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Microsoft Surface: iPad knockoff for enterprise? That works

If you're going to knock-off a product, it's never a bad idea to copy from the best. The ipad is basically the only tablet worth copying. Can you imagine if Microsoft were to copy their failed Windows PC Tablet? This time around they would like to succeed so they've looked to the best.

I really appreaciate my iPad and I use it daily for a limited but valuable scope of use.
That said,even with the limited demands I place on it, it locks up, applications crash and it requires updates - Application updates are almost monthly if not more frequent. I demand much more out of my windows laptop than my ipad and I honestly can't recall the last time it crashed. Admittedly I have a Mac at home for my kids and I recently bought one for my parents because I think it is an excellent platform for a particular type of user and I enjoy using them as well. But rooms full of slow, virus laden Windows PCs with smoke rising out them is more the stuff of myth and agenda than reality. I look at the Windows facet of Surface as its primary selling point.

Windows 95?

Today's Windows, version 7 is nothing like what you describe.

Yes, you do need AV, just like Macs. File swaps don't take very long. I cannot remember the last time "Explorer has stopped responding" and I help support 800 PCs.

And the iPad isn't a master of anything, it's too limited.

You're Apple fanboy tattoo is showing.

Is not an Enterprise level of security. The discussion is about a tablet in the Enterprise. It is not a discussion about a tablet that you bring to work.

No Network / Sys Admin would allow merely a "slide to unlock" device access to Enterprise resources.

And seriously, I can't remember the last time I saw a Windows computer crash or "Explorer has stopped responding" and I support over 500 of them at work from Win XP to Win 8.

While there may be some developers who will continue to rely on the keyboard or the trackpad for input, there will be others who will see an opportunity in the touch capabilities of the tablet on the Metro UI.
There are thousands of legacy desktop applications that were designed for a traditional desktop. Microsoft is saying that you don't have to drop them.
I have been using a Windows 8 convertible tablet for a few months now and there are times when a real keyboard is more convenient than an onscreen one. Especially when you want more screen real estate visible.
There are also times when a digital pen is more convenient than your finger. Like when you are taking notes or drawing diagrams. (see MS OneNote).
My point is, can't these input methods coexist?
As the saying goes, "Use the right tool for the job."
Is it so hard to fold the cover back?

It's easy enough to put a 13-character password on it that has to be keyed in before it's usable. At least, on the iPad it is.

I know you can add a more secure way to log in on an iPad but given the choice on a personal device, a typical user would not do it. Only if it is imposed.

>> "Touch a button, slide to unlock, and begin working *right* *now*"
>> Is not an Enterprise level of security.

If it's in the Enterprise, imposed security is somewhat of a given, wouldn't you say? Or does your company not mandate password security requirements?

Management tools for the iPhone/iPad allow an impressive degree of imposed security. In actuality, they're safer in untrusted hands than our fleet of laptops.

While I am aware that you can add security to an iPad, I replied to the "slide to unlock" feature you mentioned in your post.
You said, " You want to copy the iPad? Touch a button, slide to unlock, and begin working right now, with no slow-down, no chug-chug-chug of swap files..."
The iPad feature of "slide to unlock" is not the same as Enterprise -level security.
"Slide to unclock" is a convenience feature so that user doesn't accidentally unlock the device.
Anyone who has possession of the device can slide to unlock.
Only users who know the log in credentials can unlock a device that has been properly secured in the Enterprise.
I dare say that it will take longer to enter login credentials and verify those credentials than it would to slide to unlock so it would defeat your notion of quick access to the device.
I can however, think of a slide to unlock that would be slightly faster and significantly more secure. That is a fingerprint reader.
Unfortunately, most consumer devices do not inclue one.

Honestly not trying to be condescending: Have you ever used a password-protected iWhatever? It's pretty easy. Slide, enter numeric unlock code, you're in. There's no verification delay or anything. You can set a sizable code if you want. You can also define what happens after too many wrong guesses.

Once you're in, there's arguably no need to enter credentials in each app. The phone is secured any time it's locked. The paranoid may disagree, though.

