How they WON. The untold Microsoft Surface story! 

That was one of the big problems with Microsoft, they were always to early with tech. The tablet, AI in the home, and voice assistant and video in the Xbox. I remember people complaining about the Xbox one spies on you, now everyone has a voice assistant and video in their home.

Saw the video and was like "dang, 24 minutes...I'll watch the beginning..." Now it's 24-minutes later and I'm finishing the video and applaud the efforts in making such a great video and telling a great story.

The surface table was so futuristic. I played with one in Vegas in like 2013 and it was amazing

Now, when I got tired of 🍎’s lack of innovation and seen what they do with the last iPad, this is so inspiring to switch to MS Surface, and I’m sure that would not disappoint at anything… Surface team have innovation and technical skills that are incomparably underrated. Thanks for this video, was awesome!

I had the first Surface, the black one with the ARM processor. I once hit a steel door with it by accident and the result was the steel door had a dent, but not the Surface.

I love Surface. Ever since the original Surface RT. I now use a Surface Laptop 3, Surface Pro 5 and a Surface Duo 2 as my daily driver. Love Microsofts innovation and commitment to the Surface line and gladly support them.

This was a great watch. You definitely put a lot of time, effort, and thoughtfulness into this history lesson. Thank you.

Watching on my surface duo. Started with zune , then windows phone, which led me to surface RT, then pro and book.. I'm reminded of all the bugs and conversations. All the things I created and completed while evangelizing my experience. Love surface and I'm OK with the short comings. Hopefully many more iterations to come.

I wish Microsoft's Surface and Phones to be the success they all deserve. The research and innovation that went into developing these futuristic technologies was and still are commendable, ahead of any of their competition. Being a PC user, I genuinely hope one day, they gain back the popularity and trust they used to have back in the days

The Surface products have always been appealing to me. I’ve always been tempted to buy one until last year when I finally found the perfect one : the Pro 8. Couldn’t be happier with a computer. It replaced my laptop and my tablet while being an awesome piece of engineering Great job Microsoft !

I kinda feel bad for the Windows RT. It was impressive in that they basically ported a full windows system to ARM giving it great battery life. It was a great student tool as it came bundled with full versions of microsoft office (I still use mine as a dedicated device for keeping track of personal financials in excel). It really suffered from weak ARM processors of the time and a high learning curve with windows 8 being so radically different and somewhat goofy. Though, the biggest issue it had imo was marketing. Microsoft pushed it as a full windows experience when it wasn't. They oversold the RT platform and misled consumer expectations and it got a lot of backlash because of it.

I feel like Microsoft comes up with ideas way too early: it took Apple almost 10 years to get the address bar in safari to the bottom of the screen, while it was the default option on Lumia phones. Or live tiles, that are now widgets on iOS

You should definitely do more of these videos. The nostalgia this brought is just amazing. I remember reading an article about the then-new coffee table PC from the PhotoSynth project and now I realised it was indeed part of the Microsoft’s Surface journey. Seems like yesterday yet feels so old. I do own an SB2 and is easily one of my favourite pieces of tech I own. Thanks for an amazing video.

The surface RT got me through high school and it was the primary device that I used to write assignments. The limitation of only being able to use apps from the windows store was annoying, but this was my first computer that I personally owned so it wasn't important to meat the time.

i came from RT, SP3 and now contemplating if I should refresh my surface devices. the SP3-4 and Book were the goosebump era that really propel the Surface line to the whole new world of innovation, the level of which that can match 2007's iPhone's release.

What an amazing video. The amount of research, and amazing scriptwriting and storytelling is astounding. Great work. Thank you for this.

So cool for you that you were able to be a part of all of that Jon!

Bravo Jon... THAT! was really well done. You recreated all the mystery, hope, and excitement that could only have been experienced contemporaneously. I lived through all of the iterations: RT, SP1, SP4, SP7, and hoping one day there'll be a few more ports and the return of microSD on SP10. Microsoft Surface "Coffee" Table. Around 2008 I was at a two-day porting workshop at Microsoft, and I had my 8-yr old son along with me. By the second day, my son was doing demos for suited-up visitors at Microsoft as he had mastered all of the gesture-based controls and had learned most of the built-in demo apps. I thought it was pretty funny hearing grownups intently asking him legitimate questions. Funny, that is--until I had to start asking them too. That Surface sure did a LOT more than simulate pebbles rippling across pond water! Today, one could take a $22,000 85" Surface Hub and lay it flat on a table to enjoy a similar experience. What could possibly go wrong?

