Microsoft’s “Surface” Preview Models Look Very Promising

I must say that Microsoft’s new “Surface” looks very promising. I have always wanted a combination between an iPad and a MacBook Air.

Hardware-wise Surface looks simple and well thought out. The idea of a keyboard integrated into the protective cover is just great. By having the keyboard separate it is also very easy to change the language of the keyboard. The computer itself (the Surface) is language-independant.

To provide stylus support (muting touch input when a stylus is near, providing a place to clip-in the stylus when not in use) is a good idea, too.

The ports are minimalistic but sufficient for most tasks: external display, USB for peripherals, SD card slot for photos. That’s much better than on an iPad.

One thing that could be a problem, though, is weight:

The small Surface (ARM processor, Windows RT) weighs 678 g. That's about as much as the iPad 1 without 3G connectivity (680g) and definitely more than the iPad 3 (652g). The “big” Surface (Intel processor, Windows 8 Pro) weighs 903g. That is lighter than a MacBook Air 11” (1080g), ok. But for a tablet to hold in your hands that might be a little heavy.

And – most importantly — we don’t know yet about…

• how fast the Surface will be, nor
• how long its battery will last, nor
• how warm the devices will be.

However, it is a great approach. I can’t wait to see one in the flesh.

I am also very curious about Apple’s thoughts about that. I am sure they have been testing combined devices but have decided against them for now. Maybe this will change if the Surface is successful. And IMHO that is not totally unlikely. Unlike the “Zune” or Windows phones, Microsoft’s responses to the iPod and iPhone, the Surface has a unique capability: it is both, Tablet and PC. Just like Windows 8 aims to be an operating system for Tablets and PC’s.

The iMac and Noise

I actually really like iMacs. They are beautiful and sufficiently powerful machines that can do pretty much all that you want to do with a computer. But…

One fundamental problem of the iMac is (or at least can be) the noise it produces.

It’s not that an iMac is particularly loud or noisy. But they do have fans and hard drives and some of them are plagued by display noises like a high pitched tune or a crackling or buzzing sound.

The screen noise problem could be the same with every other computer. (In fact I have already returned two other displays because of their whining noises.)

With the noise that comes from fans and hard drives however the iMac has a particular problem because the fan and hard drives are standing right in front of the user, behind the display. Thus an iMac has to be particularly silent to not be heard by the user. And that is a problem. You can hear the iMacs I know quite clearly. A modern and silent »normal« PC in contrast cannot be heard at all because all components that make noise are located behind or under the desk.

So personally I would like Apple to produce an ordinary headless PC: cheaper than the PowerMac, faster and more capable than the Mac Mini. An iMac with a separate display, so to say.