Microsoft SkyDrive WebApps

This is just a short review of the Microsoft SkyDrive WebApps, specifically, OneNote and Word. I have not really used any of the other apps, though I think I have created one spreadsheet in Excel. Before going on, I want to say that I have fairly extensive experiences with Microsoft Office, having taken classes on both Excel and Access and having used and supported Office for around 15 years.

In addition, I have been using OneNote on Windows Live SkyDrive for more than a year now. I like being able to access documents on my phone, which runs Windows Phone 7. I really enjoy being able to write a document on my PC and then access it on my phone. I use this to copy notes into OneNote so that I can then consult it on my phone when I am working on a client's PC. I keep hoping that after our upcoming shift to Exchange Server, we will be able to set up SharePoint so that we can access install and repair documents from our phones. Unfortunately, I think I am the only one at work using Windows Phone, so I am not sure if that will be a priority.

I am even writing this post in Word on SkyDrive and I am experiencing the problems of SkyDrive. The biggest problem is lag. It is really easy to get several sentences ahead of what you see on the screen. Recently, while typing, I noticed that the screen seemed to refresh and I would lose 3 - 5 letters of what I had been typing. I eliminated this by closing the browser tab that had Facebook open.

One of the nice features of SkyDrive is the ability to access your documents from any PC. I have used this feature extensively, so I have worked on SkyDrive from home, with my broadband connection, from work, and even from public WiFI connections.

I just experienced this problem in the sentence above. I typed "even from public" and what came up on screen was "evenblic" When it works perfectly, it is okay, but sometimes it is all but unusable. Now, I have noticed this problem on Windows XP, as well as Windows 7 and even Windows 8.

So, I do not know if I could ever recommend the SkyDrive apps, at least Word and OneNote. I love the convenience, but they are not really ready for prime time.

Phone Choices

As a big fan of Windows Phone 7, and a Verizon customer, and one mostly happy with Verizon, I am on the opposite side of this dilemma.  Verizon has only one Windows Phone 7, the Trophy, which while not a bad phone pales beside the Lumia 800 and Titan II.  So, I have been dealing with this question myself.    

Three factors are making this decision more interesting. 

1. Windows Phone 8 - I am unlikely to move to any other carrier or any other phone until Windows Phone 8 is released.  To me it would be a little silly to be stuck with Windows Phone 7 for another two years at this point
   AAs a sub-point to this one, is the fact that traditionally, Verizon has the worse selection of Windows phones.  As mentioned above, the Trophy does not compare favorably to the selections on ATT.  There are rumors that this may change, but I have to wait and see. 


2. Verizon's new Share Plan pricing.  I have my wife and my son on my account, and it is going to cost at least $10 more each month to switch to a new plan.  I have unlimited data and I would pay that $10 more to get 1GB to share with my wife (she has 150MB).  I haven't done my homework yet, but I want to find out how much my set of three phones would cost on another carrier. 


3. Three phones on 3 separate refresh cycles.  I need to stay with Verizon until February to avoid any charges for breaking the contract.  My wife's contract may be even further down the road than that.  My son has been using old phones, because he keeps breaking them or losing them, so he does not have a contract and there shouldn't be an early termination fee. 

I feel like I have until February to make a decision, but I am really balancing the extra cost against the hassle of moving three phones to another carrier.  Also, I would like a better Windows Phone.  I love Windows Phone 7 and I am excited about Windows Phone 8.  As I mentioned above, Verizon has lagged behind on Windows Phone, and that throws an extra monkey wrench into the works. 

There is also the fact that my wife really hates AT&T and I am not too fond of them either.  My mother-in-law has AT&T home internet and cable (only thing allowed in her apartment complex) and has had many problems.  Also, the dropped calls problem is worrisome, though it does not appear here in Austin.  We, not quite jokingly, note that AT&T's logo looks like the Deathstar, and despite claims by Microsoft, Apple and Google, we feel that AT&T is the real Evil Empire. 

