What about Surface 3 (RT)

[kristalsoldier]

Hi...

I was looking through the spec sheet of the Surface 2 and was wondering what could be the possible upgrades that MS would bring to the 3rd iteration of the Surface RT?

Assuming that the addition of LTE capabilities which Panos mentioned (on Reddit) is coming in early 2014 is a part of the 2nd iteration, and the fact that MS has already upped the screen resolution, RAM, and the SoC, what else could they upgrade (aside, of course, from an even more powerful SoC).

I am very interested in this because this will most likely help me in deciding whether to be reckless (and buy the Surface 2 later in the year - around December) or wait till Fall next year for the 3rd iteration!

Thanks in advance.

 

[jnjroach]

My guess would be LTE (which also may change the SoC to the Qualcomm Snapdragon as it has built in LTE on the SoC).

 

[kristalsoldier]

My guess would be LTE (which also may change the SoC to the Qualcomm Snapdragon as it has built in LTE on the SoC).

Surely they won't have another Surface RT variant with a different SoC, would they? If so, would that not be condemning the current Tegra 4 units to oblivion? I was thinking that they would introduce the LTE version first in the Mini form.

But aside from the LTE matter (which would be like an update to the Surface 2) what else could MS add to the Surface RT (specifically) in hardware terms?

 

[jnjroach]

Not sure, we weren't told of a Surface 3 other than that the team was working on next 3 years of updates.

If they release a Surface 3 (or if the mini will be the Surface 3) with a Snapdragon 800 SoC it is a more efficient CPU but has a weaker GPU, the Tegra4 is the superior gaming rig but the Snapdragon has the latest in LTE and Wireless built into the SoC, so there are trade offs.

 

[souldier]

Perhaps surface with an atom processor so that x86 apps on the desktop can be run?

 

[jnjroach]

I would be surprised if we see an Atom based Surface. If you watch the keynote, the team likes the x86 Pro 2 device but they really love the RT Surface 2. Really all of the really cool upgrades happened in the ARM device, the better camera, better battery life with Connected Standby, etc.

 

[SEANT]

Perhaps Microsoft proceeds slowly with LTE support due to the imminent Nokia tablet release. It's rumored to support LTE.

I guess I don’t know for certain if the Nokia tablet line is part of the Microsoft purchase agreement, I suspect it is. If so, and if the Nokia acquisition succeeds, that may be the mobile connect product in Microsoft’s lineup.

Would it make sense to maintain two tablet lines with slightly different focus? One geared towards consumer, the other, enterprise. I’m not sure how I’d feel about that.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Perhaps Microsoft proceeds slowly with LTE support due to the imminent Nokia tablet release. It's rumored to support LTE.

I guess I don’t know for certain if the Nokia tablet line is part of the Microsoft purchase agreement, I suspect it is. If so, and if the Nokia acquisition succeeds, that may be the mobile connect product in Microsoft’s lineup.

Would it make sense to maintain two tablet lines with slightly different focus? One geared towards consumer, the other, enterprise. I’m not sure how I’d feel about that.

Agreed! However, one never knows how MS decides these things. Look at what they did with the Ethernet connectivity, which they stripped out from the Surface RT. I also don't think the provision of LTE is a valid separator between the consumer and enterprise markets. I would - like you - would also be surprised if MS has a third line of Surface (10") units based on a different SoC (at least in the short-term).

 

[Rallicat]

Predicting the future is pretty hard when it comes to what new stuff we'll see in a Surface 3. If you leave out the new accessories, what we see with Surface 2 is largely a spec bump. Faster CPU, better screen, thinner, lighter etc. Over time new generations of both wired and wireless IO might come along, so, for example you might see 802.11ac wireless being added - but again, these things are spec bumps.

You could see them adding things like NFC support, maybe even wireless charging if they integrate some of the things Nokia were working on - but this is all speculation on my part.

Even Apple struggle to really upgrade their iPhone and iPad products with new features. Of course, when Apple do it the crowd goes wild (this is part of Microsoft's problem with Surface, they're trying to do an Apple but haven't yet built up that kind of brand loyalty to rely on!)

My personal view? Go for it and get a Surface 2. The speed boost is the primary reason to go for it. It may sound like a small thing when you're talking about a tablet, but being able to use the thing in a faster and more fluid fashion will actually make a huge difference in how you interact with the thing, and how pleasing it is to use!

Chances are if you have a Surface RT now, that you'll be able to get a reasonable price for it on the resale market. A quick eBay search on completed sales of Surface RT 64GB models shows a good resale value being achieved by most.

 

[kristalsoldier]

@Rallicat...I agree with your assessment regarding upgrades. I have the iPad4 and am not going to upgrade to the iPad5 just to take advantage of the alleged A7 processor, possible upgrade of the RAM to 2GB and for the predicted slimming and weight-loss attributed that are being speculated about.

I also have the Surface RT, which I use extensively and love using it. There are three things that draw my attention to the Surface 2 - (1) the Tegra4 (the Surface could do with a performance bump); (2) the better resolution screen (though, to all intents and purposes, I don't seem to have problems with the current screen resolution); and. (3) the two-position kickstand. The last one is - aside from the Tegra4 - is probably the most attractive aspect of the Surface 2 for me.

As I don't have LTE on any of my three tablets, that is not so much of pull. Tethering works fine for me - keeping in mind my mobile carrier's conditions. I'd even go to the extent of saying that even if I did not upgrade to the Surface 2, I'd essentially be fine, which is also why I was asking about the 3rd iteration because I was wondering if I could skip the Surface 2 and move directly to what will be its successor. From my point of view, there appears to be a significant jump from the original Surface to the Surface 2. This is similar to the jump from the iPad2 to the iPad4 (if you consider that the iPad3 was a horrible mistake). But I am not sure that the jump from the Surface 2 to a Surface 3 will be a similar qualitative jump (similar - again from my p.o.v - to the jump from the iPad4 to the iPad5).

If this is indeed the case, then perhaps the best time to invest in the Surface 2 would be when the Surface 3 is announced. Of course, that presumes that I will be able to keep my acquisitive desires in check!

 

[EMINENT]

Well as thin as it is to accommodate a usb 3 port, I don't see how they can make it any thinner. Maybe a little change in the design so it's not so sharp on the corners and robust Miracast support along with better performance and screen resolution. Maybe another color other than white/silver. One reason why I may not purchase it.

What i'd like to see is a third stage stand or redesign so that we get a 30-45 degree angle along with a portrait view, adjustable stand.

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well as thin as it is to accommodate a usb 3 port, I don't see how they can make it any thinner. Maybe a little change in the design so it's not so sharp on the corners and robust Miracast support along with better performance and screen resolution. Maybe another color other than white/silver. One reason why I may not purchase it.

What i'd like to see is a third stage stand or redesign so that we get a 30-45 degree angle along with a portrait view, adjustable stand.

How much better can they make the screen resolution? Don't you think that 1080p is probably close to the limit?