The fingerprint scanner is a cool idea, and I think it was the Atrix that had one.. Didn't work out very well, from what I hear. The accuracy was such that you could pick from having to scan multiple times before it would successfully unlock, to the other extreme where anyone's finger-like appendage could unlock it. I don't know if that's just a limitation of today's affordable scanners, or just a poor implementation.

but I'm pretty sure that the iPad does not support AD integration or GPO so it is not useful in my Enterprise if the user needs access to Enterprise resources. So no matter what kind of other security features it may have, it will require a different managment system.
Why incur that extra cost if I don't need to?

MS Surface Pro supports AD/GPO out of the box PLUS my Fujitsu and Lenovo tablets (running on Win 8) include fingerprint readers that work very well. And they wake up very quickly.

As an IT professional for a large organization, I see the amount of work it takes to keep a fleet of PCs running. We have more front-line helpdesk guys than all other IT combined. Now, to be fair, that's not just PC support -- it's also printers, and applications, etc.

And yes, we do allow enterprise use of Apple devices. (Or BlackBerry, or Android. I don't make the rules, but if I did, I also wouldn't care. Whatever the user wants to use is fine, provided it meets some base requirements.) We have one service (well, no, two -- BB has its own) for managing portable devices. We set policies, hand out the URL for automatic setup to the end-user, and that's about it. Ironically, people talk about the security risks, but we can remotely brick them, they're way more difficult to get into without authorization, and easier to enforce usage restrictions than PCs.

For the PCs, we have a couple guys that build images, we have an AV server that requires care and feeding to make sure clients and definitions are being pushed. We have a patch-management system for which we do the same. We have another tool for software inventory. It's nowhere near as set-and-forget, but that's the difference between a closed device and the herd of cats that is a general purpose computer. It's not a fair comparison, but it doesn't have to be. The "toys" are much easier to manage, and the management tools are much more reliable. Not fanboy-ism, just fact.

Then there's support. When someone drops a phone, we may have to replace it because of a broken screen. Other than that, there just isn't much in the way of support. The number of tickets where a user has issues with the OS or the base software (browser, etc.) of a mobile device is non-existent in comparison. Of course, there ARE more PCs, so it's hard to say exactly what the real ratio is, but there are very very few instances of where it should work but doesn't on, e.g., an iPad, or even a Droid.

But the biggest difference is the immediacy of the portable platforms. You're right, there isn't smoke billowing out of my Windows 7 box. I never said there was. But, every morning, I wait for the stupid hard drive light to quit shining after unlocking, while all my open apps are reloaded from the swap file. For some reason, when I click the "Bold" button in Word, my computer has to load something from disk for 5-10 seconds before the font changes. I don't have a dozen apps in my systray, and I'm not working with huge documents. A dozen browser tabs, an Excel sheet, a command prompt, a couple Notepads, and a file browser window. I have 2GB of RAM, that shouldn't be a strain. It gets worse the longer it's been since a reboot. I know, I should reboot more than once a month or two -- but on the other hand, should I? I don't reboot my phone that often...

There have been times when I've chosen to open a PDF from my iPhone rather than on the computer because Acrobat takes way too long to load, and scrolling performance is BETTER on the phone. Seriously... that's just ridiculous.

How long did it take before full-screen YouTube videos could play without dropping frames on a brawny PC? Yet I can twirl an iPad in circles, letting the rotation flip the video in full-screen, without skipping a beat.

So .. the computer and my phone are both computers. The difference is the software. I don't want my phone running the full version of Windows. I don't EVER want to see InstallShield before taking a call. Just... work. Please.

I have the same viewpoint regarding tablets. They're convenient because they don't have the baggage of a full general purpose OS. Bringing that mess forward to more limited hardware is not a great long-term solution. It's never worked in the past, why would it work now?