So, I am in fact facing this very question of is it worth moving.  We have been happy with Verizon's service, so we feel no reason to change on that account.  My wife likes Android and Verizon arguably has the best selection of Android Phones, but there certainly is no reason to move to get a better Android phone.  I am the one who would like to move for a better phone, but it is the Evil Empire (AT&T) that has the best selection of Windows Phones. 

So, I am waiting until Windows Phone 8 launches and then I will be giving this a lot of thought.

A Rant - Windows Surface

There is a lot of stupidity running around in the Tech Media, and even more so among those who comment on the tech blogs. Of course, any major announcement by Apple or Microsoft is a chance for all the haters to try to sound profound...almost all of them fail...and for the fanboys to come out of the walls in support of their side.

Now, I admit to being a bit of a hater when it comes to Apple, but mostly I just get annoyed with the choir of angels they think should sing every time something new runs up the Apple flag pole. Apple makes it, it's perfect. Apple doesn't make it, it's a failure. And of course, sales figures and the number 100 billion will come up as the defense of their position.

Now, Microsoft made a big announcement on Monday, something which I have already commented on, but all day Monday, the tech blogs were just full of crap...yes, crap that is the only thing you can call it when it smells like that. For the Applefanboys, nothing from Microsoft can be a success unless it can match the sales of Apple, and unless the pile of money under Steve Ballmer starts to grow closer to the size of the one under Tim Cook.

I should actually rephrase that, because, they would never use the word unless, that could be an expression of doubt in the inevitable dominance of Apple. They would say that nothing from Microsoft can be a success BECAUSE the sales do not match Apple. Of course, they always forget the sales of Windows, but oh well.

Now, we come to Microsoft Surface, a spiffy new tablet that will be available later this year. First, we must understand that there are two versions of Surface, and this seems to confuse the Applefanboys of the tech media, though it doesn't seem to confuse anyone who has been paying attention to Windows 8 over the last six months.

Surface will be an ARM based tablet running Windows RT.

Surface Pro will be an Intel based tablet running Windows 8.

Now, if that didn't clear it up, then please go away and come back when you understand the difference between Windows RT and Windows 8 and the difference between ARM processors and Intel processors. It has been all over the media for months. I am sorry, but there is no excuse for anyone who calls themselves a technology professional to not know the difference, and when I hear questions like, "well, which one are we supposed to buy?" from someone whose credentials should include technology professional, then I wonder at what they have been doing, because they certainly aren't smart enough to be an technology professional.

If you are a technology professional, you should be knowledgeable, and if you are knowledgable about technology, then the only proper answer to...

Which one should I buy?

is...

The one that best fits your needs.

So, should you buy Surface or Surface Pro? Well, which one best fits your needs?

For all of you who are not technology professionals, you may need some help with that answer...and frankly, that is beyond the scope of this post, but technology professionals do not have that excuse.  They are the ones who are supposed to be giving advice to everyone else.

And then...

Way too many of the pundits are concerned that Microsoft is going to anger their OEM partners with this move.

Oh, and you think that Microsoft did all this without considering that? How stupid are you? Don't answer that, I think I can guess. Well, let's just assume for a moment that Microsoft has some smart people working for them. They considered this point. They decided they could survive this potential problem and they moved forward. So, let's consider why.

• The OEM response to Windows Phone has been less than enthusiastic.

Now, why does that make a difference? I think if you look at the sales of Windows Phone you will understand. More than a year on, and Windows Phone is just not selling very well. There are multiple reasons why, but one big one is that when you walk into your local phone store, you see the iPhone, which needs no explanation and no one compares it to other phones on size, battery life, processor speed, etc. No beef with that, it has earned that status, but I think it is different than other phones.

