Microsoft Avoids Surface Head-To-Head War With Nexus 7
If you thought the Surface Pro was great, but only if Microsoft decided to shave a few inches off and make the tablet more "mini", you may be in luck. Though the Microsoft Surface RT and the Surface Pro are going to be the mainstay units for the Windows 8 and Windows RT operating systems for some time to come, it's been made clear by the company this week that different display sizes are a possibility. At this point it's just a matter of time.
We've had our own up close and personal looks at the Microsoft Surface RT as well as the Microsoft Surface Pro in the past few weeks, and it was only after our review of the Pro model that we found ourselves comparing and contrasting with the MacBook Air. What's being suggested this week is that it's not a notebook the public is looking for, but a smaller tablet.
Speaking with Bloomberg about the general ups and downs of the Surface lineup thus far, chief financial officer for Microsoft's Windows unit Tami Reller noted that the company "will scale over time, but right now we're focused on making sure the designs that have been built do have commercial availability and commercial success, and we'll stay focused on that for the short-term." This of course means that while the company could potentially create a smaller (or larger) tablet in the future, for now they're putting all efforts into making sure the models they've got out at the moment sell well.
With the Google Nexus 7 still running strong after several months of sales straight from the company that pushes the device with Android, it's no wonder Microsoft wants to keep to itself – so to speak. And while the Nexus 7 dominates the $199 price point, there's another tablet between here and there that dominates an in-between price point: the iPad mini. While it's certainly not Microsoft's goal to dominate the mobile tablet universe with the Surface RT or the Surface Pro, they've made it clear this week that they're going to attempt to stay strong in the standard 10.1-inch size segment for the time being.
Have a peek at the timeline below to see each of the most important recent stories released on the Surface lineup and let us know what you think. Are you ready for a 7-inch Surface tablet – or perhaps an 8.9-inch tablet with another keyboard dock?