Amidst their acquisition of Nokia’s phone business, Microsoft has released an updated Surface tablet. The Surface 2 is an updated version of the originally launched tablet, which is to solve Microsoft’s lack of hardware to their customers.
When Microsoft initially launched the Surface range of tablets it was to enable them to compete with Apple’s dominance in the tablet vertical. However as the months went by it became clear that the original Surface tablet was doomed to fail. Poor battery life and a lack of space to download data was the biggest issues that Microsoft could not resolve.
Surface 2 is the most productive tablet for personal use. It offers all the entertainment and gaming capabilities you expect from a tablet, along with the ability to get work done. Surface 2 is powered by an NVIDIA Tegra 4 processor, making apps run faster and smoother and increasing battery life to up to 10 hours for video playback. The 10.6-inch ClearType Full HD display now renders 1080p video for enjoying shows and movies, and its full-size USB port has been upgraded to USB 3.0 for up to four times faster file transfers. Camera resolution has also increased, with a 3.5-megapixel front camera and 5-megapixel rear camera, both capable of capturing 1080p video and featuring improved low-light performance, making face-to-face conversations with your favorite people crisp and clear. Even with these and other upgrades, Surface 2 is slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor.
Until Microsoft leaves the PC mentality at the door, their devices will fail to live up to expectations. Why? The tablet is a content consumption device and not a computer to work on. Have a look around your office – the iPad users generally use it for email and browsing of the Internet. How did Microsoft resolve the issues seen in the original Surface? They released a bunch of new accessories (a thinner cover, a Arc Mouse specifically made for the Surface 2 etc). Let’s give Steve Ballmer the benefit of the doubt. In 6 months time we will know how successful the updated Surface 2 tablet is.
