Scratching the Surface: Could Microsoft's PC-tablet squeeze Apple?

Everyone loves the iPad. It’s clear in the coffee shops of central London through to the trains and planes of the developed world beyond – the slab of screen has become another Apple banker.

It’s also clear from the scramble of manufacturers aping the house that Jobs built that the market is becoming a battleground – and Microsoft have brought out the big guns.

The company’s new Surface tablet is a bit of a misnomer, mind. Sure, it’s got a 10.6in 10.6" 1366×768 touch screen, Wi-fi, up to 128GB of storage and runs apps – but it’s not really a tablet at all.

At least, not the higher-end version. The top Surface tab, we’re promised, will run anything Windows 8 PCs can handle.

While the Intel Atom processor hiding behind the screen is hardly going to be busting out max-settings Crysis on the bus, it’s essentially a notebook PC, able to run Firefox, Windows Media Player, Office, Steam – anything a leisure laptop needs, basically. And it comes with a case which doubles as a detachable fold-out keyboard/stand and mouse-thing.

It even comes complete with USB 3.0 ports and an SD card slot. This alone makes it so much more versatile than an iPad. Want to look at your snaps on the shiny screen? Pop your camera’s SD card in. Want to watch some films? Plug in your external hard drive. Want to swap a few songs over on your iPod without bothering to start your big PC? You get the drift. Frankly, I applaud Microsoft for including these vital ports which Apple seems to detest.

Personally, it’s exactly the sort of thing I’ve been waiting for. I love the idea of the iPad and have come close to buying before. But I just couldn’t see how much I’d really use it when I already have a laptop for the above tasks and a large-screen smartphone on the go. 

But the Surface truly promises to combine the best of both without making huge sacrifices like the iPad.  I can genuinely see myself taking the Surface out and about, but also word processing, file management, film-watching and web surfing at home. It’s ingenious.

Surface can connect to an  iPad or other devices via USB.

There is always a downside, though. For one thing, the resolution, while decent, is no retina display. Side-by-side with an iPad 3, Surface – like everything – loses out. 

Similarly, there are many who simply don’t want Windows on their device – people who like the simplicity and dependability of the Apple OS and iTunes, rather than updating drivers, fiddling with files and doing virus scans. I can see their point.

Price will be key, too. Price it too low, and other manufacturers will feel Microsoft is abusing its position (it doesn’t have to pay itself a license fee for Windows 8, unlike other tablet makers choosing the OS). Too high and the company isn’t taking advantage of its dual software/hardware standing, and people who like notebooks will just buy cheaper notebooks and the rest will stick with Apple.

For me, a £399 low-end, Windows RT Surface and a £549 Win 8 Surface would be perfect to slightly undercut Apple and tempt buyers away without going too cheap.

From a developer standpoint, Surface and Windows 8 is a good idea. That the OS shares the same core programming across Windows Phone 8, Windows 8 and the cheap-tab Windows RT should mean an integrated, focused approach from developers in the future, with apps able to be created across three platforms at once, easily. Meaning more to download, install and enjoy whatever Microsoft device you buy.

Whatever happens, Microsoft needs Surface to succeed. Tablet sales are still growing at an enormous pace, alongside smartphones, while PC sales continue to decline – and Apple is just watching the Windows-dominated PC market yield to an Apple-owned tablet one.

It’s going to be an interesting few years for tablets and PCs - the battle is far from won for Apple and iPad. It feels like we’ve barely scratched the surface.

Does liking technology mean hating the world?

So, it's Earth Day today, apparently. To honour it, I've been tweeting from my laptop while using my PS3 on a 40" TV and charging my phone, all at once. Again.

It's ironic that the rise of consumer technology has come about at the exact same time as the eco-revolution.

At one time in the mid-noughties it was estimated that computers took 12% of all the world's electricity useage. While it may sound fairly small, that figure means that for all the lights, shops, factories,businesses and heating systems in the world, computers still took this huge chunk of power just for Liking biscuits on facebook and watching iPlayer.

For the average tech junkie, you'll probably find any of the following running all at once in one room: a TV, games console, smartphone charger, laptop/PC, iPod/mp3 player, stereo, wireless box, freeview/Sky box. My living room is beginning to resemble the NASA launch centre.

And these are thirsty, thirsty bits of kit. An Xbox 360 will use 1000w of electricity every four hours; a PS3 every three. And while I don't know how much my HTC smartphone needs in juice, I do know it takes longer to charge fully than it does to run flat again.

Surely, then, you can only be a technology fan if you hate the environment, don't believe in global warming, don't care or all of the above.

Well, to a degree. But it isn't our fault.

Yes, we can try to do our bit. We can use rechargeable batteries, we can put our laptops on 'Power Save' mode and we can dim the telly. But there is so little information out there about how much power our tech actually needs that it's difficult to even think about it, let alone act.

I only know how much a PS3 uses because some time-rich anorak plugged it in to a watt-measurement device and put the results online. I certainly don't know how much an iPod, or a TV, or my laptop uses, but I'm sure it's a fair chunk.

Why don't I know? My computer lists endless, incomprehensible features on its side, like 'up to 1308 MB DVMT' (I don't know what this means) as well as listing its green credentials - 'Energy Star Approved' (I do know that this doesn't mean much, since it's on almost every electrical product ever), but nowhere does it say how much electricity it uses.

In these eco-conscious times, green transparency, so to speak, is long overdue. It's high time companies like Sony, Samsung and Apple started listing how much power items need right on the box.

Why is it only washing machines that are energy rated? Computers, TVs, phones and games consoles should be marked from A* to F, too.

Not everyone will notice, not everyone will care. But at least we'd all have the option to make the green choice. It's certainly better than buying ever more powerful devices and wondering why our electricity bills are through the (poorly-insulated) roof.

I could go on, but I'm going to use my last sliver of laptop battery to watch the ice caps melt on YouTube.