i got it last evening from the media store... installed it overnight...
no problems during any installation process ( left the on off charge drivers from gigabyte out )

The only problem i have is that skype the new one for windows 8 that runs in the metro interface does not allow you to logout-
i dont like that so i got the old desktop one. 

for that amount of money definitely a good deal.  

I am entirely underwhelmed by the performance gains in Windows 8.

http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/10/gentlemen-start-your-benches-measuring-windows-8s-performance/

Ugly, missing features, needs third party help right out of the box.......for little to no gain.(or a loss)

I fail to be impressed. 

When the time comes for me to deal with an rig with Win8 on it, I doubt it will have the benifit of Start8, so the whole "experience"  can be had by me without me wasting money "keeping up" with crap. Since it will be a paying repair job, I'll make money instead.

I'll skip this one.

i think the features that are missing are a reason for the low price - a OS for 39USD-19USD
if you make an upgrade from XP that is more than a sexy deal especially if you are a systembuilder that owns xp only
Windows media center is missing currently - but if you downloaded the pro version you are able to download it for free ( if you need it )
By far there is some better alternatives for you to use out there.

I dont think that these tests are valid in any way
how can you test gaming  performance on windows 8 if the company´s don´t even have final GFX drivers for win8...? Don´t get me wrong but this needs another week at least to compare speeds while its already pretty damn equal.

But where i so agree with is that it does miss out on style an options to change parts visually but i hope the stylists at SD are on it 
And i can understand the standpoint of many Win7 users why switch from a very good stable system to win8 - especially if you run the Ultimate version. 

nVidia has had Win8 drivers ready and available for some time now and yes, I am running Win7/64 Ultimate.

very true but i expect these are made with support for RTM ( win8 drivers )
Even Nvidia said they still working on windows8 drivers so i guess these drivers currently work but not to the fullest 

I guess i can live without 3 milliseconds speedincrease. Also the idea to get locked in MS's version of Applestore doesn't really attract me that much.

By the time Win11 comes out and win32 is phased out so you can only install MS approved apps from their store i imagine the run for other options will be impressive. At least i'll be gone.

I wonder how many corporate IT guys are actually aware of the honeytrap win8 is, and how MS is babystepping towards a whole new virtual monopoly.

Let's face it, the only true reason MS turns such huge profits is because they rent out the same product that cost hardly anything relative to the returns to make due to their marketposition.

If in fact mobile computing becomes the new market (which i seriously doubt will be any kind of tablet form since that is only useful to look at things, not to write your masterthesis on) they lose their position so they need a new monopoly.

To my mind they got it completely wrong. This tablet fad is going to blow over as soon people get wise it's  a gadget, not a serious platfrom to get any work done on.

No corporation in his right mind is going to replace its laptops/notebooks with expensive toys that add no real value other then prettiness.

So they'll be stuck with a horrid GUI and hardly any corporate sales. So either they must hugely increase the price or suffer some serious losses.

But i might be wrong, given the current state of education the IT people might very well be silly enough to buy the whole thing hook, line and sinker.

Time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

So what happens if the changes in Win 9 are even greater... and in Win 10 even greater again.... and by Win 11 MS ceases support for all previous OSes.  By then, Windows will be nothing like what we know now and the learning curve may have become so steep it is insurmountable. 

For mine, MS is about to enter a phase of tech that has been the stuff of Science fiction 'til now, and while it's $39.99, there is no time like the present to join with what is the future of Windows... because in January 2013, Win 8 goes to full price and the opportunity to affordably get on board with the new direction Windows is going will be lost. 

And I honestly don't see MS doing special prices to enter this new phase with Win 9, 10 or 11.

I dont know what to say petrossa but did you actually look at the specs of the surface pro- its an i5 ivy bridge prozwith HD4000
to give you an example you can run skyrim on full details on an HD3000 thats thing has a resolution of 1920x1080 4 gigs of ram
Shit i know pc´s that have worse specs ...
I seriously think we all need to wait and give MS a chance the market was overflowing with ithings and its finally time for ms to step their game up...
And the surface pro series is a huge step
The GUI isnt horrid neither its close to the same GUI like in windows 7 with the option to switch to another interface. 

