Microsoft Surface 2 event

Microsoft will be launching its next-generation Surface devices on Monday, September 23 at 7:30 a.m. PT/10:30 a.m. ET in New York City, and CNET will be covering it live.

3rd & 7 37yd

Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:08:05 PM
And we're in our seats! Welcome to the Microsoft Surface 2 liveblog!
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:09:01 PM
The journalists are having conversations and chatting away, sipping on momosas and nibbling pastries. Meanwhile, we're getting rolling.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:09:39 PM
It's a fairly small venue, white-covered seats and stage with blue and purple lighting around. Up on-stage there's a very humorless-looking security guard trying vainly to block a series of Surface tablets.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:09:47 PM
All right! Fruit juices at the door, coffee upstairs. Scott Stein here as well. This room is very bedecked in white. White chairs, white curtains.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:09:53 PM
I haven't seen any pastries, I'm just saying.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:10:02 PM
One of them appears to have a speaker connected to it.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:10:16 PM
Upbeat electronica. Sounds like one of the new iOS 7 ringtones.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:10:22 PM
There's some light techno playing in the background, a bit too aggressive for this time of the morning, perhaps.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:11:08 PM
But there are waiters with what looks suspiciously like mimosas.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:11:29 PM
Now it feels like the soundtrack to a Perfect Dark sequel.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:11:49 PM
Let's start the fun with some predictions. Have any ideas of what you're expecting? Tweet at us! We'll share some of our favorite predictions -- the wilder and crazier the better. I'm @Tim_Stevens. Dan is @danackerman. Scott is @jetscott and Shara is @sharatibken.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:12:30 PM
I reviewed the Surface Pro back in January. Feels like a million years ago. I liked it! Keyboard the best part. Battery the worst. But can the new Surface freshen up Windows 8 and the tablet pitch?
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:12:38 PM
We also have Sarah Tew here shooting pics. She's weilding a 5D MKII.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:13:17 PM
@ShauryaD44 says " don't lie, you guys are gorging on the food as well. ;-)" -- Untrue! We're all huddled here typing away. No time for carb loading -- not yet.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:14:46 PM
It's funny, Scott. Even after all this time, I think we'd agree that the original Surface Pro is still the best Core i5 Win 8 tablet.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:14:56 PM
I had coffee.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:15:08 PM
You know...it's true.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:15:14 PM
As Dan Ackerman has just coyly pointed out, the Surface in the center appears to be in some sort of a beefy dock.
stelios 9/23/2013 2:15:19 PM
any chance we can watch this live?
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:15:22 PM
A few hybrids have really excelled, such as the Yoga series, But there have only been a couple of other non-Atom standalone slates.
John Falcone 9/23/2013 2:15:35 PM
@stelios: Sorry, no live video feed today. But we'll have photos popping in soon.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:15:58 PM
Of course, it wasn't the Surface itself that really stood out, it was really the snap-on keyboard covers,
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:16:07 PM
something no one else doing an add-on keyboard has really matched yet.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:16:09 PM
The stage itself has a large central display with "Surface" on it. There's a little Start button below there. Makes me wonder whether we can go up and use it as a touch screen. Probably not.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:16:33 PM
I'll just say: if battery life were significantly improved and Windows 8 apps grew to a different level of support/functionality, I'd be very excited for Surface 2.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:17:24 PM
I've always wanted to see those touch cover and type cover keyboards migrate to other products, such as Windows 8 tablets from other PC makers.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:17:46 PM
We're basically in the basement of a building here, so cellular connectivity is... poor, to put it mildly. We're all crossing our fingers that the Wi-Fi here stays solid. That it's already bombing is not a good sign.
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:17:57 PM
After all -- I would assume Microsoft is mostly interested in Surface as a proof-of-concept, pushing Dell, HP, etc. to make similar products.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:19:31 PM
The Surface Faraday Cage.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:20:20 PM
So far we've seen Panos Panay here at the event. Surface researcher Steven Bathiche is also here, sitting in the front row.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:20:43 PM
Since the original Surface came out in January (but was unveiled last October), I guess there isn't a lot one should really expect about a new design.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:21:48 PM
If we should go dark... remember us...
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:21:59 PM
Connectivity is... suffering. Failing. Falling on its face. People are frantically trying different parts of the room to stay connected. We'll stay online as long as we can, to bring you the news.
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:22:40 PM
My computer thinks I'm in Houston, Texas. Is that from the Microsoft Wi-Fi routers?
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:24:09 PM
And then, our 3G/4G signals will work...
Jason 9/23/2013 2:24:56 PM
@Tim I imagine Yackety Sax is playing while people try to find a signal
goosa 9/23/2013 2:25:05 PM
@ScottStein It's the new surface teleportation feature?
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:53:22 PM
"This product has changed. It is exactly 1mm thinner than the last Type Cover, but let me tell you why. We don't want to just give you a thinner product... We want to give you a better keyswitch. We wanted to type faster. We want you to be faster. We want you to be better."
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:53:22 PM
So, color Type Cover vs. battery Type Cover -- which would you choose?
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:53:28 PM
Close up makes it look like two-tone color: color under the keys?
Scott Stein 9/23/2013 2:53:46 PM
No way I'm not getting the Type Cover with battery.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:53:49 PM
"We've taken a full mm of travel out of the keyswitch." This reduces the thickness. "Type Cover 2 is now almost as thin as Touch Cover 1." Presumably that means Touch Cover 2 is coming today?
dan.ackerman 9/23/2013 2:54:15 PM
Continuing to feel like the covers are the real star of the show here, and I'm ok with that.
Tim Stevens 9/23/2013 2:54:17 PM
This means faster typing and quieter typing, too. "This product, when you use it next year, you are going to feel, but you are also going to hear how productive this will be." He's saying students will be able to use it in class.