I'm still not convinced that a mini Surface would be competitive in its purported niche because the whole point of the extant Surface line is
productivity+entertainment. A mini would compete primarily--if not purely--in the entertainment consumption niche against heavyweights like iPad mini and Kindle Fire; how can it be productive too, with Windows RT? The desktop mode would be useless (or "more useless" than 10-inch Surfaces as critics would say).
Moreover, Windows RT is bundled with Office RT; that's part of the package deal right now. It would not be a good idea for MS to continue bundling the two if WinRT is considered for a mini Surface because Office RT takes up disk space and that type of productivity is going to be minimal in that small a form factor. It doesn't matter if a few people like jnjroach
p) think that's great and compare to the OQO, because the vast majority of users, I'd expect, get mini tablets for pure consumption. WinRT+OfficeRT would be an awkward paradox here.
As I suggested elsewhere, I think if MS went down this line, they should unbundle Office RT from WinRT--not in terms of license but in installation. Fortunately, it seems other OEMs are removing RT devices from their lineups, which I think frees MS to easily mess with their own licensing without worrying about a break in 3rd party device generations (like gen 1 having Office RT bundled and gen 2 not). So I think a better idea is to keep the license bundled but leave Office RT apps available in the WinRT/8 app store instead, and users can install which ones they want. Even though I much prefer being able to turn on my Surface device and having Office instantly available there.
As a skeptic, what would get me to consider a mini Surface? First of all, I do not consume much entertainment compared to most people. I don't have a television, no Netflix or Hulu account; I do stream
Amazon Prime, but that's it. Most of my reading are peer reviewed studies in PDF, not NYT best-sellers from
Amazon/B&N. Occasional Youtube only when I'm looking for something specific. I play certain PC games both single-player and MMO for entertainment, but that's strictly on my desktop. In the mobile device space, what interests me right now is a Sony Xperia Z Ultra, which is a 6.4" phablet. If a Surface mini had 3G/4G+ cell calling support (thanks to Nokia) and an awesome pen-based handwriting experience that synced seamlessly with existing Surfaces, that'd make me look--basically a clone of some kind to the XZU.
But the more cogent question is then: What would get iPad Mini and Kindle Fire users to consider a Surface mini?
Remember this. Surface RT created a new space where there was none--iPad and Android tablets absolutely cannot compete on the productivity front so long as MS Office RT remains the killer app for Surface RT. Likewise, Surface Pro brought a new minimalist form factor to the ultrabook-tablet hybrid space where there was minimal competition, if any. Unless MS did some truly wicked engineering with unique features while keeping the price point down (the only reason why I haven't bought an XZU is because it's over $700 and I'd rather have a Surface 2 at that price), they simply cannot compete in the pure consumption mini device space. I mean, people still complain about the app store, and that purported weakness would be highlighted even more in a mini form factor.
