Which 'Surface' is better for you?
Microsoft is debuting with not one, but two variants of its Tablet 'Microsoft Surface', surely it has geared itself up for serious faceoff with Ipads and Galaxies... but the big question is, Which Surface is right for you/
The Surface Pro promises robust computing in a slimmed-down package. without any real Windows 8 software yet. But Surface Pro will be able to do anything a desktop or laptop can do today, and it will have a serious laptop processor, the same Intel Core i5 as on an Ultrabook.
It will run an ARM-based Nvidia Tegra 3 processor that requires less power to operate than Intel processors do. But Windows RT can’t run in desktop X86 mode, so you can’t use your existing software on it—you’re limited to running apps that will be available from Microsoft’s Windows Store.
Surface RT relies on the new Metro interface of Microsoft’s Windows 8. That means you can’t use your existing desktop programs (you can do that only on Surface Pro); you’ll have to buy all-new Metro apps from Microsoft’s Windows Store, and that will be the only way to get Metro apps.
The company says its Windows Store will filter apps based on the device you’re using, so you can get just the apps that will run on your device. You can install purchased apps on up to five machines—tablet, laptop, or desktop. This multidevice flexibility gives Windows tablets like Surface a substantial advantage over competing tablets running iOS or Android.
As Apple’s success with its iPad has shown, tablets are a different beast than laptops and desktops. Apple has prevailed in part because it controls the design and functionality of both the hardware and the mobile OS software; the two elements work smoothly with one another and integrate seamlessly into the company’s software ecosystem.
With Surface, Microsoft joins the other operating system makers with a tablet offering of its own. Microsoft’s proposition, however, is different from its competitors’. Surface is backed by the full power of the company’s Windows operating system, along with the robust drivers, peripheral compatibility, and inherent software interoperability that Windows is known for. That you can buy a Metro app in Microsoft’s Windows Store and use it on up to five devices—tablet, laptop, or desktop—is a personal computing Shangri-la that neither iOS nor Android can offer.
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