Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft only launched the Surface Pro tablet a few days ago. It didn’t take long for the guys over at iFixit to get their hands on one of the tablets and proceed to take it apart. iFixit does this to show how repairable the tablet is if you should happen to damage it, or want to expand or modify it – and because they’re just as curious as you are about what it looks like inside.

I think we all know it’s just cool to see the parts that are on the inside of some the most desirable gadgets on the market. Unfortunately, cracking the Surface open required the removal of a veritable crapton of screws (90 to be exact) and a heat gun to melt the copious amounts of adhesive used to hold the tablet together. In fact, it took them over an hour to figure out how to get the screen out of the tablet. iFixit said, “We are starting to miss the old Surface, as we find a metric duckload of adhesive holding the screen in place.” The battery is also glued into place, behind the motherboard.

Removing the screen appears to have been the most difficult part of the delicate operation. After the screen was removed, all of the hardware on the inside can be seen, which is surprisingly minimal. Highlights include a Intel Core i5-3317U Processor, the Intel Mobile HM77 Express Chipset, 3x Atmel MXT154E Touchscreen Controllers, 4GB of Micron RAM, a teeny tiny 1.8″ Micron RealSSD unit, and a Wacom W9002 chip for pen-based input. It also features two of the tiniest cooling fans you’ll ever see:

Overall, the Surface Pro tablet scored a miserable repairability rating of just 1 out of 10. That means if you break it, you probably just need to buy a new one. You can check out the detailed teardown over on iFixit.

Get ready to toss out your brand-new Surface Pro by mid-2017 because that’s when Microsoft is cutting off support for the tablet. According to Microsoft’s Product Lifecycle webpage, the Surface Pro will see its “mainstream support” ending on July 10, 2017 — just four and a half years from now. Granted most people may move on by then, but what about those who want to keep the tablet longer?

Obviously, you’ll still be able to use the Surface Pro long after that date, but many owners of tablets and computers rely on regular updates, and some consider it to be something that they need before considering buying a new product. While four and a half years seems like a long time, there still may be customers who buy a Surface Pro two years from now when prices go down — those people will have an even shorter amount of time with the support lifecycle of the product.

Another interesting facet is that Microsoft usually applies “extended” support for business devices specifically, but the Surface Pro is currently listed as “Not Applicable” under that category, suggesting that while Microsoft advertises the new tablet as a business device, the company may be catering it more towards the everyday consumer in the long run.

Then again, cutting off support for a device a few years in isn’t anything new. Apple has done that with their older iOS devices, including the first-generation iPad and older iPhone and iPod Touch models, which were all shafted of an iOS 6 update. Then again, this may just be the nature of the beast, and the older devices get, the less likely they are to run more complex software as time goes on.

[via PC World]

Microsoft Surface Pro support ending July 2017 is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Microsoft‘s series of Surface advertisements have been interesting to say the least, and their latest one is no exception. It’s the company’s first Surface Pro advertisement to air on television, and while we get to see the tablet being thrown around in a room full of break dancers, we’re not quite sure if Microsoft hit the mark on this one.

Essentially the advertisement is a lot similar to past Surface ads we’ve seen, where the users perform cool trucks with the tablets, and in this case, breakdance with the tablet in hand. In the ad, we see what the Surface Pro can do for only a few split seconds, like take notes with the stylus in business reports, and even create music by plugging in a microphone.

However, the ad doesn’t really get the point across of what the main differences between the original Surface tablet and this new Surface Pro. Sure, tech enthusiasts like you and me (aka geeks) know the differences between the two, but everyday users really only know that the “Pro” tacked on at the end must mean it’s better, without knowing the details.

Of course, the tablet is definitely an improvement over the original model, and it seems Microsoft is just going to leave it at that. The Surface Pro is available now in stores and online with prices starting at $899 for the 64GB version and going up to $999 for the 128GB variant.

Microsoft Surface Pro ad will make you want to breakdance is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Since we published our Microsoft Surface Pro Review (read it here), many people asked if Photoshop did work with the pressure-sensitive stylus. First of all, let’s shed some context: the Microsoft Surface Pro and its stylus are capable of recognizing the pen’s pressure. I’ve been able to see that for myself by using software like OneNote 2003, and the pressure sensitivity works great (more pressure = thicker line). That’s true for other software like Microsoft Fresh Paint, AutoDesk Sketchbook Express and others. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Microsoft Surface Pro Is Sold Out, Including The iPad, Report Claims Apple Owns 20.1% Of The PC Market,

If you were wondering how well the public would take to a Microsoft-made tablet costing $899 or more… quite well, at least from initial impressions. The 128GB Surface Pro has sold out at Microsoft’s US online store, and checks suggest a lack of stock at both the company’s retail stores as well as Best Buy and Staples. Canada is facing similar shortages at Best Buy and Future Shop. Not surprisingly, storage worries (since partly alleviated) have left the 64GB tablet as the only one in consistent supply, and we suspect that the 128GB model in Microsoft’s Canadian store won’t last for much longer. We’d be cautious before declaring the Surface Pro a runaway hit, however — there’s no word on how many units each store had, and Microsoft has refrained from reporting Surface sale numbers to date. Still, the early uptake is good news for Microsoft’s first foray into designing an x86 PC, and it shows that many early adopters aren’t hung up on the price.

Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft

Comments

Via: SuperSite for Windows

Source: Microsoft Store, Best Buy, Staples