The Vergecast: Why Microsoft bet on Surface



 The Vergecast Podcasts:

Almost 12 years ago, Microsoft showed us the Surface for the first time. Back then, the company’s big bet was that the laptop market was ready for a shake-up, that it could radically change both the hardware and software of a Windows PC and make everything better. Windows 8 didn’t go so well, and neither did the early attempts at building Windows on top of Arm processors. The Surface, though, has turned into a pretty great device.

Now, Microsoft is making a very different wager, this time on AI being the future of computing in practically every way you can think of. And once again, it’s making that bet with the Surface.

On this episode of The Vergecast, Microsoft’s Windows and devices head Pavan Davuluri joins the show to discuss the 12-year Surface story and why the company continued to press to make Windows, Arm, and the laptop / tablet hybrid idea work. We also talk about how you’re supposed to use AI, whether chatbots are the future of everything, and which other kinds of devices could be cool in an AI world. (Looking at you, Surface Duo.)



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I see Surface going after both laptops and AIOs and as alternatives to desktops - my mom has an AIO which is beinng replaced by a laptop . I went the opposite way - replaced a homebuilt desktop with a refurbished older desktop -a refurbished i7 Optiplex 9630 to be precise . Said Optiplex has the most powerful CPU I ever had in a computer I owned or even used since I worked for the Navy and drove an IBM 43xx midsized mainframe at work. And that was thirty seven years ago. Between the 32GB of RAM and the SSD, despite it being a refurbished beastie, it eats applications like I used to eat fractions in middle school math - as appetizers.
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    H-P
    CPU
    Pentium-G
    Memory
    8 GB
  • Operating System
    Windows 11
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell
    CPU
    i7
    Motherboard
    Optiplex 9020 SFF
    Memory
    32 GB
Q: Why did Microsoft bet on the Surface?

A: Because the Windows Phone was an abject failure. :-)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26100.3194 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦24H2 ♦♦♦non-Insider
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
    CPU
    AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
    Motherboard
    Asus Pro WS X570-ACE (BIOS 4702)
    Memory
    G.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)
    Graphics Card(s)
    EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    Sound Card
    Realtek ALC1220P / ALC S1220A
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dell U3011 30"
    Screen Resolution
    2560 x 1600
    Hard Drives
    2x Samsung 860 EVO 500GB,
    WD 4TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    WD 8TB Black FZBX - SATA III,
    DRW-24B1ST CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling 750W Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Cooler Master ATCS 840 Tower
    Cooling
    CM Hyper 212 EVO (push/pull)
    Keyboard
    Ducky DK9008 Shine II Blue LED
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-100
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox (latest)
    Antivirus
    Bitdefender Internet Security
    Other Info
    Speakers: Klipsch Pro Media 2.1
  • Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
    Motherboard
    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
    Memory
    TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)
    Graphics card(s)
    EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Sound Card
    Onboard
    Monitor(s) Displays
    ViewSonic G90FB Black 19" Professional (CRT)
    Screen Resolution
    up to 2048 x 1536
    Hard Drives
    WD 36GB 10,000rpm Raptor SATA
    Seagate 80GB 7200rpm SATA
    Lite-On LTR-52246S CD/RW
    Lite-On LH-18A1P CD/DVD Burner
    PSU
    PC Power & Cooling Silencer 750 Quad EPS12V
    Case
    Generic Beige case, 80mm fans
    Cooling
    ZALMAN 9500A 92mm CPU Cooler
    Mouse
    Logitech Optical M-BT96a
    Keyboard
    Logitech Classic Keybooard 200
    Internet Speed
    300/300
    Browser
    Firefox 3.x ??
    Antivirus
    Symantec (Norton)
    Other Info
    Still assembled, still runs. Haven't turned it on for 15 years?

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