Here’s a challenge for you: name one thing about the Surface Laptop that supports the idea that Surface is about creating new categories. Go ahead. I’m waiting. I’m guessing that you drew a blank. I certainly did when I considered the same question. As far as I can tell, the Surface Laptop does absolutely nothing […]
Microsoft Surface 3 Bundle Pre-Order at Costco for $699.99
April 4, 2015 by Leave a Comment
Microsoft recently announced its most recent Surface device, the Surface 3, to a bit of fanfare and generally positive previews. The Surface 3 is the direct replacement for the Surface 2, and serves as a sort of entry-level version of the Surface Pro 3. It uses an Intel Atom processor, can be configured with up […]
Surface Smartphone Concept: An Active Digitizer is Different Than a Capacitive Stylus
March 3, 2015 by 1 Comment
I’ve written about this before, and it’s worth repeating: there’s a difference between a “stylus” and a “pen” when it comes to input on a tablet or smartphone. I bring this up because of CNET’s article, “Does Surface Pro 3 offer clues to Microsoft’s next flagship phone?”: The number of devices launched with stylus support […]
Microsoft Posts Excellent Q1 2014 Financial Results
October 23, 2014 by 1 Comment
So, Microsoft’s earnings report for Q1 2015 has been released. The numbers will be sliced and diced by analysts and others over the next few days, but generally they seem extremely positive. Revenues were up 25% to $23.2 billion while operating income was down 8% to $5.8 billion given ongoing costs to restructuring and the Nokia acquisition. Some highlights: Devices and […]
Adobe Shows That Microsoft is Cool Again (Update: Behind the Scenes)
October 6, 2014 by Leave a Comment
I don’t know how much of this is concept and how much is shipping today in the new Adobe Creative Cloud, but the following video reinforces my conviction that Microsoft is doing some very cool and very powerful things. The title of this video is “Adobe Illustrator on MS Surface,” but I see a whole lot […]
Surface Pro 3 Sales Going Strong?
September 24, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Microsoft hasn’t released official sales numbers for the Surface Pro 3, and maybe never will with any precision, and so we’re left with analyzing various other tidbits of information to determine just how well it’s doing. AdDuplex, provider of metrics for Windows Store apps (i.e., modern UI apps) has released its September 2014 numbers, and […]
Microsoft CEO Paints Picture of a “Productivity and Platform” Company
July 10, 2014 by Leave a Comment
Edit: I spent a little more time reviewing Nadella’s email, and I’m not sure that I agree with ZDNet’s interpretation. So, I’m adjusting my post to better reflect my own interpretation (which I should have done in the first place). ZDNet published a fascinating article outlining CEO Satya Nadella’s vision of a new […]
Microsoft Surface: Is it Really a Game Changer?
June 22, 2012 by Leave a Comment
I watched the Microsoft Surface announcement, and like many I found it intriguing. It was definitely a “Big Deal” sort of moment seeing Microsoft introduce its own hardware, although I was briefly taken back to the Zune, which absolutely killed the nascent Microsoft PlaysForSure music industry (more on that in a bit). However, as huge […]