Please come back to earth, you are not talking to grade schoolers here, we know the truth, We know the difference between the load times on solid state memory and hard drives that you are exaggerating, the video frame rates on ancient business class machines and modern desktops, and of course lets look at the fact that you really do not support any Android based apps, they work or they dont, just like the limited ipad apps... You really should learn to argue with facts and not fallacies, especially when you are arguing with the developers, designers and users of the products you claim to know but really do not. Come on. Keep this an Adult and Honest discussion. Your comparison of how long it took Youtube video to mature is a flagrant give away of your real position in this discussion,

Nwallette, good to see someone with common sense post. Thanks.

The idea behind tablets and pads is being able to take power with you without the inconvenience of size... dont need the power? take a crayon and coloring book. Driver issues are the result of software development issues, something Apple doesnt suffer because Apple doesnt ALLOW the development of software by competitors, an issue that has almost put them out of business multiple times. And those fancy touch screens, great until the first time it gets cracked and you NEED to access it. Trade off reliability for gimmicks... not in the real world, and THAT is why Apple is still just a kids computer.

Apple most certainly does allow the development of software by competitors--and anyone else that wants to develop. The difference is that Apple bothers to check and at least attempt to vet that software before it goes up for sale--unlike the others.

Those fancy touch screens? Here you really need to do some research. Even when the device has been run over by a car and the screen a total spider's web of cracks, the owner can still use it in most cases--unlike, again, their competitors.

It is a start in MS's attempt to make Windows-8 a possible viable option for the enterprise marketplace--now that it includes a very rudimentary keyboard. It certainly is no substitute for a full-size, traditionally shaped keyboard, for serious data entry. But, it is better than using one or two fingers to tap in text. "Close, but no cigar" as a laptop or desktop replacement.

Since iPad was the first widely successful tablet design of its kind then its easy (if not meaningless and odiotic) to call Surface an iPad knockoff particularly since ALL contemporary tables are, just as all flat screen TVs are knock offs of each other. It's the differences between the offerings that are meaningful and worthy of discussion. I don't have a computer religion or a favorite team. I want the best functionality, compatiblity and cost effectiveness. I am intrigued by this new device and it if joins domains and can be subject to group policy and run Outlook natively out of the box, then I think its going to distingush itself as have unique and valuable capabilities, whether it looks like what it is (a tablet) or not.

Where do the figures for non-desktop use in the Enterprise come from? I just do not believe them. If it is from questionnaires then the person being questioned is not providing accurate information but providing massaged figures for whatever reason. I do not know one single person who uses anything other than a desktop for mass email management or long chunks of working. If you use a Smartphone or tablet/slate/pad for working then you run the risk of health and safety issues and efficiency issues. The desktop is not dead and this is a complete red herring spun into fact, when it is not, by ill informed media and wanna-be hobbyist bloggers.
I welcome the Surface as it looks like it has a potential to touch type. As a company director I look for efficiency, accuracy and common sense target hitting and using a slate/pad or tablet, whatever brand. Maybe Surface will address this.

I can envision the Surface Pro in a docking station with a full size keyboard and a second monitor replacing a desktop for some people.
- Not for processor intensive applications but certainly for MS Office stuff.
- and only if there is a need for mobility

A voice of REASON! A tablet is a Niche device! take it to a meeting for the review of data, use it for point of use data acquisition use it in the field, use it as a communications device but STOP trying to claim that its a desk top killer. They tried that with notebooks and it still has not happened. A tool is just a tool and you use the right tool for the job. Look to the Wrench Market, look
at all the magic miracle wrenches that have come and gone over all the decades, and still the original combination and socket wrenches still are number one...

This is the only place I can actually see a Windows 8 (non-RT) tablet making sense over Android or iPad. It actually COULD be your desktop. Most office folks do not need the horsepower available to them. With mounted network shares, an LCD panel, a dock, and a KB/mouse, a tablet could be a viable low-power workstation that slips easily into a backpack, purse, briefcase, or carried by hand. If you're a frequent meeting attendee, this is ideal. Perhaps more ideal than a laptop.

BTW, notebooks at my (large) company are close to 1:1 with desktops. In many departments, desktops are rare. For some, there's no expectation of out-of-office work, so the desktops outnumber laptops. Hence the 50/50 average.

