This Is the New Microsoft Surface Pro

Megalith

24-bit/48kHz
Staff member
Joined
Aug 20, 2006
Messages
13,000
Any excitement for Microsoft’s Shanghai event on Monday has gone down the tubes, as their hardware unveil has been leaked: as suspected, it’s the next Surface Pro. Panos Panay had been quoted that there would be no “Surface Pro 5,” and he was technically correct, as his team has removed the number from this iteration of the product. Those who were expecting some changes to the design will be sorely disappointed, as there only seem to be internal upgrades here. I am never getting that AMOLED panel, am I?

This is not a wholesale redesign, to be sure: It looks very much the same as its predecessor, first released in late 2015 alongside the company’s innovative Surface Book (whose successor will not debut in Shanghai, according to someone familiar with the company’s plans). Instead, the upgrades here are by and large internal (thus the “refresh” characterization). It’s very much a “tock” release, to use terminology commonly associated with S-branded Apple iPhone models. As optional accessories, the pen and keyboard will be available in a choice of four colors---similar, but not identical to the recently launched Surface Laptop’s palette.
 
Depends on the internals updates but I'll most likely be looking at picking one up.
 
99.99999% chance it will have the same old terrible Avastar Wi-Fi/Bluetooth chip. No thanks Microsoft.
 
The lack of USB-C is kind of jarring at this point, in particular since it's a massively more versatile and useful port compared to Displayport. The magnetic charging is nice and I'd love to see them keep it, though.

My Surface Book is awesome but when the time comes for a replacement, I'd hesitate to buy anything without a single USB-C port.
 
I'm pretty sure this should be categorized as a "tick" release, rather than a "tock" - "ticks" are the architecture shrinks, while "tocks" are categorized by entirely new microarchitectures.
 
I've been looking for an excuse to replace my Pro 3 but this isn't it. I was kinda hoping for a bigger update this year to make it easier to convince myself but unless something happens to my Pro 3 (which has been running like a champ since I bought it) I won't be upgrading to this one. Maybe next year.
 
Still no USB-C going by the photo's, there's always something preventing me from buying one.
 
I have had 4 USB C Thunderbolt ports for about two months now. So far, I have charged and used adapters. I am starting to believe USB C & Thunderbolt won't really be viable in the chain and working properly for at least another year. It seems like every device that comes out has some problem or cable quality causes a problem.

I like having the ports, because I thought it was smart when buying this laptop. I have come to see that things may have been simpler for me with an HDMI, USB 3, & MicroSD slot. I would have been fine with 1 USB C for charging or Thunderbolt if I ever needed it.
 
If these are still the 7x00 CPUs, I probably will wind up getting the older surface pro 4.

Having that HD 620 iGPU is a pretty big deal breaker for me, I would want something with at least a 540, and 620 can't touch it.
 
the option for a larger device with multiple USB-C, with the saem magnetic charge port and an enhanced pen (not tha ti use it much, but the better it gets, the better it is). And i could MAYBE justify an upgrade.

Guess i'll be sitting out yet another round and sitting tight with my SP3.

MS doesnt want to sell things by giving customers what they want lately it seems. Strange business model.
 
Bummer! I was looking forward to replacing my SP3 but guess I'll be waiting
 
Wake me up when MS finally adds a USB-C port to a surface. If they don't, and my SP3 dies at some point, I'll probably get some laptop with it included it in for a much cheaper price. That said I'd still like another Surface, but MS doesn't want me to buy one given their innovative nature in the Surface line. Maybe next year?
 
As someone without a Surface of any sort.... I'll probably look @ a Surface Pro 4 ;)
 
  • 13.5 hours of battery life.*** That’s 50% more than Surface Pro 4 and 35% more battery life than an iPad Pro.
  • The improved Surface Pro hinge has a full 165-degree range of motion,
  • The new Surface Pro is our lightest Surface Pro ever, starting at just 1.7lbs and 8.5mm thin. I
  • it’s the quietest Surface yet, with no fan on the Core™ m3 and the i5 devices. In fact, this is the first i5 ever with fan-less architecture. And at an unprecedented 18dB, even the core i7 can’t be heard.
  • Surface Pro’s high-resolution 12.3” PixelSense™ Display with 267ppi and 3:2 aspect ratio went further this time. Surface Pro’s PixelSense Display has an impressive 50% more pixels than a 12” MacBook.
  • so we also have added LTE Advanced, available in units shipping later this year.
  • new Surface Pen, our most natural and responsive pen yet, with over 4096 pressure points, only 21 milliseconds of latency and new tilt functionality.
  • Using Surface Dock, you can easily turn Surface Pro into a full desktop workstation with up to two 4K monitors and four additional USB ports.
  • Surface Pro and Surface Pro Signature Type Cover are available for pre-order today and will ship on June 15th worldwide
Source: https://blogs.windows.com/devices/2017/05/23/meet-new-surface-pro



Order page.. about what you would expect from previous Surfaces in terms of price and options.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-US/store/d/product/8NKT9WTTRBJK/PBML?rtc=1

Oh, and "Full-size USB 3.0"
 
Should include this additional bullet point:
* Includes the same terrible worst in class Avastar WiFi/Bluetooth chip we have used since the original surface pro. Poor performance, constant derpy driver/firmware updates, buggy resume from sleep, and further degraded performance if you dare to use WiFi and Bluetooth at the same time. Microsoft committed to learning nothing from 14 product releases in a row.
 
