Microsoft Surface tablet release date: Will it come with full Office package?
Microsoft Surface tablet release date is still not clear, but there are many people who suggest that it may not come with full Office package. To be true, Microsoft Office will be its biggest single unique selling point
There is great interest among people across the world about the launch of Microsoft’s much awaited Surface tablet. The Redmond based software giant is set to introduce two sets of tablets and many people suggest that the fact that the two tablets will come with Windows 8 operating system with full Office will give a big advantage to the tablets over the existing market leaders including Apple’s iPad, Amazon’s Kindle Fire and Google’s Nexus 7.
After seeing the failure of its Windows 7 mobile OS and its later rebirths, Apple seems to have realised that it needs to get into the battle with full war gears, and so instead of relying on others, the company has entered tablet segment itself. In smartphone segment it had relied on its manufacturing partners to manufacture and market Windows smartphones.
So far there were sceptics who questioned Microsoft’s intent to enter the market, saying that this way Windows 8 mobile OS for tablets wouldn’t succeed as this will mean a direct confrontation between Microsoft and companies who are going to manufacture tablets on its Windows platform like Samsung, HTC, ASUS and others.
Many reports have compared Surface tablet and its importance with Google’s recently introduced small seven inch tablet named Nexus. They say that notwithstanding the fact that Nexus 7 is a no frill tab from Google compared to Surface Tablet that is going to be high-end device, the importance for both remain the same. While Microsoft showcased the main specs and features of the Surface at its media event a few months ago, the software behemoth failed to offer a proper release date and pricing details. However, the company did hint that the Surface models – we’re looking at more than one Surface version – will hit stores in fall, for prices in line with current tablet and Ultrabook offerings.
But recently a few reports have appeared in the media suggesting that the Surface tablets will get to the stores on October 26, right alongside the company’s next-gen desktop OS, the touch-optimized Metro UI-sporting Windows 8. The next version of our operating system, Windows 8, will be generally available on October 26, 2012. At that time, we will begin selling the Surface, a series of Microsoft-designed and manufactured hardware devices.
Notwithstanding its great OS along with its Office there are apprehensions about its success. Sometimes ago Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer while talking in a technology conference said that his company expects too sell a few million units of the tablets. In his own words he said, the company “may sell a few million” of them (Surface tablets) next year. To be true, this shows that Microsoft CEO Ballmer is not really very optimistic about his company’s success chances with the forthcoming tablets.
Meanwhile a report in Endgadget suggests that the software giant is gifting the forthcoming Surface tablet for Windows RT tablets to all its permanent employees. There are ninety thousand full time employees at Microsoft and they will get not just the tablet but also Windows Phone 8 smart-phones as well when the company holds its annual event before year end.
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