Tesco Tech Support Blog

Is Microsoft’s Surface tablet worth waiting for?

Posted: 27th Jun 2012

About to splash out on a new iPad or Android tablet to take with you on your summer holidays? If so, you’ve probably seen the latest announcement from Windows developer Microsoft; it’s going to launch its own tablet by the end of the year. Two of them in fact, the Surface and the Surface Pro.

Both tablets will arrive around about the same time as Windows 8, and will run that operating system. The better value of the two, the Surface, will have an ARM-based processor just like the iPad, and it will only run applications designed for the Metro interface.

The Surface Pro, meanwhile, will be as powerful as a proper laptop and will be able to run all your favourite desktop applications as well as the new breed of Metro apps. The question, of course, is should you hold off to see what they’re like? Will Windows be worth it on a tablet device?

There’s no doubt that design-wise, the Surface tablets are up there with the best of them, and there’s a level of convenience in having the same operating system on both your desktop and tablet. But really, if you want a tablet now, there’s little to be gained from waiting.

Windows 8 on a tablet will compete well with both Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android, but most of the key apps will be available for all three platforms, so you aren’t going to be missing out by going for one or the other. Email, web browsing, Dropbox, Angry Birds, office applications — the list of cross platform apps is longer than your arm.

Surface will be a very nice tablet — but it’s still a long way off, and who knows what it will be up against by the time it arrives? It’s great news that Microsoft is entering the tablet race, but unless you absolutely have to have Windows on your slate, don’t be afraid to buy something else now.

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