I was at a job fair once, and Microsoft had a booth. I told the person there that my interest was in UI/UX, and I'd been looking at touch computing since the Surface was a coffee table. She didn't believe me when I explained what I meant by "the Surface was a coffee table." -_-

Absolutely Fantastic Video. I have been on this trip the whole while. I remembered the Surface RT and loved it. I remember getting it - we also had an iPad at the time in my home, and I was comparing both. The RT was better in almost every way. My kids got Surface devices. We still in our family have only Surface devices. Everyone has one, and they have had the chance to get something different but opt to still have the same. The versatility that surface devices provide is second to none. Once you get a touchscreen windows device - every other device seems like a downgrade. The surface team have done a fantastic thing in the industry - they have changed how a whole generation interacts with computers. iPads should not be underestimated in their impact also. It was in tandem that these things happened, but the SUrface is a leading light in changing not only what we do but what we want from a PC or any computing device. Anyone thinking that a Del XPS13 has nothing owed to Surface tech is fooling themselves. The small form factor, the do anything anywhere desire that the owners of XPS 13s have, is because Surface made it possible. Surface came out, and the OEMs were made to get off their hands and do something. And amazingly, they did. HP, Dell, Lenovo, Samsung, LG, and so many others decided to give Apple a run for their money and create devices that were "Gorgeous", as Steve Jobs used to say. Surface told the people out there that it was possible and left no excuse on the table for PC OEMs. The Surface team nailed it. The Surface Pro Type cover made it impossible to only have those cheap and disastrous keyboards. Excellent and great were in existence, so everyone worth their salt had to make something good. We all enjoyed that. Webcams too. The surface devices have had the best webcams since Surface Pro 4, and now every Laptop manufacturer gets beaten up if their webcam is not as good (MS have taken a step back from that with the webcam on the surface laptop ... but we can't have everything haha). Thanks, Jon, for the video. It is great to see how the innovation of a team of committed people has changed our perceptions of what is possible and, therefore, our lives. Typing this on a Surface Laptop Studio - and I have never loved using a PC as much as I love using this one - it is subline. I had a Surface book 2 before this, and I could not imagine using anything else - I really thought I would have that PC forever - it is so good to use I had no idea what using something else would feel like - now this. Wow. I have tried using other PCs and laptops from other manufacturers - in minutes, I find things that utterly annoy me, and I want to throw them in the bin. The surface has done what it was supposed to - the devices and the engineers behind them made us love them. I, like so many other surface users, really do. The devices do what I want when I want them to, and I am enhanced because they do. Thanks so much for this fantastic video. One for the record books!!

Still can't forget how the crowd reacted the very first time we saw the Surface Book monitor detached!

Tons I didn't know, even as a former employee who still sells these things to companies. Amazing as always Jon

Currently in my house we have 3 Surface Pros and 1 Go. My Surface P3 was my primary for years and I gave that to my son last year, he's still using it with Win 11. These products just last and are very reliable. We even take them on road trips, camping and vacations. I so glad this team stayed together to make these great products.

Wonderful, wonderful video! Flawlessly done!

This was an excellent look at the history of the product line Jon. Surface team is under-rated in terms of the level of industrial design and innovation.

Thank you for telling this story. It is one I have not heard. I am a fan of the Surface Pro, it is cool to see how it started and developed over the years.

Love the ending script! 🙌 This whole video made me appreciate Surface and the team behind it more and more. An ode to the people who worked their asses off. I failed to reach my goal this year to finally buy a Surface Pro (has been my goal for the past 5 years). Responsibilities and reality checks come first because honestly it's not cheap. But I will buy this beast one day. 💪

I do wish they would have kept up with the Surface Book line, I remember the shock and awe when I used it in a presentation to a group of people and I popped the screen off and walked the room while the projection was still going. If they had just dealt with the battery issue of the first two versions, it could have really kept them on a cool edge of technology.

nicely done, used a few of those products, always thought they were great, and started the trend to close much of the PC Laptop to Macbook gap (until M1 at least)

Btw, any selling number compared to the other laptop?

This was a good watch, I love your docu-style content.

I’ve been a member of the surface family since the surface rt original which then got update throughout to the surface pro 2,3,4,6 and now the pro 7 and pro 8 models power my work life with use of the surface headphones! And now the pro 9 is out I am trying to decide whether it’s the pro 9 or the surface laptop 5 for a refresh 🤔. Either way big fan of the video! Nice to take a trip down memory lane!

This video was so pleasurable to watch ! 🔥

I still have my Surface pro 2. When i got it i dropped it, and my heart stopped. But was astounded that nothing happened to it. Just got the battery changed so that battery life is just as good as before. However, i needed more power to run SolidWorks 2014, it ran it pretty good. But i ended up getting the Surface Pro 8 i7 version to handle the power. And it runs it smoothly. Great documentary. Makes me appreciate Microsoft’s devices more.