Next to that you have all the Android phones, which DO complete on feel, weight, processor power, battery life, etc. And, after that you move on to Windows Phone. Unfortunately, most of the Windows Phones don't compete well when all you compare is the internal hardware. It reminds me a little of the AMD/Intel wars, when AMD processors lost because they had slower processor speeds, despite outdoing Intel processors at the same speed. Windows Phone works faster on lesser hardware, that is all there is to it, but that isn't something you can get people to understand easily. It also reminds me of the megapixel wars, both past and present. Anyone with a brain knows that megapixels are only one factor, and that optics, that is the glass out in front of the sensor, are equally if not more important, but that cannot be explained in a sound bite.

The point is that Microsoft could easily feel that the phone OEMs have let them down. It seems that Samsung and HTC both put out better phones for Android while leaving Windows Phone behind. Only Nokia seems interesting in having Windows Phone as their flagship, and they don't do Android.

To a lesser extent, Microsoft could feel the same way about the PC OEMs, but I feel that the ultrabooks might be changing that.

• Android Tablets don't have that much going for them.

Despite what Androidfanboys would have you believe, the Android tablet is not doing all that well. There are many reasons for that and none of those reasons has a place in this essay, except maybe one. Among the hardware designs, there are few big winners. There are some good tablets, and some with cool features, but there is not a lot of WOW! in the Android tablet stable.

These first two tie together into one big thought....in my mind.

Microsoft does not trust the tablet OEMs to produce tablets with WOW!

So, they did it themselves, and thus was born Surface.

But, there is more to look at and it concerns the strategy surrounding Surface. Microsoft could have taken the Kindle Fire route. They could have produced a tablet and sold it near cost, taking no profit from the hardware, and making it up in services, apps, games, music, video, etc. This is a good strategy for Amazon, because they have all the services you could ever ask for, but if you consider, Microsoft it does not work as well, plus it leaves no place for Microsoft's OEM partners to go. They cannot afford to sell at a loss, because they don't get any part of Microsoft's services revenue. The OEMs would be cut out of the deal.

So, where did Microsoft go? Well, the key is to look at the prices mentioned for Surface. Nothing specific was revealed, but the word comparable was used. Surface comparable with the iPad, and Surface Pro comparable with ultrabooks. This places the Surface in the premium range. It sets the gold standard, but has a price to match.

So, where does this leave the OEMs? Well, they can attempt to match the Surface and go head to head against it, and the iPad, or they can attempt to come in below the Surface, going with a lower price, and of course a lower feature set.

The Apple Falacy

I am not a big fan of Apple.  I want that up front, right off the bat.  I admire the company's success, but I dislike the fanatical support of some of their users.  I tend to dislike fanatics on any level.  I certainly have a rather strong dislike of religious fanatics, and Apple fanatics often take things into realms that border on religion.  Until the death of Steve Jobs, they had their prophet, and they tend to take things on faith.  Faith is the only explanation for the huge sales of the original iPad in the first few days after launch.  Only a handful of people had gotten their hands on one before launch and yet millions bought it in the first few days.  Why?  Because their prophet said it was magical, so like sheep, they lined up and bought one. 

I'll try not to use the sheep word too much, because the only people who really qualify are people who bought an iPad without really knowing what they were getting.  Buying the new iPad, or the new iPhone isn't the same, because these are new versions of a well-known product.  You mostly know what you are getting. 

But, that isn't the Apple fallacy, and all the people who buy them aren't sheep.  They may be victims of the Apple fallacy, but they did know what they were getting.  So, let me tell you two more things. 

I'm 6'4" and I weigh over 300lbs.  Now, I bring those up for one reason, and that is that I find it hard to find clothes that fit.  And one of my greatest annoyances is the phrase, "One size fits all."  Anything that is given that description will not fit me, and in fact I alter it to, "One size fits none."  It would actually be more appropriate to say, "One size fits few." 

Now, you might be wondering how this ties into something that could possibly be called the Apple Fallacy.  The problem is that in the smartphone and tablet markets, Apple are the "One size fits all."  They produce only one model of each, as if one model can truly be the best thing for everyone. 

