A Car Can’t Be A Motorcycle

Stephen Hackett was nice enough to post some reviews of the Microsoft Surface Pro from across the tech press.
Let’s be clear, these reviews aren’t just from Apple users.
No, even guys at PCWorld don’t like it:

The bad news: Surface Pro doesn’t run away with the Windows 8 hybrid crown. And based on your needs, it might not be the best Windows 8 portable you can buy in the neighborhood of $1000. This is a problem because Surface Pro needs to stand out as a kick-ass reference design, and not be just another interesting-but-imperfect hardware option for anyone taking the Windows 8 plunge.

Microsoft is Microsoft, damn it! It owns Windows. Its war chest is huge. If it can’t conceive, manufacture, and market the hands-down best Windows 8 hybrid in the world, it’s got unfinished business.
In trying to be everything to everyone with their “No Compromises” philosophy they’ve failed. This is unfortunate because Windows 8 really had a chance to be kick-ass. Instead, Microsoft chose to advertise the shit out of the fact that their tablets have magnetic keyboards.
I have a news alert: a keyboard is the first thing a lot of iPad owners buy (and there’s some good ones out there). Microsoft thinks their Touch Covers are giving them an edge, but they’re really only giving them parity, if that.
So what’s so wrong with Microsoft Surface and Windows 8?
Let me count the ways:
- [Regular?] Surface tablets run Windows RT and Surface Pro tablets run Windows 8, and neither are compatible with each other.
- Surface and Surface Pro tablets look and feel almost identical further confusing regular, non-nerdy people.
- Microsoft took away the Start Menu
- It’s hard to differentiate labels from buttons
- A Surface Pro with an advertised storage capacity of 64 gigs has only 23 gigs of actual, usable space. Yeah, try explaining that one to mom.
You can’t chop 2 wheels off an automobile and expect it to ride like a motorcycle. In essence, this is what Microsoft tried to do.