Okay this was unbelievably well made!

I had the Zune HD and was excited for the Surface line when it was announced. Bought the RT, and then upgraded to Surface 2 and then Surface Pro 3 came out and it was the perfect device for my college classes. It was light, portable, OneNote with the pen was great for taking notes during classes, and then I was able to dock the device to a monitor at home. That’s when I knew the form factor was going to be it for me. Upgraded to SP5, and just placed the order for SP9.

The amount of research and work you've put in is...💯💯💯 As a fan of MS hats off to you

Great video. Thank you.

Haven’t seen anyone actually use a Surface. I know they sell then here in Sweden but it can’t be large numbers. iPads are all over the place and laptops are usually HP or a Mac. At least in my experience.

Great video on the history of the surface!

Wish the surface book still had the removable/flip-able display. Was an awesome feature.

I loved it since RT. Blew up in 2015. Their stores were awesome and I wish they came back.😢 They were the reason I splurged on MR headsets and the Book.

Every Surface fan should watch this video

Watching this on my Surface Go 3! The little tablet that could. Reviews of the Go weren't that great from mainstream RU-vidrs but I always liked the idea of a small Surface (I had the Surface Pro 7 it's a little large for a tablet imo). I ended up going down the rabbit hole and finding small channels of Surface Go users that really liked the device. So I saved up and got one (i3). Thought it would be a content consumption device but it's actually become my home PC. Good job MS!

This was nice! Im typing this on a Microsoft Keyboard and mouse, watching on my Surface Laptop 4 15 inch. my 5th Surface device. ive had the Surface Pro 2, 4, 5 and 7+ and the Laptop 4. all great durable devices! still own all but the 2. great productivity devices. i prefer using my Laptop 4 at the office and use the 7+ for greater mobility and LTE connectivity on the go. i wish the laptop too had LTE. for productivity i always go for the surface Pro 7+ before my iPad Pro M1 11-inch because its just a full productivity device in comparison. I don´t see me buying anything else than Surface line devices going forward. all my Surfaces have a pen each and i also use Surface headphones for music and meetings. Microsoft did it just right with this line of products.

Nice. Very informative. I've watched surface since the beginning, had the first pro. May get a 9 series 🤔

I remember you unboxing video for the surface!

Gotta love Steve Balmer, what a CEO.

How did you find this story?

Shout out to Jon. This has to be the most amazing videos on RU-vid. So so Insightful

Nice presentation, watched it on a SB2

They gave out prototypes at TechEd in 2010. The hardware was underpowered but it showed potential. Microsoft sent me a 1099 for it that year.

still have my surface rt lol wonder what your thoughts are on the asus flow z13

Great video! I still use a first gen SurfaceBook as my daily driver laptop. I have never found a screen that looks better that I can afford.

Well, apple won’t do a great device like this as it will destroy their iPad line up. So, Microsoft create a laptop at the price point of an iPad, but is a good hybrid and laptop. Absolutely nailed it. Now, apple is afraid and tries to make iPad stand out with stage manager, which doesn’t work. Apple just want iPad and Mac book separated for maximum revenue, but this is not the future. Microsoft surface line up is he future.

Great video 🙌🏿👏🏿

This is such a cool video love the history behind this product! Well done😊

This is one of the most amazing documentaries I’ve ever seen! Terrific work, indeed, Jon! 👏🏻

Good stuff, I think had Microsoft pushed the Duo as a folding tablet instead of a phone it would have gotten better traction. Does it make phone calls, yes so do ipads and Galaxy tablets if you have the right apps.

I'm still rocking my SP4. I know I need to upgrade it but even after what 7 years? It still does everything I ask it to do.

My Surface is 10 years old and still working. They made great hardware.

More than obvious that Microsoft will regenerate a revolution as they did originally and they willi do it so strong. I fimrly believe they are the most important company in the computer industry and how the world was able to have a computer in every home. I'm so grateful for Microsoft to be who they are, to do what they do and to stay trying to innovate as they love doing. Surface it's the most inspiring computer today, and it shows with apple's ipad turning more and more like a surface, including keyboard pen and trying to evolve into computer OS, the most obvious and strong form of admiration it's imitation. Congrats to Microsoft for doing this video, tells the truth for everyone and in the right perspective to feel the power of the dream behind Surface and Microsoft. We belive in the inspiration of creators, we believe in surface.

I don't usually comment on videos, but this video was absolutely amazing!

I loved my Microsoft band a lot wish that came back.