The amazing thing is that people actually believe this.  Some of them are actually somewhat smart people who hold jobs.  One of them works for Gizmodo.  Or maybe I should say writes for Gizmodo, though he is listed as an Editor. 

He thinks that 5 million Samsung Note buyers are...confused.

He thinks that it is his job to stop people from buying big phones by showing how silly they look on a diminutive woman with pants that are tight enough to cut off her circulation. Link

I suppose that the author is one of those normal sized people for whom most things are designed, including Apple products, but that doesn't mean that there is anything wrong with those of who cannot wear generic gimme caps, and can barely pull on a single X large shirt, and can't, or don't want to be forced to read on the tiny 3.5" screen of the present iPhone. 

The Apple fallacy is the very concept that you can make one product and please everyone.  No matter how much time, brain power and money you spend on figuring out the perfect device, there will always be someone who is better off with something else.  And, there will always be those who choose to buy something different from everyone else. 

Now, someone will point to Apple's sales figures and say that proves that one size fits all is the way to go.  Well, it probably is if you want to make money, at least if you can sell one item, or one in a few different categories, as well as Apple does, but that doesn't mean that products and manufacturers that don't espouse the one-size-fits-all philosophy are stupid....and it certainly doesn't mean that anyone is stupid for not choosing the on-size-fits-all product. 

Also, it is my opinion that the victory of Android over the iPhone is BECAUSE of the choices, and especially, because of the bigger phones.  Why else would their be so many rumors about a larger iPhone? 

Apple's one-size-fits-all policy has been a huge success as judged by millions of users and $100 billion in the bank, but some of the followers of the Church of Apple, which includes a majority of the Gizmodo writers, have fallen for the Fallacy that what is best for Apple the company, and best for Apple's users (which is debatable), is best for everyone.  And here, they truly push Apple over into that religious analogy.  They preach the one true faith. 

They see the one true path, but there are many of us who find that path too restrictive, and we walk a path of our own, and since this really isn't religion, we are right, and all those who tell us our phones are too big are wrong.  You don't wear clothes the same size as everyone else, you buy the size that fits you and while the size of your phone isn't always proportional to the size of your body, you should buy the phone that fits your needs and desires, even if others try to tell you that you're confused.  It is they that are confused.  Yes, the iPhone and iPad are great products, and you don't know how much it hurts for me to say that, but they are not the right fit for everyone. 

And tech writers, especially those at Gizmodo, need to see that, and not try to sell the rest of us on the Apple Fallacy. 

Android vs iPad

Source: http://www.statista.com/chartoftheday/media/

Just including this so that I can reference in the future.  Many tech writers seem to feel that iPad is the only success in the tablet market, and I have seen it written repeatedly that Android tablets are not making a significant dent in the iPad.  This information seems to say otherwise.

It should still be noted that the iPad is still the best selling single model of tablet and that Apple makes more profit on the iPad than most of the other tablet OEMs make on their tablets.

Click on the chart for a larger version.

Trophy

Best Trophy Cars, Plus a Truck and Bike 

I saw this list on MSN and started shaking my head as soon as I saw the first car.  Half the cars on this list don't deserve to be there.  They  just don't come close to being on a list of true Trophy Cars.  Every one of these is a nice car, certainly a desirable car, but hardly worthy of the Trophy Car title.  So, here we go, with my explanations on why. 

Lame list... 

• BMW M5 

 Oh please, nice car, but anyone can own one and you can barely tell it apart from a regular 5 series.  

• Ford Shelby GT500 

Okay, this one falls opposite the Bentley...I like it, but no.  It's a Mustang. 

• Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG 

 Again, nice car, but there is no wow when you look at it, just like the 5M. 

• Porsche Cayenne GTS 

OMG, no.  First, the Cayenne is an abomination, and second, see what I said about the M5 and S65 Merc. 

