There is very little information out about “Surface” – Microsoft’s next foray into the tablet market, other than some hands-on user reviews, so these are merely some early thoughts that could easily change with time (if you recall, I did not understand the iPad when it first came out either).

My first thought about being able to access a traditional Windows environment on a tablet (if, indeed, that’s possible) is that people don’t want to do old things the old way. They want to do old things in a new way that allows them to be creative and productive without being overly technical or concerning themselves with hardware issues and other computer nonsense that has plagued us for decades.

My second thought is more philosophical – how do you compete in a tablet market already defined by Apple? And by “defined,” I simply mean a captivated audience, a strong developer community, and some of the best content creators out there.

Because, ironically, there is no definition of the iPad. It is merely a blank slate. You can make of it what you will. It literally has no boundaries or limitations on what can be done (at least from a conceptual point-of-view).

Trying to define a tablet as something practical, multi-purpose, and versatile is just doomed for failure.

Because what Microsoft doesn’t get is that it’s not a “tablet” that people want. It’s a whole new way to compute (an experience) people are after.

Beyond all that, the thought of Windows on a tablet just scares me.