Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Microsoft's Surface -- the tablet form factor converges with the netbook

While fiddling with cepstrum -- pseudo spectrum -- analysis used for audio system and speech and freeware audio analysis oscilloscopes and spectrum analysers, I have to pause.

Microsoft has just unveiled its Surface tablet, with Windows 8, the tabletised version of Windows.

The Surface (credit: CNET)
It will be in two forms (probably released to market in October), and the ARM processor version will have 32 or 64 GB of storage with the now usual SD card slot, as well as a 10.6" diagonal, widescreen in the now common 16:9 aspect ratio. Of course, the price has not yet been announced, but will be "competitive," presumably with comparable tablets. US$ 400+ - 500+ or so in short. 

The pro version will run an Intel processor and the full form Windows 8, so that it can run the typical Windows applications including of course Microsoft Office.

The key wrinkle is that it comes with a cover that doubles as a keyboard. 

In short, we have the clear convergence of netbooks and tablets, here.


 

All of this underscores how fast the tablet revolution is rising. 

Which points to the significance of the projected US$ 100 or so education tablet based on the Android mobile phone operating system platform. END