Me too, but I know were petrossa is coming from.  I know for a fact that a tablet, meaning any currently available tablet, would not be up for the kind of video editing/converting that I do on my PC.  Mind you, I have a fairly fast, upper end PC, but then that's what people into content creation have... high-end machines with more than enough power to complete their tasks and then some.

Pads are a novelty at the moment and they may grow in power as well as usage, but I don't see major corporations investing in them for staff to take care of business.  That's where I think the desktop PC will stay... and stay for good.  Yes, I have a pad, but I'll never see it as a desktop replacement or as a primary work tool.  In fact, I prefer my desktop PC above the pad and/or a laptop, and I'm pretty sure there are others who feel the same... because they can't create content; check mails; surf the net or listen to music all at once on a pad.

So yeah, pads/tablets have a hell of a way to go before they're even mildly competitive with a desktop PC.

Oh, and another reason businesses aren't likely to equip staff with tablets... they're easy to conceal and walk out the door with.

I bought Win8 ONLY because it was $70.  It seemed like too good of a deal to pass up, as full versions of Windows 7 are north of $200.  I'm only going to install Win8 on my SECONDARY desktop PC.  I wouldn't dare take a chance on ruining my beautiful, highly-customized Win7 setup.  My primary machine will still run Win7 for a long time.  So even if Windows 8 sucks, it's still a win-win for me. 

yeah its not compareable to a desktop pc but companys already use them like a furniture company here that i know. They use ipads just to show their catalogs to customers so they dont have to print pages of the products all over again. 
I could see them using a surface : The salesman could show the product in various colors that are available - make measurements without walking back to desktop pc - placing the order via the pad and send the order over to the accountant that finishes everything else.
Already i see savings in workspace and time savings bc you have a portable device always with you to show things right away without having to beg the customer to follow you to a desktop pc.
It sure can be pretty expansive but also it can be usefull all depends on what you are selling i guess if you sell furniture for example like Rolf Benz, Team7, Voglaurer or equal it is not much of an investment for the company since the products sold are not cheap - i could not afford them
i do see a good solid step into the tablet market with surface for MS - thats all i dont say they will replace a desktop pc  but they are powerfull enough to do office works and beyond like PS

I'll stick with 7.

@rolocolor It's not the specs, who cares. It is that using a touch interface to do normal everyday work on is a nightmare. Let's face it, most work being done is dataentry/retrieval in some form or another. Not tweeting or playing angry birds.

So you need a large screen to actually see well, and keep on seeing well as you age, plus a decent keyboard.

The movement between your screen and your keyboard only adds stress on your back and neck muscles giving you serious rsi issues after a few years of using it.

It's the total opposite of ergonomics.

So why on earth replace a fully functional laptop/notebook with a disfunctional touch fad thingie that will at a certain date lock you into MS appstore at inflated prices when WIN32 is phased out?

Why replace things that function more then adequate with things that only introduce problems?

If that was so miraculous, why does Apple still develops/sells anything else but iPads. According to you we don't need anything else then a tiny touch screen and an awkward keyboard to do our work.

Seems like a waste of effort on their part.

 

 

 

mhh never thought of that good point... all i was trying to say is that i see the potential but i dont mean that it would replace a desktop pc on a daily basis but that the power of the surface pro would be up for the task ( in some cases). I dont know if the touch screen would be still active if you would use the keyboard touch cover on it and add a mouse ( would be interesting to know ) but as you said the screen would be still very small.
If i would be a student still i would truly think about getting one if the price would be a little lower - I could see me using it for presentations it has a VGA output as far as i have seen you can make notes on pdfs and use it like a laptop without having the wait of one.
I dunno  - i dont want you to give up your laptop or your desktop pc for a surface / no no iam a desktop pc user myself
like i said i dont know but im sure that it will sell along W8