Microsoft Surface Review, Part 1: Performance And Display Quality

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We bought Microsoft's Surface the day it came out, and we're ready with first impressions and benchmarks. Does the company enable a truly productivity-oriented experience to complement content consumption, or will we have to wait for the Surface Pro?

Windows RT: It Looks Like Windows 8, But Not Quite

We've already established that one of the Surface's most distinctive features is its Windows RT operating system, designed to run on hardware driven by ARM's processor architecture. Experientially, Windows RT is very much like the x86 version of Windows 8 we reviewed in The Definitive Windows 8 Review And User Guide, sharing the same Windows 8 UI, Start screen, and multi-touch gesture support. 

To quickly recap, swiping from the Surface's right edge reveals the Charms bar, swiping from the left cycles through the most recent apps, and swiping in and out from the left edge actives the Switcher. This is no different from how it will be on a Windows 8-based tablet.

Windows RT handles multi-tasking much differently than other mobility-oriented operating systems. iOS- and Android-based tablets suspend background applications, forcing you to use one at a time. In the screenshot above, you can see that we're in Windows RT's Desktop app using Word, Excel, and IE10 simultaneously.

Of course, there are notable differences. For example, Windows RT does not have a Windows Media Player. Instead, there's a dedicated Video, Music, and Photo app to handle those tasks.

Moreover, Windows RT ships with Office 2013 Home & Student RT, which includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote. Those apps are functionally similar to what you'll find in the Customer Preview of Office 2013 for Windows 8. The changes specific to Windows RT largely center on optimizations for performance and battery life. For example, the Surface's copy of Office displays a non-blinking cursor once you go idle, since the animation drains resources. Also, GPU acceleration is enabled by default. All Windows RT-based devices must satisfy a minimum specification, guaranteeing hardware support for certain tasks (like playing embedded video within a slide). Because desktop PCs are more diverse, Microsoft isn't able to impose the same requirement, shifting playback to the host processor instead.

But the most significant difference between Windows 8 and RT is that the Surface's operating system is only compatible with applications that come from the Windows Store. If you try to install Firefox, you'll get an error. No third-party apps will run on the Windows RT Desktop.

Can you at least hope to see the same long list of applications compatible with Windows RT as Windows 8? Unfortunately not. Apps written in .NET are platform-agnostic, allowing them to run under both operating systems. However, software written in C++ would need to be recompiled for the ARM instruction set.

For more information about the compatibility story, check out Windows 8: Clarifying Codecs, Compiling, And Compatibility.

Andrew Ku
43 Comments Comment from the forums
  • brandonvi
    so microsoft went the apple way with it and shut everything out but what they want ..... o fun how long before some one jail brakes one

    hopefully this will crash and burn hard for the first time every i am praying apple will stomp on Microsoft just so they will stop trying to turn my desktop in to a tablet like this
    Reply
  • jhansonxi
    brandonviso microsoft went the apple way with it and shut everything out but what they want ..... o fun how long before some one jail brakes one hopefully this will crash and burn hard for the first time every i am praying apple will stomp on Microsoft just so they will stop trying to turn my desktop in to a tablet like thisThat will be very difficult with the Surface RT. The key is stored on the main chip (SoC): http://infocenter.arm.com/help/index.jsp?topic=/com.arm.doc.prd29-genc-009492c/CACGCHFE.html

    There's probably a unique key in every production run, if not every individual tablet. The only solution is to replace the SoC with an unkeyed version. It's probably a micro BGA and your not going to be replacing that with just a pencil iron, assuming an alternative SoC is even available.
    Reply
  • friskiest
    @ brandonvi,. If you'll think things more rationally, its obvious that a controlled environment (like the device whose function is to deliver media, quality user experience is a must,. everything should work and feel as expected,. without tight control,. you'll probably have apps that runs poorly or not at all, also, malware could easily be managed.

    Offcourse, that should only be the case for Windows RT, but you can still install softwares to Windows 8 from different sources.
    Reply
  • brandonvi
    friskiest@ brandonvi,. If you'll think things more rationally, its obvious that a controlled environment (like the device whose function is to deliver media, quality user experience is a must,. everything should work and feel as expected,. without tight control,. you'll probably have apps that runs poorly or not at all, also, malware could easily be managed.Offcourse, that should only be the case for Windows RT, but you can still install softwares to Windows 8 from different sources.
    if they dont fail in this which as a said i pray they fail hard how long do you think it will be before they use the same "we need Tight control to give you a good user experience" idea in the main windows they are already a MAJOR step twards it with them having a windows store in the first place this Windows RT is nothing but a test to see how it goes windows 9 or 10 are very likly to be just like this locked down as much as they can
    Reply
  • wildkitten
    brandonviif they dont fail in this which as a said i pray they fail hard how long do you think it will be before they use the same "we need Tight control to give you a good user experience" idea in the main windows they are already a MAJOR step twards it with them having a windows store in the first place this Windows RT is nothing but a test to see how it goes windows 9 or 10 are very likly to be just like this locked down as much as they canIt won't happen in main Windows. The whole point of Windows, and the reason it became and remains the dominant OS, was because, while being closed source, it ran on an open architecture system and anyone could write applications for it.

    If they made it that only "approved" applications from the Windows Store could be run, this would ruin Window's dominance of the OS market and tank PC sales completely. For one thing, they could no longer do licencing deals as to completely wall off Windows while licencing it out the way they currently do would break all the current anti-trust deals in place. Look at how much trouble there was simply cause IE was preinstalled when they never blocked Netscape or Firefox. What do you think the lawsuits would be if they walled it off? It would be horrendous and they know it.

