The Surface is NOT a tablet.

Posted by Nathaniel.Kelley on November 22, 2012 12:59 pm 49

I know that it is sometimes called the Surface Tablet, but it really is not. Many of the arguments of the Surface can be summed up in a few key points.

1. A tablet should not require the use of a keyboard.

2. Windows 8 should not have a Desktop and an "artist formerly known as metro" interface.

3. It is very hard navigate at first.

A tablet should not require the use of a keyboard.

Now I believe that a tablet should not require the use of the keyboard, or even suggest it for the best optimization. I am also saying that the Surface is not a tablet. The surface is a Hybrid. The Surface is meant to balance productivity with portability.

The Surface has many traits in common with tablets, as it can be used without a keyboard cover, it is touch friendly, and it portable. The Surface has other traits that show it off as a productivity device, as it has a Kickstand for optimal table viewing, a interface that prefers the use of a keyboard, and a set of productivity suite's that are ubiquitous and professional.

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The Surface is being marketed as a combination of a portable tablet and a productive laptop. It is being marketed with the keyboard specifically to show this distinction from the iPad. From a marketing standpoint Microsoft identified a good market that needed to be tapped. They wanted to identify and sell to the users who wanted to have a portable easy to use tablet, but who also needed to have more productivity than Apple's creativity suite has. The iPad on the other hand is meant to be marketed without a keyboard. It is a tablet. The iPad is meant more for media consumption and gaming than the Surface is.

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My view of the Surface Hybrid is that of an extension and a tool for my daily life. It allows me to have the fun of a tablet with games and touch friendly internet, but it also allows me to do light course and job work by having a good system to take notes, draw diagrams, and access information.

Windows 8 should not have a Desktop and an "artist formerly known as metro" interface.

Now when it comes to productivity some applications work better than others in a desktop environment. It is often the view that Microsoft took a shortcut and added a desktop environment so they would not have to make a lot of the changes to the Office Suite. That is wrong. Microsoft had a desktop environment so the productivity of the Office Suite and Internet Explorer can be utilized even in Windows RT. The Office Productivity Suite would be hampered severely if it did not have a desktop version.

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Programs like Excel and Word would not be as functional in an "artist formerly known as metro" touch environment. They would be much harder to use without the addition of a desktop UX as well as the touch (or type) cover aforementioned.

For example One Note has both a metro Touch app and a desktop app.

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The OneNote app provides a good view of how some functionality and productivity is lost in the touch version

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It is very hard navigate at first

One argument can be made to this. It takes only a few days to get used to it. It is a fluid and smooth system that makes since once the paradigms of the desktop and metro environment are figured out. I have been using the Windows 8 system on a non touch screen laptop, and it works perfectly well. A combination of easy keyboard shortcuts and memorable locations dor multi tasking and the charms bar allows for easy navigation. The Surface allows for even simpler easier navigation because of touch input.

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Tl;Dr The Surface is not a tablet it is a hybrid. It is meant to have a keyboard, the desktop Is there for productivity sakes, it is easy to navigate after less than an hour of practice. The surface is a balance between portability and fun with Functionality and Productivity.