"Most office folks do not need the horsepower available to them."

It could be, but since it costs almost twice as much as that overpowered desktop, why spend the money? We're about 70% desktop.

That's why I added "if there is a need for mobility".

Simply because it does run Windows or something very close to it. I have and use a lot of software. WINDOWS software. Do I need an iPad? If I do I can't for the life of me figure out what software I would run on it that I also run on my main computer. A tablet that would let me run my software on either tablet or PC is a real useful thing. I've had an Android Tablet (well still have an Android tablet, and a good one Lenovo ThinkPad Tablet with 64Gb - except for email and calendar and an occasional pdf or ppt file it sits in the charger) and the problems were always transferring anything that I did with it to my main environment. (exception being EverNote).
One of the biggest bottlenecks and hassles that I have as a USER of mobile devices is that they either limit you to a very few things you can do, or they simply won't do the task you need to do in a way that let's you have your work product available for use when you get back to your main computer. If you are using an Apple desktop/laptop or a Windows based PC/laptop, using a different OS on a mobile device just leaves you with an incomplete solution. I'm always going to prefer using my QuadCore powered laptop when I have it on my desk for large data bases and complex spreadsheets and accounting programs, but when I go out of the office, that compact tablet that will function in the same environment is worth waaayy more than an android or iPad - cause I can do the same thing and make the same documents and files.
Case closed.

I currently have an android device. I've had one for several years and noticed quite a bit of misinformation in your post.

For one, on my device, I'm able to install quite a large number of apps which allow the use of MS Office formats. There are also quite a large number of apps which allow the use of Open Standard formats (preferable to closed source for good reasons). What this means is that I have the ability to use the same files in the same ways from my mobile device as well as my main laptop with one exception. With my mobile device, I have a smaller screen and I'm mobile.

Another point of contention in your post is how you mentioned having your product available when you get back to your main computer. Do you mean your main computer has synced all of your work while you were away or do you mean having to plug your device in to your main machine, waiting on it to sync and then working.
With my mobile device, there are quite a few apps which allow for wireless syncing on the go. I have the exact same files, same versions of those files, on both my main machine and my mobile device.

In other words, my device works just as well for every usage scenario you've given as the MS Surface Tablet will. Of course, since Android is given away freely and Windows is not, with the same hardware, Android would cost less.

To each his own, pay more if you want but I'll stick with Android.

go about the issue of syncing up and dealing with micro screens and so forth. there are far too many people who do real world data entry in the field that android toys just do not fill the need... the TV commercials geared to consumer use not withstanding.

While I don't agree, I would see there is potential merit in not using an iPad for custom data entry since you'd be limited to apps in the App Store. On an Android, however, the development possibilities are greater. So would they be on a Windows 8 tablet.

Either way, if an existing or custom-developed app can offer a front-end that is touch-centric and works with a tablet paradigm in mind, then the whole "toy" argument (which is not so much an argument as an attempt to belittle the product) falls apart. The difference between a "toy" and a productive device comes down to software and feasibility for a particular need. If data entry is your deal, and your particular form of data entry lends itself toward mobile work (RFID, inventory, nursing ...) and can be entered conveniently via touch (checkboxes, buttons, ranges of values ...) then *any* tablet is potentially viable.

The minute you have to strap on a keyboard to make it efficient, you've essentially created a laptop. Why not just use a laptop then? They have solid keyboards, for one, and not a floppy cover. Tool, meet job.

Regardless, there's no great benefit from this being a Windows device. If it's going to be touch-centric, it needs to be a new app at this point. Using mouse-centric apps by touch is the opposite of ergonomic. So there's really no legacy platform advantage to call on. On the other hand, it's a full OS shoe-horned into a mobile device, so it's likely to incur more overhead than purpose-built mobile OSes.

This works the other way, too. A mobile OS moved to the desktop is not built with the strengths of stationary computing in mind. Touch UI on a desktop is currently not practical, so again, there's no real advantage to being able to execute the same application.

