Surface Music Kit features
microsoft.com
microsoft.com
The only explanation I can come up with is that they're trying to confuse the consume and think that one is just as good as the other (you can do the same things with both), and this title "Surface Music Kit", even though it's just for the Surface Pro device, proves my point.
The labelling on the boxes had us doing a double take, because we thought we received the ARM units by mistake.
Surface Pro boxes just say Surface on them, so you actually have to look at the additional text to see that the OS is Windows 8 Pro or that the SSD is larger than the RT before you realize you go the right unit.
I generally don't like to give MS the benefit of the doubt, but in this case I know a lot of work went into the keyboard cover between the 1st gen (both pro and RT) and 2nd gen surface units. Is it possible that the connector has changed?
This is why Microsoft's latest Power Cover also doesn't work on the Surface RT but works on the rest.
It is possible the Music Cover takes advantage of the additional pins.
Sure, it has hiccups but the point was more about Apple not abandoning the users than about how well older products run the new stuff.
I'm running iOS 7 in a iPhone 4 (not even 4S), as do millions of others, and what you are saying is BS.
I can even upload a video if you don't believe me.
Try non-hostility as an initial response in the future.
You do understand that "had a 4S with iOS 7 for several months" and "totally unusable" are contradictory, right?
I'll have the video, please.
>Try non-hostility as an initial response in the future.
Well, sorry, I guess.
You could also try not generalising from your outlier example.
How do you know you're not the one generalizing from N=1? Why wouldn't I expect that all iPhones have roughly identical performance charcteristics, as one of the highlights of the Apple business model is strict hardware control. Equivalent hardware, ergo equivalent performance on that hardware.
Clearly you have been confused by a small amount of hyperbole which, according to votes, many people have had zero problem understanding so far. I imagine life for you being an expanse of loneliness punctuated by moments of extreme confusion. More so than for most, I suppose, just so you can better understand what I'm saying about you.
They should've done everything they could to prevent themselves from leaving their early adopters behind, although I'm not surprised in the slightest that they did so. They did it to Windows Phone 7 users in the transition to Windows Phone 8, and they're doing it again now.
I'm sure you had the foresight a year ago to know that they'd want to attach different covers in the future, why didn't you tell them?
It's absurd to consider that an impossible foresight to make.
They reference the store, but the music kit can't be found there.
PS. the site is http://www.surfaceremixproject.com/
This app/hardware actually looks really neat..
[1] "This unique digitizer platform we built can enable a number of different blades and unique interactions. We are super excited about the possibility." - http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/1mz20e/hi_im_panos_pan...
The sliders are without any physical control, so they add little over pure touchscreen sliders. And the fixed-functions are disappointing. Similarly the control buttons don't seem to add anything at all.
The pads do make sense - having even slight physical definition to them will make them easier to use when performing. Really it needs piano keys, as again, the physicality they would have offered would have helped with performance.
Another case, I suspect, of designed by someone who wouldn't actually use the final product.
As an ex-DJ I could definitely find use in something like this. The core music program has to be good, but a complimentary keyboard like this one would certainly enhance the experience -- especially for live Performances.
[1] Actually, if it did, that would get me a lot more excited by it!
It is M$'s answer to the tenori-on.
I imagine not even this will help that much. Sometimes nothing beats an actual physical control panel.
The two primary audio APIs available on Windows have very high latency, to the point where they make tracking with effects virtually unusable. You can increase your sample rate to improve the latency, but that is far more taxing on your CPU.
OS X uses a system called Core Audio, and it has very respectable latency and is comparatively easy to develop for. We're at the point where a sort of self-sustaining feedback loop is well under way. Poor latency causes musicians to prefer OS X to Windows. Audio hardware manufacturers want to release products for platforms that people are actually using, so they target OS X. Now musicians who were on the fence about switching to a Mac have to in order to get access to decent recording equipment.
I have an Apogee Duet that works on OS X and iOS(!), but it doesn't support Windows. The really weird thing is that I get better latency when recording through my iPad then I do when recording through my beefy gaming rig.
tl;dr: Nifty controllers won't fix the problem. Microsoft needs to get serious about audio performance if they want musicians to use their platform.
Really? Apogee is the only manufacturer in this market I can think of, out of many, that supports Apple products but not Windows. All latency-fearing Windows audio software and hardware uses ASIO, for which there is broad industry support.
> Audio hardware manufacturers want to release products for platforms that people are actually using, so they target OS X.
I think you perceive their motivations correctly, but most people would reach a different conclusion than you have. Anecdotal evidence suggests that said manufacturers have as well.
> The really weird thing is that I get better latency when recording through my iPad then I do when recording through my beefy gaming rig.
The latency of a digital audio system is determined by the amount of buffering in the signal path, but your computer must be able to keep those buffers reliably full. Your iPad, being a more controlled system with fewer background processes, should be able to do a much better job of this than your desktop box, where anything goes.
These are the ones I can think of off the top of my head. That's before we even get into software.
My understanding is that pro audio software on Windows generally bypasses the Microsoft audio stack. Instead, they use ASIO to access the sound card directly.
Thus, the Windows ecosystem is not at a disadvantage when it comes to audio latency.
Anyway, it's true that is a shame that you need to use a third developer party SDK as a standard to have the lowest latency available on Windows, when you have CoreAudio on Mac OS X.
But you know, developing music hardware/software for Apple has a lot of serious/ridiculous issues too, mainly about compatibility between Mac OS X versions, developing tools broken after an update, signing apps, the whole Apple Store thing, sandboxing AU plug-ins... That's why I'd like Microsoft to perform better here.
However you can't beat real instruments for latency.
I believe OP intended to emphasize discussion on the hardware and not the software when posting this.
And hell I don't even use a PC. Some of us still use workstations (Korg: you rock).