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Surface RT 2 Details Revealed: Tegra 4, Full HD 1080p, White & Black Options, & More

demandarin

Active Member
Another good point is they upgraded the RT from 2gb to 4gb of Ram. Based on specs, it looks like a winner. I might get one to.add to the collection. But dang, I will want a new surface pro also.
 

kristalsoldier

Well-Known Member
Very nice - though I am hearing a lot of swearing about the Tegra 4 - folks seem to want the Snapdragon 800 SOC. Regardless, I am a little disappointed about the lack of an active digitizer. The Surface 2 would have been excellent with an inking capability. Nevertheless, as things stand, for me the problem is this - what to do with the Surface RT when the new one shows up??? Not sure if there is a market for it (probably not), so low resale value. Or, should I just wait for the third iteration since this is more of a performance upgrade and there is nothing that I do which really challenges the Surface RT that I have at the moment? Sure 4GB RAM would be nice, but its not essential. Win 8.1 RT would be common to both. The apps would be the same. The only thing that I may want to upgrade if the possibility exists is the keyboard (assuming that a newer and better keyboard is available). The two level kickstand is also a good thing, but again it is not yet a problem for me. What else would be new to the Surface 2 as compared with the current Surface RT?
 

beman39

New Member
well just the screen alone is a huge factor! (1080P!) really though it isn't just 1 thing but a multiple of things that make me wanna change! also if you sell your device I'm sure one of your family members would like to buy it (cousin/nephew) and would benefit from your generosity instead of letting a stanger profit from your loss, yes your gonna take a loss as with ALL tech stuff I don't see that stopping you from selling it and buying the 2nd gen...I'm sure you took a loss on your other devices and it didn't stop you. why should that be any different with the RT?
 

oion

Well-Known Member
Very nice - though I am hearing a lot of swearing about the Tegra 4 - folks seem to want the Snapdragon 800 SOC. Regardless, I am a little disappointed about the lack of an active digitizer. The Surface 2 would have been excellent with an inking capability. Nevertheless, as things stand, for me the problem is this - what to do with the Surface RT when the new one shows up??? Not sure if there is a market for it (probably not), so low resale value. Or, should I just wait for the third iteration since this is more of a performance upgrade and there is nothing that I do which really challenges the Surface RT that I have at the moment? Sure 4GB RAM would be nice, but its not essential. Win 8.1 RT would be common to both. The apps would be the same. The only thing that I may want to upgrade if the possibility exists is the keyboard (assuming that a newer and better keyboard is available). The two level kickstand is also a good thing, but again it is not yet a problem for me. What else would be new to the Surface 2 as compared with the current Surface RT?

Do any of the low-cost tablets have an active digitizer? Adding one to the Surface 2 (RT v2) I imagine would increase price, and I'm not sure that's a good idea at all considering the first gens didn't start to really move until the price cut.

I intend on keeping mine. All the upgrades are very much "nice to have" for me, but nonessential, because the way I use my RT now is as a satellite device to my main desktop anyway; nothing too heavy-duty. I imagine people who use the Surface Pro as a primary machine will be much more pressured to upgrade unless their only quibble is battery life, and the upcoming battery-keyboard would fill that particular need nicely without having to pay $$$ more. There will be no new keyboard for the Surface RT (v1) unless they redo the Type cover and still maintain backwards compatibility. The only accessory I'd consider right now is a multi-angle case similar to the one Chrisleung is developing. Space is still not an issue with both the cloud and an external drive. I don't intend on reselling, given the market history of this product, so I'll probably end up gifting it eventually.
 

kristalsoldier

Well-Known Member
well just the screen alone is a huge factor! (1080P!) really though it isn't just 1 thing but a multiple of things that make me wanna change! also if you sell your device I'm sure one of your family members would like to buy it (cousin/nephew) and would benefit from your generosity instead of letting a stanger profit from your loss, yes your gonna take a loss as with ALL tech stuff I don't see that stopping you from selling it and buying the 2nd gen...I'm sure you took a loss on your other devices and it didn't stop you. why should that be any different with the RT?