So, what's the point of getting excited about running the same apps in both form factors again?

I work at Biotech company where we have many large cleanroom areas. I cannot allow laptops to pass in and out of the clean rooms due to concerns over cross-contamination.
Laptops suck in dust and blow them out with their fans. This is not good for going in and out of cleanrooms.
I could dedicate laptops to each room but that would get expensive. Laptops are also awkward & heavy when you don't have a flat surface to put them down for data entry. (many areas in our cleanrooms)
It looks like the Surface Pro doesn't have a fan. A simple alcohol wipe of the device will allow me to move them in and out of the cleanrooms.
My staff also wear surgical gloves while working so a typical touch screen is not helpful. But the Surface Pro has digital pen input.
I have a lot of experience with digital pen input on Windows tablets. Anything you can do with a mouse, you can also do with a digital pen.
A digital pen is great for filling out electronic lab notebooks using MS OneNote. It's much easier to write an equation with a pen than trying to type one out.
I am thinking that we could use XenApps / Citrix Receiver for all of our in-house developed Windows-based applications we might not want to load on the device.
The great thing is, I don't have to build a new app or design a new infrastructure to support these devices. They already work in my Microsoft environment.
So yeah, I think I have a practical use for the Surface Pro.

Why move them out of the clean rooms at all? Other than periodic maintenance, of course.

The issue is we need the computers to be mobile so that they can get near the large equipment to control the equipment, take readings, read manuals, etc..
Our current solution is fanless thin clients on mobile carts with large batteries dedicated to each room. It's a bit clunky but it works.

You, or your company can create whatever apps you need and install them direct without going through the app store. This has already been done so many times for the iPad it's silly.

I will agree with your second paragraph, but you again miss the possibilities with your third; though I will agree that relying on mouse-centric apps is a major part of why the touch UI on Windows failed for 11 years. JJFitz does prove that legacy apps are usable, but I'll agree with you that they're not necessarily the most efficient. OneNote is good for handwriting equations, etc., but I'm not sure OneNote can automatically convert those equations into computer-understandable text where a dedicated math app might.

In general, while it seems you do understand most of the advantages and disadvantages, you overlook both the short-term and long-term changes involved. It's not that touchUI on a desktop isn't practical so much as the desktop's form factor isn't practical for touch; you need to bring the display close enough to make touching it easier and yet still leave room on your desk to use a real keyboard when necessary. The mouse is now obsolete; it's just a matter of time before it disappears entirely.

>> You, or your company can create whatever apps you need and install them direct without going through the app store.

How? Without jailbreaking? I'm interested, not questioning your knowledge.

>> It's not that touchUI on a desktop isn't practical so much as the desktop's form factor isn't practical for touch

I don't think I see the difference. Seems largely semantics. Touch UI on a typical workstation setup (better?) is impractical. At least right now. I realize it's chicken-and-egg, but I disagree that the best way to solve this paradox is to thrust ALL existing Windows users into a touch-optimized UI in the course of one version.

Instead, bring the technology to niche markets (ala iPad, and industry-targeted applications) and let it trickle down. It may be the slow approach, but when it comes to drastic modifications of workflow, that's probably for the best.

The mouse has been around in home and office computing since the 80s. It may be dying, but I don't think it's going anywhere overnight.

First, all you need to do is get a developer's kit for iOS; most of the major corporations I know who are supporting the iPhone/iPad have it and have created their own in-house apps which can be loaded onto any in-house device as necessary. It's not jailbreaking and it's definitely supported by Apple.

The difference I'm speaking of between touch UI and desktop form factors is a physical one, not software or technology in general. The typical desktop form factor gives you a vertical display usually between 2 and 3 feet away from your eyes and sometimes farther away. In my own case, my displays are 42"--3.5feet--away. Naturally this means you have to lift your hands from the keyboard and lean forward to touch the display; logically this becomes very uncomfortable and anti-productive very quickly.
On the other hand, Apple and others have submitted patents or flat-out released transforming display stands that lower the display from its vertical position to a near-horizontal one significantly closer to the user. The idea here is to let your display become the I/O device as well as the display when needing to work in a graphical environment while still letting you work upright when working with text-heavy documents. This display layout thus makes it much easier to use the display at the level and angle of a typical typewriter's keyboard and become more, not less, productive.

