Surface 2's competition is playing rough...

[mitchellvii]

Surface 2 looks great but it's Achilles Heel is Windows RT. How can the Surface compete against Bay Trail tablets priced the same but running full Windows?

Here's an example of the challenge Surface 2 faces:

300-PPI Sharp tablet has Bay Trail inside, waterproofing outside - The Tech Report

300-PPI Sharp Mebius Pad tablet has Bay Trail inside, waterproofing outside

Sharp's IGZO display panels have already worked their way into high-PPI notebook screens and 4K desktop monitors. Now, one has popped up in a Windows tablet of the company's own design. The Mebius Pad squeezes a 2560x1600 display resolution—the same pixel layout typical of 30" monitors—into a panel measuring just 10.1" across. The resulting pixel density works out to 300 PPI, matching Google's Nexus 10 tablet.



Unlike the Android-based Nexus 10, the Mebius Pad runs the full version of Windows 8.1. Intel's Bay Trail-based Atom Z3770 provides the necessary x86 compatibility. The quad-core SoC is currently the fastest member of the Bay Trail lineup, and it's the same chip we tested at IDF.

In an interesting twist, the Mebius Pad has robust protection against liquid and dust ingress. It passes the IPX5 waterproofing test, which sprays the device with water jets, and the IPX7 test, which submerges the thing in one meter of water for 30 minutes. The tablet also meets the IP5X standard for dust protection. There's no word on shock protection, though. The Mebius Pad appears to be weatherized rather than ruggedized.

Like other contemporary tablets, the Mebius Pad has dual cameras and 802.11n Wi-Fi. LTE connectivity is also on the menu.

 

[mitchellvii]

The point is not this particular tablet as it doesn't appear to come with a keyboard, but that in general Bay Trail is going to make it tough for ARM Windows tablets.

I understand why Microsoft went ARM over Bay Trail as they are trying to unify Windows Phones with Windows Tablets, but I really wish they had gone Bay Trail. This will be challenging.

 

[beman39]

as you do make some good points your forgetting 1 crucial thing...price! they are gonna be more expensive than the surface 2 AND dare I say PRO 2! just look at their TV's, they are priced higher than all the other competitors and also why are you comparing it to RT 2 as it is in the same category as the pro 2, your doing the same thing as ALL these other chumps on youtube or writing articles trying to make comparisons of 2 completely beasts... drives me nuts lol

 

[demandarin]

We already know bay trail isn't the most powerful chip out there. Its a lower cost, lower power solution Intel is providing. Just like android and ARM, having a resolution that high will cause performance hits with that SoC. It might be fine for simple everyday usage. But anything graphics or gaming wise, and its likely that bay trail will start to show its weaknesses.

Even the nexus 10 didn't score as high as others, performance wise, die to that beautiful high resolution display it has to push. Competition is welcomed though. These are 2different beasts. But if price point is similar, I can see where Michevelli is coming from. Regardless, Sirface2 is a sexy piece of machinery and build wise, nothing comes close except Pro/Pro2.

 

[jnjroach]

Also the Sharp is only going to be released in Japan which means going Grey Market for the rest of the world which will put a 40-60% Mark Up on the Product. Also with a Bay Trail pushing that many pixels running the T variant using an eMMC and 2 GB of RAM, kind of scary. The Tegra4 has 72 GPU Cores on the SoC.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

We already know bay trail isn't the most powerful chip out there. Its a lower cost, lower power solution Intel is providing. Just like android and ARM, having a resolution that high will cause performance hits with that SoC. It might be fine for simple everyday usage. But anything graphics or gaming wise, and its likely that bay trail will start to show its weaknesses.

Even the nexus 10 didn't score as high as others, performance wise, die to that beautiful high resolution display it has to push. Competition is welcomed though. These are 2different beasts. But if price point is similar, I can see where Michevelli is coming from. Regardless, Sirface2 is a sexy piece of machinery and build wise, nothing comes close except Pro/Pro2.

Agreed.

Historically, the reality of these Intel chips didn't live up to the promises in terms of real world performance. So while the spec-sheets look favorable for Bay Trail, the proof will be in the actual products that are delivered and in real world usage.

 

[CrippsCorner]

It does look pretty impressive but wow, those bezels are on another level!

 

[MOFO]

Specs are nice but like the poster above me mentioned those bezels make it look clunky.

 

[ChemCat]

Personally, I don't know what all the fuss with extremely high density pixel screens is about. I don't miss my retina display screen at all. I think it is just a fad that apple made a big deal out of.

As a test, I once showed some people with the retina display iPads my 1366x768 windows tablet and half of them thought mine had a retina display. Tech enthusiasts may notice a difference, but most normal people don't. Again, its just a fad.

I'm an engineer. Don't game. My windows tablet is infinitely more productive than that retina level display tablet I used to have.

 

[steveyrock]

It is going to come down to price. I can see Bay Trail being the future but it will take a while. I am just waiting to see if it has value (performance/price). As of now I don't run any legacy programs nor does my wife. I gave her my MacBook pro when I got the surface. I will admit she likes having a full laptop but there hasn't been one moment over the last year where the surface couldn't have gotten the job done. I know I am getting of track but I like the ease and security of a closed system.

 

[caltrop]

I see Win RT like Win CE for the old Pocket PC's. I don't think it's going to last.

But remember RT is scaled down and doesn't eat batteries like full Win8 does. Then RT has Office; the Surface 2 has a better version.

I hear that my favorite manufacturer Toshiba is planning a new tablet and instead of Android like their last system the new will have Win8, not RT.

RT is also pretty closed and no other browsers are available right now.

But if the world & internet go the way some plan it won't matter much what you have because it's all going to change big time.