Well that's not known.. right now all I see is 'bluetooth 4.1'.. where as SP4 was just Bluetooth 4.. perhaps wait and see.
 
Well that's not known.. right now all I see is 'bluetooth 4.1'.. where as SP4 was just Bluetooth 4.. perhaps wait and see.

Wait and see would be okay if they posted full specs or were just doing a press release on the initial announcement but they are activity accepting pre orders for $2700 machines and cant be bothered to list the WiFi vendor.

Would you let me punch you in the face 13 times in a row, and then stop to ponder if I'll shake your hand for the 14th interaction. I will be flabbergasted if they use anything besides the Avastar junk chipset.
 
It's sad to me that this is what we've come to... Since everything now days is built with vendor lock in because of the "thin" movement, you can't get a good device at a good price anymore. It's a $600 upgrade to go from 8GB / 256GB to 16GB / 512GB, and costs another $500 just to get to 1TB. I can buy a 1TB msata for $350, and a single 16GB DDR4 so-dimm stick for $115. Even paying the Intel tax the top tier device should be $1,000 cheaper. If you could open the stupid thing up like an older laptop, you could do this yourself. Buy the $999 model, buy the 3 parts, and save $1,000.
 
It's sad to me that this is what we've come to... Since everything now days is built with vendor lock in because of the "thin" movement, you can't get a good device at a good price anymore.

Its also a lot of stuff packed into something light as well. A full x86 computer sans keyboard at 1.73 lbs with the m3 and i5 versions being fanless. Unfortunately thin, light and beautiful design doesn't mesh well with easy user serviceability.

The fanless i5 version will be interesting to see how much it throttles or doesn't. That and the supposedly much improved battery life.
 
Oh hell.. the new pen doesn't come with it? Ugh... I expected not the fancy-schmandy keyboard, but no pen out of the box? I may have to reconfigure my dreams.
 
Asus Transformer Pad T304 and HP Spectre X2 are also slated to come out in June, both touted as the direct competitor to Surface Pro 4, and judging by the prices, they are at least in the ball park of reasonable. Last time I check, for the price of a 8GB/256GB i7 surface Pro, Spectre can go up to 16GB/1TB IIRC, at least 16GB/512GB though.

Problem is, neither Spectre nor Transformer pad comes with i7, let alone an Iris packed i7, though Transformer pad have the option of XG station 2 (I already have a GPU that can go in it), and both the pad and the station STILL sum up less than the highest end SP4. And neither are Microsoft's products, so hardware support might be patchy at best (not that Microsoft's direct control is any better, at least they also have firmware updates).
 
The main problem I have with the surface is that the kickstand isn't a full triangle stand which would make it more usable as an actual laptop. You can still use it on your lap but it really varies by person and sitting position how usable it is on your lap.
 
Still using my gen 1 Surface Pro. Wanted the 4 but no USB C or ability to charge through it. None in this, none for me. I dont need the C but its the only extra port that I could see them adding with value due to its versatility. I like their magnetic charging thing but want to be able to use portable chargers for a quick boost.
 
Just don't get anything Chinese made ripoff. I own a Chuwi Hi12 which was at one time, their most popular product. When shit hits the fan, and you can bet any Chinese ripoff will eventually crap on you, you will not know what to do. Can't go into bios settings? Check. Can't reinstall by traditional backup image method? Check. Can't reinstall OS using your own USB stick? Check. Fail to boot up after Windows Update? Possible. Lack of CPU power? Surely. Lack of space? Definitely.
Mine failed to boot up after doing a Disk Cleanup and the thing that saved it for me is a stranger in a forum kind enough to share his USB image and instruction manual for total reinstallation. If not for that forum post, it will be just an expensive brick for me.
 
Even if I found Surface pro to be a rip off, that Chuwi isn't much better for being:

1. Chinese (don't trust ANYTHING designed by them)
2. Unknown (13 years and still not even a wiki page)
3. Atom powered.
Chinese made? Everything is Chinese made.
 
Even if I found Surface pro to be a rip off, that Chuwi isn't much better for being:

1. Chinese (don't trust ANYTHING designed by them)
2. Unknown (13 years and still not even a wiki page)
3. Atom powered.
Biggest problem is that for 300 dollars there is no way the quality of the screen is anywhere near surface pro which is its strongest point.
 
Looks like MicroSoft won't get me to purchase a new Surface Pro, but I will probably pick up the new pen, dial, and the signature keyboard for my Pro 4.
 
For those of you whining about USB-C....Microsoft says it will have an adapter for it.

When it comes to Microsoft some of you will find anything to bitch about.
 
For those of you whining about USB-C....Microsoft says it will have an adapter for it.

When it comes to Microsoft some of you will find anything to bitch about.
I wouldn't call the omission of the new industry standard USB connector a "bitch about anything”.
 
I wouldn't call the omission of the new industry standard USB connector a "bitch about anything”.
So the addition of a dongle that attaches to the magnetic port should shut everyone up then.

MS could announce the cure for cancer and some of you would find fault in it.
 
I get not having Thunderbolt for peripherals but in and of itself, how many people really need Type-C over Type-A? Every USB device I have right now save my phone and Logitech Brio webcam is Type-A and to plug in my phone I have A to C cables. And it's not like I'd plug in my phone much except for charging. And the Brio comes with an A to C cable.
 
Back
Top