Beneath A Surface

by Brad Sams

After having failed to create a market for tablets in the early 2000s, Microsoft launched a new hardware effort in 2012 to disastrous results. The company was forced to write-down $900 million in inventory and Surface’s future was in jeopardy.

Beneath A Surface tells the inside story of how Microsoft turned its hardware dreams into a reality with new details about the challenges Panos and his team had to overcome as well as the internal politics that nearly killed the brand.

For fans of Microsoft and those who are interested in the business of building brands, Beneath A Surface is a must read that tells the inside story of how Microsoft turned a failure into a fortune.

Genres: Technology, Nonfiction, Business

171 pages, Paperback

Published November 26, 2018

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a Surface Pro Four I got in 2016. I find it easy to use. This book is about developing and marketing the Microsoft Surface product line. It is the most popular tablet/laptop on the market. The book tells of the struggles to achieve its place in the market.

The book is well written and researched. It was easy to read and all technical jargon was explained. I am not a big fan of laptop computers. I prefer the desktop computer to work on. I must say my feelings were the same about the portable typewriter verses the desktop typewriter. I enjoyed this book and learning about what goes on inside a company to create a product.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is four hours and 3 minutes. Jon T. Lewis does a good job narrating the book.

[Ashton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beneath A Surface by Brad Sams is a great informational book about the history of the laptop we know today as the Microsoft Surface. There are a lot of things we can take away from this book. In the beginning, Sams talks about the startup of the Surface, and how difficult it was for Microsoft to make a device to compete with Apple's lineup of touch devices. Microsoft wanted to make something that could compete with the Apple's iPad, and it was a real struggle for them to get to that point. I think we can takeaway a lot from this. Competition is normal within companies, and it is also normal within humans.
A lot of the worry when Microsoft was developing the Surface was the leaking of the device. They kept everything incredibly secretive, and didn't want any leaks regarding the design of the first Surface laptop. Microsoft had to come up with ways to do this of course, and one of the ways was to use a copyright that they already had owned so no one could check for new copyrights by Microsoft. "Secrecy is fun, right up until it is not" (Sams 19). This quote is one of the best regarding what Microsoft was faced when releasing the first line of Surface devices. Microsofts development of the Surface laptop was a struggle.

[Emily Smelser · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great lol if you want the Surface story

I overall liked this book and follow the author in his writing, audio and video podcasts along with his website. This book brings to life the challenges and success of Surface brand. I did take a star off because I felt the book was not really level handed about all the Surface struggles. While the author mentions some of the struggles as Microsoft would see them. I never read the real frustration the consumer felt as reflected by Consumer Reports. At the Surface Pro price point the product should be near bullet proof. If you are a fan of Surface products buy, read and enjoy. Truly a great author

[Todd S Mortensen II · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good, quick read and Microsoft's hardware.

Quick read that shared many nugget of Microsoft fact and history that this Microsoft fan didn't know. I would recommend for people that want to know more about Microsoft's hardware history or simply for those looking at starting their own business or startup. It will help you recognize some of the challenges you may face. Kudos to Brad on his first book.

[Victoria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Incredible Read

I am a massive Surface fan and this book has provided a deeper insight in to the Surface story than I ever could have imagined. I will forever be a Surface fan and look fwd to following Brad Sam closely.

[Chris Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Surface then this book is for you.

Great behind the scenes coverage on the Surface brand. Lots of information about older Surface devices and cancelled products. I wish that the coverage was more technical, but I enjoyed this book just the same.

[Roustem · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am typing this on Surface Pro 6. It is inspiring to read about all the challenges Panos Panay and his team had and the missteps that happened and how the Surface team more than made up for it because of the passion they had for the product.

[Corey Mccowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read. The book is well written and does a great job of going through the history of Surface. Loved the little stories and tidbits that we missed as well as the insider knowledge. The quotes at the beginning of every chapter were fantastic and really set the stage for each chapter!

[Erin Onoferychuk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book about MS Surface

Exceelnet book about the history of the mocrosoft Surface line the book examines the Surface from when it was first concieved to what may be coming in 2019 and beyond A very interesting read

[Joe Hoggard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Within the covers of this slim 164 page book, journalist Brad Sams takes the reader on a tour of the recent history and transformations at Microsoft during the birth and development of the Surface product lines. It doesn't shy away from reporting on technical challenges and internal rivalries that Surface leadership has navigated on its relentless mission to demonstrate premium PC experiences. Each chapter begins with an anonymous quote which I take as an indication of the processes shrouded in secrecy. The book would benefit from a little more description for the people who played a major part in bringing hardware dreams to reality. It's a reminder that success takes hardwork, continuing effort in the face of failure, and a willingness to make bold bets to push the boundaries of what the conventional wisdom says can be done.

[Samil Shah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An extended article not a book

This was an enjoyable read in simple writing.
There are some minor nuggets here and there but any enthusiast will have discovered these in web articles over the years.

In volume, this was more like an extended article than a book. John Siracusa’s legendary OS X reviews on Ars were longer.

This was quite simplistic without too much depth neither technical nor business strategy.

Additionally, it attempted to present a chronology of Surface but there were a number of asides thrown that were not contemporaneous and confused the timeline.

Lastly, the book had spelling mistakes.

[Trevor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a good book. I liked how it brought all the stuff I've known about it into a single narrative. I was hoping for more supporting evidence at times. I understand that Brad has numerous sources that can't be named, but I was looking for evidence surrounding general sales claims. I know that these summaries are based on actual reports, so it makes a stronger argument with a bit of extra detail. A small quibble for a well done book.

[Irfaan · Rating 4 out of 5]

History captured well

One of my favorite tech bloggers, Brad Sams has written a very good and in depth book on Surface. From the beginning to Surface Go.. everything in between captured really well.