Surface: The Unboxing

A few weeks ago, I received my brand-spanking-new Microsoft Surface with Windows RT. I’ve been really enjoying it, especially on my trip to Redmond last week, which was the first trip where I left my workhorse laptop home and went solo with the Surface.

I’ve had a few interesting conversations regarding this slick little device, with the most unexpected happening at Dulles Airport last week when the TSA agent, looking at the scanner screen, said “Hey, is that a new Surface???” Don’t ask me how he knew based on x-ray imaging alone… He spent a bit of time with it (this was at TSA Pre checkin, with no crowd whatsoever), and was truly impressed. This led to a debate about RT vs Pro, but that’s a story for another day…

Being the photography nut that I am, I decided to take a few photos while unboxing my new toy. Hopefully the photos convey just how slick the packaging is. What you won’t be able to tell is how quickly I went from power-up to Start screen. Very nice!

Fresh off the pallet: A Brand new Surface!

First thing seen after opening the box: The felt backing of the Touch keyboard.

Keyboard flipped over to show the touch side.

Just under the keyboard’s surface: the Surface, along with power supply.

Shiny and new!

The kickstand has a discernible click. Just like in the commercial.

You can see the full-size USB port, which is very convenient. The port toward the bottom is for the power supply.

A subtle Windows logo etched into the kickstand.

Power-up! Setup required new account name, wifi settings, timezone.

After a bit of time setting itself up, I was taken to my brand new Start screen. Let the fun begin!