> The 8GB RAM model is $1,299 + $129 for type cover + $200 for dock.
I don't think battery life is the only thing keeping this from flying off shelves. I say this as somebody who's highly interested in the Surface Pro 2 in concept.
As a tablet with attachable keyboard, I can't help but think of the SP2 as what netbooks would have become eventually. Which psychologically makes me think they should be around netbook prices. But it feels like everything is overprices with the SP2, especially the type cover and dock. At the very least I could see paying comparable prices for those accessories as I would for other tablet equivalents: Samsung tablet dock is $35 and keyboard is <$40. Even with a separate cover or two you can't reach those insane prices, and let's be honest, everybody is going to buy a keyboard.
$1300 isn't bad if you compare it to a MBA, but the Air does come with a keyboard and folding it is the same as covering it so...
$1300 is bad if you compare it to a similarly equipped laptop/netbook
$1300 is insane if you compare it to any other tablet on the market, even though the specs are quite nice.
I think $800 for the tablet, keyboard and dock as a combo is what they need to hit on the high end.
Not so sure that the average hacker/IT pro/office user spends enough time away from a power source for this to be an issue. A flight from London to Johannesburg is 9 hours, and even there you're not using it the entire time.
If you need more battery than the Surface Pro provides I'd love to know what your average day looks like.
First, you don't get 9 hours doing something more intensive, even watching video. Second, with a mobile device, its a pain to always have to remember to plug in when you have the opportunity. I have power outlets in my house, but that doesn't mean I want to be tethered to a cord when I'm working on my couch.
The way I use my iPad or MBA is to throw it in my briefcase and use it intermittently and ideally not plug it in for a week. The better the battery life and the lower the idle power draw, the less likely it is that you'll have to find a power cord when its inconvenient.
I picked up a Lenovo Thinkpad Tablet 2 a while back, and I'm still loving it. It's not Bay Trail (it's Clover Trail) but it handles most non-graphically-intensive work just fine. I use mine for work, so mostly Microsoft Office and Google Apps. It also has a Wacom digitizer for OneNote and times when you have to hit something tiny on the desktop.
I just really, really wish I could play Civ V on it...
I don't think battery life is the only thing keeping this from flying off shelves. I say this as somebody who's highly interested in the Surface Pro 2 in concept.
As a tablet with attachable keyboard, I can't help but think of the SP2 as what netbooks would have become eventually. Which psychologically makes me think they should be around netbook prices. But it feels like everything is overprices with the SP2, especially the type cover and dock. At the very least I could see paying comparable prices for those accessories as I would for other tablet equivalents: Samsung tablet dock is $35 and keyboard is <$40. Even with a separate cover or two you can't reach those insane prices, and let's be honest, everybody is going to buy a keyboard.
$1300 isn't bad if you compare it to a MBA, but the Air does come with a keyboard and folding it is the same as covering it so...
$1300 is bad if you compare it to a similarly equipped laptop/netbook
$1300 is insane if you compare it to any other tablet on the market, even though the specs are quite nice.
I think $800 for the tablet, keyboard and dock as a combo is what they need to hit on the high end.