• Rolls-Royce Ghost 

 Sorry, but when you aim below the top, then you do not have a trophy.   

As Jeremy Clarkson said, "if you have one of these, one day you will pull up to a set of lights, and along side will slide Simon Cowell in his bigger Phantom and he'll go...*cheesy knowing grin*."  To which Richard Hammon answers, "I know what you mean, because you would only buy the Ghost because you couldn't afford the Phantom."  (Top Gear, Series 16, Episode 3) 

That doesn't sound like a Trophy Car to me.  Yes, my Trophy is that I cannot afford the larger model. 

Okay to be on the list...  

• Aston Martin V12 Zagato 

Heck, any Aston Martin that isn't a Vantage could make the list, but this one is special, as a Trophy Car should be. 

• Bentley Continental GTC 

I don't really like the Bentley, but it is definitely worthy of the list.

• Ducati 1199 Panigale S / Tricolor 

Okay, I wouldn't put a bike on my Trophy Car list, but if you did, then this is a good one. 

• Ferrari 458 Spider 

Any Ferrari but the California could make the list.  

• Lamborghini Sesto Elemento 

This one is sort of obvious, except you cannot actually buy one 

Now, I think there are some additional cars that can take their place on the Trophy Car list, and all I did was take suggestions from the failures above.  Also, since the MSN list seemed to be restricted to new cars, I kept my additions to the same criteria.

My additions to the list 

• Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe

You don't have to include Rolls-Royce, or Phantom.  Do a Google search for Drophead Coupe and it will be the first thing on the list.  The Drophead Coupe lacks the performance of the Bentley, but more than makes up for it in posh style and panache.  No matter what pulls up next to you, you can hold your head high.  Any Rolls-Royce Phantom would be a big improvement over the Ghost. 

• Saleen Mustang, Camaro or Challenger 

Zagato is a coach builder.  They take a car and wrap it in new sheetmetal.  AMG and M are in-house tuners for Mercedes and BMW.  So, if we are going to have an American car on the list, then why not go to the head of the class with Steve Saleen.  He offers two Mustangs, a Camaro and a Challenger that offer custom looks as well as ridiculous performance.  Everyone will know the car is special as soon as they see it, rather than having to look for a tiny badge. 

• Mercedes Benz SLS AMG Roadster 

A trophy car should shout, not whisper, and the only one that really shouts is the SLS.  I prefer the roadster myself.  This is a car that holds its head high, no matter what pulls up alongside.  If you buy the S65, then when one of these pulls alongside, you'll get a misty look in your eye. 

• Mercedes C63 AMG Black Series 

And, nothing says Trophy Car like exclusivity, not just the exclusivity of price, but the exclusivity or limited production.  Every year or two, Mercedes tuner group AMG goes all out, and produces a car that goes even beyond the normal AMG tuning, and creates the Black Series.  The most recent is the C63.  Only 800 were produced and they are all sold, so like the Sesto Elemento, if you don't already have one, you won't be getting one. 

• BMW Zagato Coupe

I am not even sure if you will be able to buy this one, but if you can, it will jump up the Trophy car list, unless BMW produces thousands of them, which is unlikely.  It should be no surprise that Zagato is on the list again.  Zagato is a famous old name in the coach building business and there are many spectacular and unusual cars that bear the Zagato name.

Now, that makes a more acceptable list of Trophy Cars.  Tell me what car makes your Trophy Car list.

More Thoughts on Microsoft Surface

Microsoft Surface is one of the coolest concepts in the Tablet arena, and many questions have been raised, some legitimate, because Microsoft failed to mention any details about it.  So, we don't know the exact cost, the exact specifications, the battery life, or...much of anything. 

One thing that has some worried is that Microsoft is entering into the hardware business, in what should be direct competition with their partners.  Personally, I have a bit of faith in Microsoft.  After the successes of the XBox, Windows Phone 7, and Windows 7.  Some will point out that Windows Phone 7 has not been a huge sales success, but anyone who has used it knows that the OS is a success.  It is the best smartphone OS now, even including iOS 6, and only lacks the app ecosystem.  It is not the same sales success, but it is still better. 