I have not sold any of my devices.

Edit: I also don't have any relatives - no cousins, no nephews/ nieces etc. I also use a Nexus 10 and an iPad (both of which I own) extensively and so am familiar with high resolution screens. Having said that, I don't find the current screen of the Surface RT poorer. It seems to serve my purposes adequately. My hesitation in buying the Surface 2 is because of the time. It's been only about 7-8 months that I have had the Surface and upgrading now seems to be too quick a turnover. On an average, I tend to upgrade every 14-18 months. The sole exception to this was my phone, which I upgraded after 3 years (or was it 2?).

Edit 2: Now here is a reason for upgrading to the Surface 2. Apparently, MS is going to be releasing a keyboard cover with additional power capabilities. Unfortunately, this will not be compatible with the original Surface RT. Full story here: http://www.neowin.net/news/power-co...cover-for-the-surface-with-a-built-in-battery
 
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oion

Well-Known Member
I have not sold any of my devices.

Edit: I also don't have any relatives - no cousins, no nephews/ nieces etc. I also use a Nexus 10 and an iPad (both of which I own) extensively and so am familiar with high resolution screens. Having said that, I don't find the current screen of the Surface RT poorer. It seems to serve my purposes adequately. My hesitation in buying the Surface 2 is because of the time. It's been only about 7-8 months that I have had the Surface and upgrading now seems to be too quick a turnover. On an average, I tend to upgrade every 14-18 months. The sole exception to this was my phone, which I upgraded after 3 years (or was it 2?).

Edit 2: Now here is a reason for upgrading to the Surface 2. Apparently, MS is going to be releasing a keyboard cover with additional power capabilities. Unfortunately, this will not be compatible with the original Surface RT. Full story here: Power Cover: Microsoft's keyboard cover for the Surface with a built-in battery - Neowin

Hardware iteration within the same year is actually extremely rare. I'm only saying extremely rare instead of "unheard of" because I honestly don't know if it's happened before, ever. But I personally have a very slow turnover, because I'm used to purchasing $2000+ devices and hanging onto them for at least 4-5 years.

A counter to Surface 2 power keyboard: Surface with WinRT already gets a full days' charge. Under what common circumstances do you need that much more?

The power keyboard makes a much bigger difference with the Surface Pro 1 and 2, however.
 

kristalsoldier

Well-Known Member
Hardware iteration within the same year is actually extremely rare. I'm only saying extremely rare instead of "unheard of" because I honestly don't know if it's happened before, ever. But I personally have a very slow turnover, because I'm used to purchasing $2000+ devices and hanging onto them for at least 4-5 years.

A counter to Surface 2 power keyboard: Surface with WinRT already gets a full days' charge. Under what common circumstances do you need that much more?
The power keyboard makes a much bigger difference with the Surface Pro 1 and 2, however.

When I am traveling overseas, which is quite a "common circumstance" to/ for me.
 

mitchellvii

Well-Known Member
Sounds good on the FULL HD screen resolution. Now if they just add a pen and price it right this could become an excellent choice for college students. I still fully expect MS to find a way to blow this.

Weird that so many early reports were for a non FULL HD screen. Wonder where that came from?

I believe the Surface 2 may succeed but the Surface Pro 2 will fail. These are both good steps forward. The problem is the competition is already doing it better. This is the problem when a non manufacturer tries to manufacture. They don't have the flexibility to make design changes as quickly.

Surface 2 may break even for MS as a showcase for RT but SP2 is merely a face saving move and will lose money. Surface 2 can compete as a "Tablet+" but SP2 can't compete as a true business hybrid - more of a "Tablet++". Surface Pro 1 was a sales failure and it was the best device of its kind at the time. It will now be released against some pretty brutal competition for the business dollar.

MS should have gone all in on the Surface 2 and dropped the Pro line altogether.
 
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oion

Well-Known Member
Sounds good on the FULL HD screen resolution. Now if they just add a pen and price it right this could become an excellent choice for college students.

What iOS or Android tablets around the $500-600 mark have active digitizers?
 
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