Microsoft Corporation (MSFT): Surface Pro Gets Panned

Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) has been looking to move into a new direction in the last few months, heavily marketing its new Windows 8 operating system, and stepping into its own in-house hardware excursion with the release of the Surface RT tablet last fall. Then, the company has put a lot of energy into hyping its Surface Pro, or as the company calls it, the Surface with Windows 8 Professional. However, with the Surface Pro making it way into the market, some techies are giving their reviews – and the device seems to be getting panned more than praised.

Oh, it’s not all bad. Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) did get its share of positive comments about the hardware, the speed of the OS and the general performance. However, many of the negative comments surrounded a lack of memory, the weight of the device and very short battery life.  The Surface Pro does run the full Windows 8 OS, which Microsoft claims makes it the first tablet to run a full operating system. The device comes in 64- and 128-gigabyte versions with wi-fi only compatibility. The 64-GB device sells for $899, but the keyboard/cover is sold separately for $120.

Walt Mossberg of AllThingsD wrote, “It ran all the software I threw at it – both the new type and the old desktop type – speedily and well. But the Pro has some significant downsides, especially as a tablet … It’s too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best … Apple’s full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It’s something of a tweener – a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop.” He added that the Surface Pro’s battery lasted just four hours – half as long as an iPad from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL).

What are some other comments from these tech writers?

Mary Jo Foley wrote on ZDNet, “The Pro is definitely snappier and more ‘performant’ (to use a bit of Microspeak). … I keep scratching my head over who Microsoft expects to buy the Surface Pro. It’s not as good of a tablet, in terms of weight/battery life, as the Surface RT is. But it’s also not as good of a Windows 8 PC as other OEM-produced devices, coming in at lower price points with better battery life and other specs.”

And here is one more critique of the Surface Pro by Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), from Steve Kovach, who writes for Business Insider:

“The Surface Pro has some impressive hardware specs for such a unique form factor. It can go toe-to-toe with any other thin and light laptop. (But) you can’t rest the Surface Pro comfortably on your lap without it flopping around. You can’t adjust the angle of the screen when it’s propped on a table with the built-in kickstand. You need to spend at least another $100 to get the full laptop-like experience with one of the special keyboard covers. At 10 inches, the screen feels a bit small for traditional desktop computing. The cheapest model only has 23 GB of free storage, so you’ll have to buy a separate memory card because you’ll definitely need more than that.”

What are your thoughts about Windows 8 and the Surface? Can Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) make an impact in the tablet space? Give us your thoughts in the comments section below.

DISCLOSURE: I own no positions in any stock mentioned.

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