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Print 6 comment(s) - last by therealnickdan.. on Oct 6 at 7:50 AM
The Surface Mini was in fact very real

Back before the Surface Pro 3 was announced, we had been hearing that there would be an additional, companion device that would be shown alongside it. The reports pointed to a Surface Mini; a device was even mentioned in the instruction manual for the Surface Pro 3.
 
However, Microsoft decided at the last minute to pull the product, perhaps echoing sentiment from the tech community and consumers that Windows RT wasn’t exactly a winning proposition for tablets.
 
As it turns out, the Surface Mini was in fact very real and Brad Sams of Neowin was able to lay hands on the device (although he was forbidden to post pictures).  Sams says that the rumored specs were right on the money, as the Surface Mini features an 8” display, Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a microSD slot, built-in kickstand, and the same Surface Pen from the Surface Pro 3. The Surface Pro 3 and Surface Mini both use the Surface Pen, hence its “shout-out” in the Surface Pro 3’s instruction manual.

 
And the Surface Mini of course runs Windows RT 8.1.
 
When it comes to its appearance, the Surface Mini looks much like the bigger Surface Pro 3, albeit on a much smaller scale. The device can also be equipped with a case that attaches the device, but lacks a built-in QWERTY keyboard due to space constraints.
 
In his short time with the device, Sams came away impressed, stating, “This device is the pen and paper killer. The size is fantastic, although the bezel does seem large for the size of the display, but the case creates a compact, easy to carry and highly functional tablet.”
 
“I have grown to be a big OneNote fan after using it extensively with the Pro 3 and in this smaller form factor, it would replace my pen and paper pad during interviews.”
 
So it appears that Microsoft built a tablet that would be every bit an equal to Apple’s popular iPad mini/iPad mini with Retina Display, but it just wasn’t meant to be. I guess we can file the Surface Mini with other abandoned Microsoft hardware projects, such as the Courier.

While Microsoft has no plans to introduce its smaller Surface Mini, we’re quite sure that the company will point prospective customers to devices like the $120, 7” Toshiba Encore Mini which runs Windows 8.1 with Bing.

Source: Neowin




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Smart move
By Gunbuster on 9/26/2014 10:56:10 AM , Rating: 2
I could have seen an Atom based model with full 8.1 and X86 app compatibility, but going ARM and RT was suicide. It was the right decision to cancel but who decided on ARM in the first place?

Not that even an X86 CPU would have made it a good seller. I've got a Dell Venue 8 Pro and while awesome it sits on the desk at work 99% of the time.




RE: Smart move
By TrackSmart on 9/28/2014 8:47:19 PM , Rating: 2
Two comments on your post:

1) First, I agree that Windows RT + ARM was a terrible idea. I understand that Microsoft wanted a cheap, low-power device that would run Windows so they could compete with the iPads of the world. That said, what is the value of running a gimped version of "Windows" that isn't compatible with any of the applications that Windows users want to run? Then the Bay Trail-based Intel Atom chips arrived and put the final nail in the coffin of Windows RT. At that point, you could have real Windows in a sub-$300 tablet with solid performance and excellent battery life.

2) Second, I owned the Dell Venue 8 Pro briefly. On the surface (no pun intended) it seemed like such an awesome idea -- Windows 8 in an almost pocketable form factor! That said, I just didn't find a useful place for it in my workflow. There weren't enough Metro-based apps to make using it as a content consumption device particularly satisfying. On the other extreme, it was frustrating to get real work done on an 8-inch screen because most of the applications I needed for productivity were not touch-friendly. I'm not surprised that your Dell Venue 8 Pro doesn't get a ton of use.


RE: Smart move
By khanikun on 9/29/2014 4:12:12 AM , Rating: 2
I find it frustrating to get any real work done on any tablet using only touch and a physical keyboard. Majority of PC programs simply aren't designed around touch and probably will never be. It's even worse on these tiny tablets with 1080p or higher resolutions.

Granted my Surface Pro 3 comes with a pen, but now I'm stuck having to pick up a pen and try to press tiny on-screen buttons on the screen with it. When I want to do work, I just pull out the mouse.


RE: Smart move
By Visual on 9/29/2014 3:33:38 AM , Rating: 3
I disagree, ARM + RT was not a bad idea, just a bad execution. It could have been such a win if more open to homebrew dev, etc... It was actually a very impressive showcase and tech demo for the porting of windows components themselves, and I'm quite disappointed it did not get advanced to the next level.


Huh...somewhat interesting product...
By Wolfpup on 9/29/2014 7:52:36 PM , Rating: 2
There's something to be said for the idea of an inexpensive quality tablet that runs Office and can take notes...I could theoretically see a market.

BUT for myself personally, I want larger screens, and x86.

I really want an atom version of the Surface 2 or Surface Pro 3. I wouldn't mind the cheaper price, but I'd also like the fanless design since I'd do a lot of reading on this.

Obviously Core M is better still...though honestly second gen Atom's performance is very, very solid (or good) for tablet use.




By therealnickdanger on 10/6/2014 7:50:10 AM , Rating: 2
Agreed 100%. An Atom-based Surface Pro 3 would be very nice. I want a large tablet (~13"), 1080p minumum, X86, under $500 (under $400 if I'm being honest). Very little computing power is needed for content consumption (Netflix, etc.). Steam In-Home Streaming would take care of any games I wanted to play in bed or on the can, so GPU performance isn't really that important. I have a portable gaming laptop if I really want to "game on the go".

Core M looks excellent, but too expensive. Bay Trail is pretty solid, but I think Cherry Trail with Windows 10 is going to be a home run that will land some brutal blows on Android and Apple tablets next Spring.


"Nowadays, security guys break the Mac every single day. Every single day, they come out with a total exploit, your machine can be taken over totally. I dare anybody to do that once a month on the Windows machine." -- Bill Gates












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