I need a real keyboard. It's partly why I've never really sprung into the tablet craze, along with the fact that they all seem to do the same shit my phone can, just in a less portable form. When it comes to portable tasking, I NEED to type comfortably and efficiently, especially with how much I write, so a holo-fake keyboard simply isn't going to cut it.

And neither is that chincy slate dock with the Transformer. Gave it a go in the store and the keys have almost no travel, so don't mention that ;)

It's okay to not like tablets or any other thing, it's just stupid to decide from this that anyone who does like them is wrong.

I remember all the people who said netbooks will never work because their keyboards are too small. Well, many millions of sales later it's clear that just because these people don't feel comfortable with that enough others do. I wrote on a Psion 5mx, and it was reasonably comfortable (the Revo was too small for me, though). Some people reach incredible typing speeds on T9 phones or touch screens.

I couldn't get anything typed on my Android phone when I started and I'm still not comfortable with that (though I'm much better), but you see a teenager and it's second nature to them.

I see the Surface soft keyboard as something that may be good enough for a lot of uses, such as writing e-mails, editing documents, and even occasional writing. I'm sure it won't replace a full keyboard for anyone who writes full time.

The problem is MS is always late to the party so to say. Not totally sure it will take off if at all. Surely putting a lot of faith in Win 8 to release a tablet.

I'm pretty excited about the Pro tablet, with the digital ink. I've wanted a good way to take digital notes for a long time, MS OneNote is basically the king of handwriting recognition, and the build quality on the Surface Pro looks pretty good.

The main problem for me with these is the (probable) price. I've been saving up for a nice Windows tablet ever since I realized that Android didn't have anything as nice as OneNote, but I'm still pretty leery of bringing a $800+ piece of hardware everywhere with me. My current tablet didn't make it past 6 months without taking some serious damage. :/

This hardware (should it actually run well in that form factor) beats the shit out of the iPad3, it's hard to argue about the smooth, cohesive experience MS will be able to deliver with this. This will likely have a very smooth Remote Desktop built in, allowing you to take control of your "fatter" devices from anywhere in your home (such as your XBox 360 or Media Center PC). In one stroke MS just gave Nintendo the biggest kick in the balls you could ever imagine with this whole WiiU tablet bullshit. The MS one will be even more optional and yet may integrate into games in a way more immersive manner.

Personally, I'd more than likely go with the laptop-like "Type" cover, rather than the "Touch" cover. It's already got the onscreen keyboard, and I'm not a fan of touch keyboards to begin with, which is why I got a phone with a slide out full qwerty keypad...

"I don't think it will be successful because you cannot be a hardware player with two products".

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/21/us-acer-idUSBRE85K17Y20120621

Funny stuff. Seems like someone is scared already.

Official Microsoft Surface presentation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1zxDa3t0fg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGVsGSimLJg

Your point?

Close up pictures and review:

http://www.techradar.com/reviews/pc-mac/tablets/microsoft-surface-tablet-1085839/review

Wow, a "hands on review" of a demo unit (with non-functional hardware), that's just fucking pathetic journalism there. I just wrote off techradar as a news source.

I can see how the Type cover is more attractive, but I think the Touch one still has a lot of benefits over an on-screen keyboard, since it doesn't take any screen real estate, and allow placing the tablet in a display position. It's probably not for everyone, but it's a big step up from just typing on the screen.