The problem for Windows 8/RT should be obvious when you look at the available Windows 7 and Android tablets.  From the standpoint of hardware, they just don't measure up to the iPad.  The Transformer Prime is probably the best example of the lot, and it comes fairly close to the iPad, and it is priced accordingly.  Most just don't really come close to the iPad, but they do offer the advantage of price. 

Of course, Windows tablets do not offer the advantage of price.  Most of them cost hundreds more than an iPad.  Of course, you are getting a true computer, a PC and not just an iPod Touch with a larger screen.  Which leads to a quick (hopefully) aside. 

iPad fans will say that the iPad is much more than an iPod Touch with a larger screen.  They are wrong.  The internals of the iPad are the same as the iPhone, same processor, same graphics, same everything except the screen.  Now, I do not want to understate the importance of that larger screen.  Apps that are unusable on a 3.5" screen are wonderful on a 9" screen, but that really is the only difference. 

The true difference between the iPad is the variety of apps.  As I said, apps that would be unusable on an iPhone are wonderful on an iPad, but that has nothing to do with Apple.  Apple didn't create a better device, they just attached a bigger screen.  It is the developers who deserve the credit for making the iPad into something more than an iPod Touch with a larger screen.  Well, not really, because that is still what it is. 

Now, close the aside and back to Surface. 

Windows tablets today are PCs without keyboards.  Full PC processors, full I/O support and all the rest.  But, no matter what we look at, we see that the Windows tablets available today are trying very hard to compete against the iPad, and they fail, because they have less battery life,greater size and weight, overly long boot times, and an interface that is not designed for Touch.  Yes, Windows 7 is touch ready, it supports two finger gestures and most of the other cool touch features, but the parts of the UI are so small you cannot use them with your fingers in many cases.  But, the real point is that to stay close to the iPad in price, they have had to skimp on the hardware, and it shows. 

The takeaway from all this, is that Microsoft cannot rely on the OEMs to produce a top of the line tablet.  Even the best Android tablet on the market has admitted that it cannot go head to head against the iPad at the same price.  This is important, because Windows RT tablets are going to be Android tablets with a different OS.  You should be able to take the Asus Transformer Prime and flash it with Windows RT. 

That's for ARM tablets, but if we look at the Windows 7 tablets, it is the same story.  Too many compromises to stay close to the iPad in price.  Just recently, we have see a few Windows 7 tablets that have attempted to do it right, the Asus EeeSlate, Samsung Slate, and the Dell Latitude ST.  Overall, these look quite good, and they are priced well above the iPad, but they still don't quite measure up. 

What Microsoft needed was a flagship.  The Windows equivalent of the Google Nexus.  Something that shows just exactly what you can do with Windows 8/RT, and I believe that Microsoft did not have enough faith in any of its OEM partners to leave that job up to them. 

When I remember that there were rumors over a year ago that Microsoft was thinking of crossing over into hardware for tablets, it makes me wonder if Microsoft didn't pull aside one or more of their partners to ask them to produce a flagship tablet.  If Microsoft didn't point out to Dell or HP for example that they needed a flagship tablet.  I am also wondering if Dell and HP didn't turn them down.   

HP already has the Windows Slate disaster standing against them.  Steve Ballmer must have felt like an idiot, when HP dropped the Slate after acquiring Palm.  Steve Ballmer made the HP Slate a centerpiece of his presentation, and then HP dropped it.  That must have seemed like a real stab in the back.  Dell has never done a Windows tablet until now, and if the Latitude St is the best Dell could do, then I can understand Microsoft leaving them behind. 

Microsoft needs a flagship tablet for Windows 8/RT, and no other partner was big enough to make it.  Especially for the Windows 8 tablet, they needed a big PC OEM and that really means either HP or Dell.  With them out of the running, Microsoft has only one choice, make it themselves.  And so, we have Surface. 

