Surface RT and Surface Pro all have upsides
in performance thanks to good interaction with Windows 8 while their downsides
lie in hardware.
Surface
will start the war of technology.
When specs and main features of Microsoft’s
two surfaces have been revealed, the fight between Surface and other rivals is
becoming clearer. Our summary viewed this war in different aspects from specs
and display to design and performance.
Surface RT tablet running on Windows 8 RT,
with ARM chip, is regarded as iPas’s direct rival. Meanwhile, Surface Pro using
Windows 8 Pro with Intel Core i5 chip will compete against ultra-books and
other compact laptops, though it is still a tablet.
Prices for Microsoft tablets are still
unknown.
Surface RT, iPad and Android tablet
The
chart compares Surface with other tablets
Hardware
configuration
The first upside is that Surface RT
supports USB 2.0 connectors which are mostly compatible with storage devices
and accessories, micro-SD slot and micro-HDMI output. Most Android tablets only
have micro-USB slot while iPad has no other ports except for its typical 3-pin
connectors.
With regard to processor, Surface RT uses
Nvidia Tegra 3 chipset, like most of common tablets, or ARM structured
processor. iPad uses Apple’s specialized processor based on ARM platform.
About storage, Surface RT starts at 32GB;
this can be an upside, if the price is reasonable, but unnecessary for people
who don’t have much money. iPad has an option for 16Gb storage while Androids,
including Pad Infinity TF700 and Iconia Tab A700, share similar storage with
Surface RT.
Display
resolution is not an upside when Surface is compared to iPad.
Screen
and resolution
Microsoft informed that RT’s screen would
have HD resolution which may be 1,366x768 pixels, thus it cannot compete with
Retina standard of iPad. It can’t even rival some tablet having 1,920x1,200
pixel resolution.
Instead, Surface RT is equipped with a
screen closely stuck with glass surface, helping to remove the annoying space
between these parts. Microsoft also did introduce ClearType technology for
enhanced display.
Compare
Surface’s design with other rivals
Design
Microsoft didn’t give full specs yet the
company acknowledged that Surface RT would be 0.37inch think, far slimmer than
other tablets, and direct rival of iPad. Besides, recent estimation has shown
that Surface RT weighs 676g, much weightier than iPad by 22g as well as other
compared tablets. However, this difference cannot be easily noticed in daily
use.
Surface’s appearance is believed to be unique
and distinctive. There’s a bottom folding line allowing for holding the device
more firmly and comfortable. Inside arrangement is also appropriate for Surface
to get a lighter feeling and an integrated back-support comes handy for usage
in many different conditions.
Performance
Surface is about to shine in this field.
Unlike iOS and Android, Windows 8 is capable of viewing two apps constantly in
one screen as well as running background apps. This customization is similar to
what users are experiencing on laptops or desktops. Moreover, Surface RT is
also equipped with Office Home and Student 2012 RT (plus Word, Excel,
PowerPoint and OneNote).
Surface Pro and Ultra-books
Surface
Pro gives more options than Ultra-book.
Hardware
configuration
Surface Pro will have storage of 64GB or
128GB and Intel Core i5 processor whose speed is still unknown. On the other side
of the battle line, ultra-books have solid-state disk or storage ranging from
128GB to 320GB, and Intel Core i3/i5/i7.
Microsoft hasn’t still announced RAM
capacity for Surface Pro while that in ultra-books is averagely 4GB. However, Surface
Pro exceeds its rivals due to micro-SDXC, USB 3.0 connection, Mini DisplayPort
connector and touchscreen plus stylus.
Screen
and resolution
Initial parameters showed that Surface Pro
owned 10.6inch with Full HD resolution that was at least 1,920x1,200 pixels. This
is such an impressive figure rather than any Android tablets or ultra-books. However,
this is not enough to compete iPad having 9.7inch screen and 2,048x1,536 pixel
resolution. Similar to Surface RT, Surface Pro also supports ClearType
technology.
Design
Surface Pro generally bears similar design
to Surface RT but more thickness (0.53inch). However, Surface Pro still looks
more elegant appearance than existing Windows 7 tablets and considerably
slimmer than ultra-books.
Surface weighs 902g, remarkably lighter
than common ultra-books. At present, super-slim ultra-books often have a weight
ranging from 1.3kg to 1.8kg.
Surface
Pro’s design
Performance
The Intel Core i5 is powerful enough for
users to experience Photoshop, process complicated spreadsheet and play games. However,
Surface Pro is not included with Microsoft Office. Though, with stylus and
touchscreen, Surface Pro is a very convenient mobile device.