Thanks for this. A little bit too fan-boyish ..but i wanted to state that , imo.. the Surface Book was the best laptop Design ever created. It's just outstanding, on all aspects. Very good video man. I've just bumped into you channel here..2nd video I watch and I want to say that it is solid ;) Thanks again Cheers from Portugal

This is fantastic, Jon! No idea why the algorithms did not serve me this incredibly interesting video.

Thank you for a very good video!👍👍

That $900M loss led to affordable RTs. I was happy to get one.

The first time i heard about "Microsoft Surface" was from previous of the table device. It looked amazing, especially Catan tech demo (not sure if it was a fully developed game at this point). And then some time later i was pretty confused when a tablet same out with that name. Took me some time to get used to the fact that Surface name is now attached to a different device.

Great video!

I remember watching the surface event when it was first announced. Such a nostalgia!

I'm a simple man. I see a new Jon Rettinger video, I like and comment for video impressions. You rock, Jon.

Been watching you Jon since I was a kid, keep creating masterpieces like this. We appreciate you!

I remember the original Surface Pro which my wife received for free as a supplier of Microsoft solutions. We purchased the Surface Pro 3 which was leaps ahead (and still works great today). Last year we purchased the Surface Pro 7 and we still use it today with a Surface dock and monitor setup. With the Hello camera unlock and I still love the Alcantara keyboard. I don't think anything comes close. Plus being able to swap from English to French keyboards is so convenient. Additionally, our son has the Surface Laptop 4 which he easily uses for his creative classes at University. I've owned Apple MacBooks (2010, 2016, and 2020) but honestly truly love the Surface lineup and hope there are many more to come!

Just wondering: Why were earlier tablets with wide bezels? Were there limiting tech then that prevented makers to make them like modern-day screens with very thin bezels?

Microsoft surface should be the standard in the windows community

What a video top notch mate 🫡🤝😤

If I remember correctly the GRiDPad, the first device people would recognize as a tablet computer, from 1989 ran a Microsoft operating system: MS-DOS.

Great video really enjoyed that, took me on a real journey of the story…. Also seemed to give my growing temptation to come back to Windows from Apple a bit of a stir.

Very insightful as always. Thanks Jon!

loved the surface book, sadly it was never really updatet, just spec bumps, and eventually died. Would love to see Apple doing it, macos / IpadOS combo would be killer.

Wow I completely forgot about that table 😂

I knew I recognized that name, haven’t seen you for a few years Jon. Just about to get my first surface used haha.

Your video just skyrocketed Surface Sales. Guaranteed. Now I got to upgrade my 2018 Suface. 😆

oh snap! I Jon4Lakers story video... heck yeah

When the Surface Studio was launched, it is a very fantastic presentation and fantastic hardware, and time flies by, it is inherited on Surface Laptop Studio

surface pro 4 was the one that caught my eye.. shame it took so long for thunderbolt. 20:00 the surface studio is something if always wanted. especially a a display… but too unaffordable eh

Subscribed. Thank you.

Content like this, makes the world better :) Thank You for putting together a masterpiece.

I can’t tell you how excited I was when the surface pro debuted. I had the first one. I loved it for what it represented and what it could do. But man would it slow down when I would present while teaching. At the time, there was nothing else. So I didn’t care. Just loved the form factor and still do. Whatever the laptop becomes, I imagine the Surface Pro will guide that transition.

If they make another Surface Book with a big time gaming graphics card in the base, I'd throw SO much money at it! Microsoft REALLY needs to get the gestures of Windows 8 into the Surface Pro tables. I had the very first Surface RT and man was it the best tablet I have used when it came to interaction. You could do everything without taking your hands off the sides of the tablet.

Well done video. Fun to watch.

Another great Video! Love learning things like this

Appreciate this coverage. :)

There's been 8 more surface pro's?

honestly i'd probably get a surface table today, it's rad

I just got back from a conference, 80% of the devices there were Surfaces… they are really awesome.

Using a surface pro 9 now. Base components i5 and 8 gb of ram. Even with the base components, it’s actually unbelievable how much, and how well I can work on it with its entry level hardware. The products quality is only matched by Apple. Having a 10 core processor in a tablet, running a full version of windows, and managing an average of eight hours of battery life is nothing short of exceptional and boundary pushing. Not to mention the perfect balance of components and cooling, allowing the device to operate at full speeds when unplugged. It’s much much more than a tablet and a laptop. It is the most functional piece of technology you can own.

real talk: the touch gestures from the first surface work better than the new ones in Windows 10 and 11.

Sticking with Surface since SP3 ... SP5, SP7, Surface Book 2 and now - I am with the Surface Laptop Go 2 ;-)