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Vapor ware | 119 comments | Create New Account
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Surface by Microsoft
Authored by: Chromatix on Monday, June 18 2012 @ 10:10 PM EDT
It's an interesting choice of design. Don't expect me to buy one though, for any of the following reasons:

I seriously doubt the quality of typing feel on a 3mm thick keyboard. For comparison I still use a Model M every day.

Just try using one of those on your lap. The kickstand will be useless and the keyboard won't support the screen. I don't think it'll be sufficiently stable during a turbulent flight or a fast train ride either.

Metro and productivity... no. Just no.

Windows lock-in. If I buy a Mac, I get to choose at least three OSes to put on it (OSX, Windows, Linux). If I buy a standard PC, I still get to choose two of those. If I buy a Surface, I get only *one* choice, and it's not the one I want to make.

Fingerprints on the screen. Again, this is a real killer for anything involving fine-pitch text, which as a programmer I would want to work with a *lot*.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

The ultimate stage
Authored by: FreeChief on Monday, June 18 2012 @ 11:17 PM EDT
From the Fine Webpage:
Microsoft unveiled Surface: PCs built to be the ultimate stage for Windows.
They know the definitions right?
ul.ti.mate adj. being the last in a series
stage medicine the extent or progression of (a cancer, for example).
 — American Heritage College Dictionary
Sounds good to me; and it's about time. I'm hoping for a cure for MS.

 — Programmer in Chief

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

Vapor ware
Authored by: Gringo_ on Tuesday, June 19 2012 @ 09:06 AM EDT

VaporMg: The casing of Surface is created using a unique approach called VaporMg (pronounced Vapor- Mag) ... Starting with magnesium, parts can be molded as thin as .65 mm, thinner than the typical credit card, to create a product that is thin, light and rigid/strong.

So the case is Magnesium, an alkali in the same periodic group as calcium and sodium. Magnesium metal and its alloys are explosive hazards. Magnesium is used in those firestarters you can trigger with a pocket knife to light your campfire. Magnesium reacts with water at room temperature. When submerged in water, hydrogen bubbles will almost unnoticeably begin to form on the surface of the metal. Burning or molten magnesium metal reacts violently with water. Flame temperatures of magnesium and magnesium alloys can reach 3,100 °C (5,610 °F), and it is employed in incendiary weapons. Since it burns just as well in carbon dioxide or nitrogen, the only practical way put out a burning Surface is to smother it under dry sand to exclude the atmosphere.

A car with a magnesium body caused the single worst accident in auto racing history, in terms of human casualties, at the 1955 Le Mons...

Mercedes-Benz had debuted its new 300 SLR sportscar in the 1955 World Sportscar Championship season, with some notable success, including a win at the Mille Miglia. The 300 SLR featured a body made of an ultralightweight magnesium alloy called Elektron with a specific gravity of 1.8 (for reference, aluminium has a S.G. of 2.7 and steel 7.8).

The 1955 Le Mans disaster occurred during the 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans motor race, when a crash caused large pieces of racing car debris to fly into the crowd. Eighty-three spectators and driver Pierre Levegh were killed, whilst 120 more were injured in the most catastrophic accident in motorsport history.

As the remains of the 300 SLR slowed its somersault, the rear-mounted fuel tank ruptured. The ensuing fuel fire raised the temperature of the remaining Elektron bodywork past its ignition temperature, which due to its high magnesium content was lower than for other metal alloys. The alloy burst into white-hot flames, sending searing embers onto the track and into the crowd. Rescue workers, totally unfamiliar with how to attack a magnesium fire, poured water on the inferno – greatly intensifying the fire. As a result, the car burned for several hours. Official accounts put the death total at 84 (83 spectators plus Levegh), either by flying debris or from the fire, with a further 120 injured. Other observers estimated the toll to be much higher.

[ Reply to This | Parent | # ]

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