Microsoft said that Surface will have a price comparable to other tablets, and Surface Pro comparable to ultrabooks.  Let's rephrase that.  Surface will have a price that matches the iPad.  Surface Pro will have a price that comparable to the low to middle range of the ultrabooks, maybe even higher. 

This is the flagship.  The is the pinnacle.  Surface is a match for the iPad, at least in my opinion.  Give a choice between an iPad and Surface, I would not hesitate in choosing Surface.  Surface will be a premium tablet, both RT and Pro.  Every OEM will be able to produce a tablet and sell if for less than Surface, and that is the idea.  Microsoft will take the high road, up where the iPad is, where the real risk is.  No other tablet has succeeded in that price range.  OEMs will be able to produce lesser tablets and sell them at a lower price. 

I think that these lower priced tablets will be critical to the success of Windows 8/RT.  I am not sure that Windows RT can beat the iPad if Surface is the only player.  Microsoft needs a lower priced entry point for Windows RT.  Surface Pro and Windows 8 should be a different story.  Yes, they will be competing with the iPad, but they are clearly going to cost more, but when you compare the full computing power of Windows 8, I think you will have a compelling alternative to iPad, Android and even Windows RT. 

So, I hope that I have given a few extra points to consider.  Unlike some, I don't think that Microsoft threw its OEM partners under the bus.  I doubt that this was a big surprise to them.  I think they knew this was coming, and they will be scrambling to fill in underneath Surface, and to provide other innovative solutions, like the ones we saw at Computex recently.  I think that HP and Dell might have been given a chance to produce something like Surface and been refused.  Though I also think it is possible that Steve Ballmer did not make the offer to HP after the Slate embarassment. 

One final aside.  There is a rumor that Windows RT is going to cost $85 a copy.  So far as I know, this was a single rumor, unconfirmed that has been repeated so often by the Tech Media that they all believe it now.  I don't buy it.  What I see if a bunch of anti-MS tech writers (which is most of them) trotting out tired reasons why Microsoft will fail without making any attempt to verify the rumor.  They want Microsoft to fail, and so they repeat any rumor that makes it look like Microsoft is full of idiots. 

A price tag that high would cripple sales of Windows RT tablets.  Windows RT tablets will be competing directly against Android tablets and they do not do enough more to justify paying nearly $100 more for Windows RT.  Remember, the hardware is the same, therefore the cost is the same.  With the already tiny margins in the tablet field (outside of iPad), you cannot expect OEMs to take $85 less on each sale, and if you price them $85 more than an identically specced Android tablet, then they simply won't sell. 

I don't believe that Surface is Microsoft's attempt to push the OEMs out of the way and take over completely whatever market there may be for Windows tablets.  I believe that Microsoft wanted a no compromise flagship tablet that would stand up to direct comparison to the iPad, and I believe that Microsoft decided that the only way to get it was to make it themselves. 

Below is the chart of the prices of iPad and all the top Android tablets that I could find.  Where ever possible, I pulled prices from the manufacturers website.  I was not looking to find the lowest available price, but the manufacturer's suggested retail price. 

	8GB	16GB	32GB	64GB
iPad		$499	$599	$699
Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1		$499	$599
Galaxy Tab 2		$399
Acer Iconia A200	$329	$349
Acer Iconia A500		$349
Acer Iconia A700			$449
Asus EeePad Transformer TF101		$377	$599
Asus EeePad Transformer TF300			$384
Asus Transformer Prime		$379	$499	$599
Sony		$399	$499
Toshiba Thrive	$379	$399	$479
Toshiba Excite		$449	$529	$649
Toshiba Excite LE		$529	$599
Motorola Xoom		$499
Motorola Xyboard		$499
Lenovo IdeaPad S	$399	$449	$499
Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet		$499	$569	$669