Windows 8 with Metro UI is trying to be the intermediate step between keyboard/mouse & touch UI. It offers the ability to use both somewhat interchangeably but also strives to push for more touch-based development for workstation-level PCs. This lack of push for touch is why PC tablets have failed to take off for the last 10 years and the encouragement of touch may be where Surface (both pro and RT) migrates the user from the old to the new.

I'm not saying that Apple is doing it better, but Apple does have the advantage of having a viable touch UI on consumer devices now for five years while slowly bringing at least the look of the touch UI to the desktop. Apple's Mountain Lion OS is obviously aimed towards making the OS more 'touchable' and may even have Apple introducing touch-based PCs in the very near future. It's funny that HP and others have been trying to drive users into using Windows' touch UI for just about as long but Apple may actually succeed in migrating users to touch at the desktop sooner. We'll just have to see.

Isn't there a "Parallels" or "Crossover" type product that will allow you to use your usual Windows programs, complete with Win-type files, on an iPad? I know these are available for OSX machines as I use them, but I've never driven an iPad.
If you can't run Win-stuff on an iPad I can see why many people are reluctant to ditch their Win-boxes.
And why a Win-iPad would sell quite well.
The iPad adverts are quite quiet on whether Win-programs are runnable, so could I ask the iPad owners, please?

Simply put, the iPad simply doesn't have the processing power to run something like Parallels, Crossover or even Wine and a full blown Windows application simultaneously -- at least not with a good user experience.

The work-around most people use is to use some form of remote desktop connection to either their own Windows desktop or one they "rent" from a cloud-vendor.

From other discussions, I really should have picked up on that, but I've been a little off, lately.
Thanks for the suggestion. I might even try it if I ever get given a free iPad.
(No, I won't *buy* one. I can't afford it.)

As a consultant I have all my client documents on my laptop. I was at one client's office for a week, but had to attend a meeting at another client's office. Rather than disconnect my big monitor, external keyboard, network patch cable, etc, I grabbed an Iconia Tab W500 with W8RP installed, and went to the meeting. During the meeting an unexpected question came up requiring a document saved on my laptop. I reached into my laptop from the W500 via SkyDrive, pulled up the PDF, and printed 10 copies to the big Sharp MFP just outside the conference room and handed them out in less than 5 minutes. In the same meeting we were discussing moving to Exchange Server and several people wanted to know what Outlook looks like when using Exchange. I pulled the tablet off the keyboard dock and passed it around the conference table so people could have a look. I had Outlook 2010 running on the tablet connected to my Exchange 2010 account. There is no way an iPad or Android tablet could have done this. All my clients are Microsoft-centric with Office, Windows Server, SQL Server, XP/Vista/W7, etc. Having a Microsoft Surface for short visits & meetings that don't justify the laptop would be awesome. I can't wait.

Apple never really had a grasp of real world applications or use, To even get close they had to resort to outside vendors who specialized on microsoft based products. And THAT says it all

... Windows PCs can do--they're basically just two sides of the same coin in most ways. Please do explain how they "had to resort to outside vendors who specialized on Microsoft based products."

Oh, don't take the poster just before you, Mark Cooper's, example; he totally missed out there. even the iPad, as limited as it supposedly is, could have done everything he described without even having to refer back to his laptop. Now, I'll grant he wouldn't have wanted to use Pages or OS X, but through iCloud he wouldn't have needed to manually access the files on his laptop, they would have been on the tablet already--automatically synched no matter what device made the most recent changes. I use it in my own writing and photography. It's also quite easy to print to any wi-fi, AirPrint and internet-enabled printer of which the vast majority of newer printers carry at least one of these wireless printing technologies. In other words, he really doesn't know the capabilities of the competition. On the other hand, he does prove that Win8RT is a viable Windows equivalent that should give Android a real pain in the rear.

