface pen, $1469
    Surface Pro 2 512GB + Surface pen, $2039

  • IsometricBacon on 24/09/2013 - 07:31
    +1

    Nice post. Sounds like a good bit of kit (The Pro 2). Still no reason to get a RT, seemingly.

    I was keen on getting a Pro, but was turned off by the battery life issues. Haswell should potentially change that.

  • porsche26c on 24/09/2013 - 08:47

    i would love for them to make an atom surface to get full win8 in a surface 2 body as a pro is just too thick for me. get something priced in the middle. i guess they didnt as they said they want a no compromise machine.

    • scrimshaw on 24/09/2013 - 20:22

      The problem is that Atom's underpowered, and doesn't have the Intel HD4k-branded graphics power required to make for a smooth experience in 1080p.

  • ethereal88 on 25/09/2013 - 06:09

    Price kills it - 256GB for nearly 1500? Come on, I bought a VivoTab Smart with Win 8, an Ativ S and a Lenovo E330 which I then upgraded with an mSATA SSD for just over $1300, still had quite a bit of change left over. All fresh Win 8 tech that will easily last and last. That price is as retarded as $400 for a 7" Android tablet.

    • ethereal88 on 25/09/2013 - 09:31

      Ooooo, scratch that. The 512GB model can replace my laptop, tablet, and desktop now I've looked at the docking station. For $2K + the power cover and docking station, its acceptable. One USB 3 port is stingy for the price though. Still. But the rest, mmmmm, I think we have a sale!

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