    The only way they could wall it off was to sell hardware and OS themselves the way Apple does with Mac. But as I said, MS knows that would be business suicide.
    Reply
  • Darkerson
    So far, I have to admit, I like what I see, but until I get to see the Surface Pro, I will continue to wait. I have held out this long for a tablet, I think I can wait a little longer. But it definitely looks neat, as least to me it does.
    Reply
  • brandonvi
    wildkittenIt won't happen in main Windows. The whole point of Windows, and the reason it became and remains the dominant OS, was because, while being closed source, it ran on an open architecture system and anyone could write applications for it.If they made it that only "approved" applications from the Windows Store could be run, this would ruin Window's dominance of the OS market and tank PC sales completely. For one thing, they could no longer do licencing deals as to completely wall off Windows while licencing it out the way they currently do would break all the current anti-trust deals in place. Look at how much trouble there was simply cause IE was preinstalled when they never blocked Netscape or Firefox. What do you think the lawsuits would be if they walled it off? It would be horrendous and they know it.The only way they could wall it off was to sell hardware and OS themselves the way Apple does with Mac. But as I said, MS knows that would be business suicide.
    and 2 or 3 years ago almost everyone would of said taking away the start menu and giving wndows a interface from a tablet would be "business suicide" this is just one step in a 5-10 year planed prosess to shuting windows off apple may not be making money hand over fist on there PC sells but overall apple is worth more then microsoft by a great deal if the choice is make games for a closed windows or apple or one of the other lesser used OS's its going to be closed windows because it will more then likly be the same programing as all of the older windows just thru the windows store

    so windows 9 comes out closed you cant just stop progaming for windows and start linix all the people useing windows 7 and 8 are still out there that you can sell to along with many in the windows store on windows 9

    the basic thing is the have the market by the balls and they are going to take advantage of it since they know they can

    if things they are doing like this dont crash and burn we are going to be buying everything from the windows store in a few years
    Reply
  • wildkitten
    brandonviand 2 or 3 years ago almost everyone would of said taking away the start menu and giving wndows a interface from a tablet would be "business suicide" this is just one step in a 5-10 year planed prosess to shuting windows off apple may not be making money hand over fist on there PC sells but overall apple is worth more then microsoft by a great deal if the choice is make games for a closed windows or apple or one of the other lesser used OS's its going to be closed windows because it will more then likly be the same programing as all of the older windows just thru the windows store so windows 9 comes out closed you cant just stop progaming for windows and start linix all the people useing windows 7 and 8 are still out there that you can sell to along with many in the windows store on windows 9 the basic thing is the have the market by the balls and they are going to take advantage of it since they know they can if things they are doing like this dont crash and burn we are going to be buying everything from the windows store in a few yearsYou're comparing dumping the Start button to them doing something that will cost them tons of customers and open themselves to massive lawsuits and scrutiny from multiple governments? The two are not anywhere closely analogous. Please, stop and think before making such comparisons.

    While losing the Start button may seem to many of us, right now, as a silly move, remember, Windows never had it before 95 and the Start button was widely criticized then. You can still get to the regular desktop in Windows 8 and be able to get the Start button through addons.

    But there is no way Microsoft is going to end 3rd party development for Windows. You can say all you want about how Apple is worth more now, but was just 15 years ago in 1997 that Microsoft actually bailed Apple out and kept them from going bankrupt. Microsoft has ALWAYS been the more stable company and has never had any form of debt liability. All Apple did was jump on a niche market and perfected the way people buy music with iTunes as well as develop what was at the time the very best mp3 player on the market with the iPod. Had it not been for iTunes and the iPod, Apple may very well not exist today.

    Did the Xbox cause Microsoft to wall off Windows? No, but some claimed it would and were just as wrong. Some claimed that Microsoft would kill off PC gaming, but it hasn't. The fact that Windows doesn't allow 3rd party apps is mainly because of the ARM architecture and they have seen how malware has grown exponentially on Android and has decided to take a more Apple-ish approch to their main mobile platform, RT, to control things. That's not such a bad idea.

    You also can say all you want that they have the market "by the balls", but if they were to wall off Windows, that would be them releasing their grip. No one would have any incentive to continue to run Windows. It would throw the market place into chaos. Linux would briefly jump up in use by people, but Linux's strengths are also it's weakness, and that is the open source nature and the fact there are so many distro's. Game developers had a brief flirtation with Linux several years ago porting many popular titles to it and discovered that just because the games would run well under Distro X didn't mean it would run well under Distro Y, Z, V and Q. What would happen is the PC market would fall flat, sales would be non existent, R&D would not be nearly what it is, you wouldn't see Intel, AMD, nVidia all releasing new products ever 6-12 months. Eventually someone would come along with a closed source, open architecture OS that people would start using because it would bring compatibility under the same umbrella, but PC use would be far less than what it is now and growth would be slow.

    Microsoft knows this. One thing they will not do is bite the hand that feeds them. They are not going to have the US and Europe taking them to court over antitrust violations that walling off would mean, and sure wouldn't risk losing the main portion of their userbase who use 3rd party applications.
    Reply
  • brandonvi
    ?? you do know that the windows store is not a end to 3rd party development right???? thay will let ANYONE post a app there thay just take i think it was 30% i also think there is a option to make a app/program free when you make it

    more than likly they will even have places to download netscape and others like it not to far down the road

    also more then likly thay will give large things like say call of duty or other major things a break and lower the % to say 10-15%

    the fact is its not at all a "lock out for 3rd party's " but it is a Major step in having a Large control over the market
    Reply
  • Someone Somewhere
    I'm waiting for the EU to sue them over the MS apps only on desktop thing. That's blatantly against the anti-monopoly laws.
    Reply