I have SkyDrive installed on my W7 laptop, WP7 phone, and my W8 tablet. I have files in SkyDrive that are automatically synced to all my devices. There was 1 document I needed that was not on SkyDrive. I was still able to easily and quickly retrieve it from my laptop and print 10 copies to one of my customers big-iron $10,000 printer/copier that they are NOT going to replace just so someone can print to it with a tablet. I was able to use W8's builtin Microsoft Update to pull down the W7 printer driver and install it on my tablet. I can also scan from this big copier directly to the tablet. Same thing with a medium size Xerox at another office...I can print to it out of the box. I can scan from it directly to the tablet.

Also, I am NOT talking about a Windows Surface RT. I'm talking about a $500 off-the-shelf Iconia W500 with W8RP installed which has a lot of the functionality of the Surface 8 Pro. I'm talking about using software that I've been using daily for years (now Office 2010). I'm talking about printing to customer printers that have been in use for years and using the printer/copier vendors' existing drivers. This is what I believe enterprise has been waiting for.

Sure, the average consumer can go out and purchase wi-fi, AirPrint, Internet printing enabled printers just so they can get their iPads to print. Enterprise and government agencies are not going to do that. They're going to use computers/tablets that fit into their existing infrastructure at the least cost. One of my clients is a local county agency in an Appalachian (read poor) Ohio county. They have 5 locations.The $10000 color MFP is at their admin building. 3 other locations have mere $8000 B&W MFPs. They're going to run these things 'til they are no longer repairable under their service contracts. I can print directly to all those printers with W8 Pro. I don't think this agency is unique.

I stand by my statement that an iPad or Android tablet could not fit into the environments I deal with on a daily basis without changing some part of their infrastructure. Or without some third party service/gizmo.

The Windows Surface Pro brings some premium hardware to the table that I don't have with the Iconia Tab W500. If I don't want to pay the premium I can always get more W500's. I think enterprise will go with a mix of MS Surface and other brand tablets running W8. That is not an option with Apple. It will be kind of iffy with Android and its fragmentation. That is IF you can get the things to work well/easily in an enterprise environment in the first place.

WinRT is WinRT whether it's on your Iconia or Microsoft's Surface. I was giving you credit for proving that the product, when finally released, will be a very strong competitor to both Android and iOS AND that it could herald the downfall of Android as a smartphone OS as long as Microsoft doesn't permit the OEMs to mess with the OS and interface the way Google did Android.

I do still believe the iPad could have done it easily enough, but Windows will always have the advantage in a Windows environment.

Any $10,000 MFP has a network jack. Can we agree on that? OK, so if it does, it probably uses one of a handful of *already* standard protocols to pass data over the network. This isn't a new Apple concept, it's something that is and has been done today. Even in Ohio!

One thing most people don't realize is that printer support is unnecessarily complicated. With a Linux print server, you can get darn near 100% printer compatibility, because most printers speak either PostScript or PCL, or both. Things get dicey for low-end printers because they are often built at a price point that precludes enough hardware processing power to render printer control languages to pixels. (This is akin to the WinModem of yesteryear.)

The whole Windows driver fiasco is just that -- a fiasco. The only reason you need specialized "drivers" to convert the Windows GDI into PCL or PS is because the framework is set up as such. When you download 500MB of software from HP, the vast, vast majority of that is fluff. Custom control panels, popup supply level announcements (handy as they are), free card creation software, etc.

Of course, *some* special features of MFPs are slightly beyond the capabilities of the basic languages, and so proprietary control is necessary to make *full* use. But, for simple get-an-image-to-paper, this can be accomplished by little more than rendering to PS, and throwing that at tcp/9100 on the printer. You can thank Microsoft for making it any more difficult than that.

You can remote into a pc and print from both devices.
logmein, gotomypc, zumocast and Citrix receiver all allow you to remote in.
cloud print allows you to print.
I am sure there are others.

"There is no way an iPad or Android tablet could have done this BY ITSELF."