Surface Pro Anticipation

Andyk5 said:
Very interesting read
Click to expand...

I know this type of stuff and I'm just a random nerd. Reviewers should know and try this type of thing too. Instead they just loop movies nonstop. Wouldn't it be great if reviewers actually gave you inside AND outside figures and knowledge to make our decisions on? Instead it's "well we figure you're watching our review so you must like what we like, and we don't like it because the corners aren't a specific angle, so PRODUCT BAD!".
 
I’ve had a Surface pro for a little over a week now and I must say, it is one fantastic little device.

The biggest thing I was looking forward to was seeing Windows 8 on a touch device. I’ve been using Windows 8 on my desktop for about half a year and like a lot of people have said, some things are very different and require time to get used to. It’s been a very frustrating love-hate relationship as I could see the potential in Windows 8, but with just a mouse + keyboard that potential was locked away behind the screen.

I must say after using the Surface Pro, a lot of Microsoft’s design decisions for Windows 8 make a lot of sense. It really shows where Microsoft’s focus was when developing Windows 8... whether this is a good or bad thing can be argued elsewhere.

Anyways, enough with the boring stuff, let’s get to my own personal review!

Tablet vs. Ultrabook

Before I begin, it’s very important that I designate exactly what I interpret the Surface Pro to be as this plays a very significant role in determining how I will review the device.

Personally, I see the Surface Pro as a new segment in the market, a Ultrabook in a tablet form-factor. To me, this is the best way to objectively view the device as this way, you see both ends of the spectrum, without blatantly ignoring the other; thereby partially blinding yourself. My reasoning is that, while it looks and feels like a tablet, it also has specs more comparable to Ultrabooks/Laptops.

A lot of people seem to be only seeing it as a tablet, which is fine, considering that’s how Microsoft is marketing it. However, at the same time, you need to look past what is considered a tablet (think iPad) and see that this thing is so much more. Only then, do you see the real beauty behind Surface Pro and what Microsoft is trying to achieve with it.

Physical

The Surface Pro is heavy for a tablet, no one can deny this. To compensate for this, Microsoft did their best to balance the weight across the device and they did a phenomenal job. Even with all their effort though, the Surface Pro is still awkward to hold in certain orientations. I’ve found that bracing it against your forearm and tucking the bottom left/right (depends which arm you use) corner inside part of your elbow while gripping the opposing upper corner from underneath is the best way to hold it. As an example, I brace it on my right arm, so I tuck the bottom right corner into my elbow and support the upper left corner from underneath, which allows the Surface to rest against my right forearm. (If this is confusing just let me know and I’ll do my best to take a picture)

Aesthetically speaking, the Surface Pro is absolutely gorgeous. It’s very apparent that Microsoft spent a good amount of R&D on the exterior of the device. And if you’re curious, I’ve accidently dropped it twice so far (once on a rug and the other on hardwood) and both times resulted in no damage. I wouldn’t recommend dropping it purposely, but so far it’s held up nicely.

The only complaint I have physically with the device is the kickstand. I really wish Microsoft devised a way to make it adjustable. From experience, if you’re sitting in a chair that’s high-up than its best to lay the Surface flat on a table as the kickstand makes it awkward to view the screen.

Modern/Metro UI

Probably the biggest thing about Windows 8 is Modern/Metro UI. And I must say it’s actually pretty cool on a touch enabled device. Sure, a few apps (most notably Skype) are absolutely horrendous and so I avoid them like the plague in favor of their desktop counterparts. For the most part however, Modern/Metro UI is a very enjoyable experience.

If you’re worried about getting accustomed to Modern/Metro UI, don’t be. When you first boot the device, there are a few screens (which act as a loading screen as the device finishes setting itself up) that explain charms/gestures, navigating between apps/screens, and a bunch of other things.

Apps

OneNote is simply an awesome experience. There’s very, very little input lag (compared to other tablets) while using the stylus, which makes for easy note-taking in class (I’m a student). And if you’re really worried about input lag, Microsoft is actively researching ways to further increase touch/stylus response time.

Another thing I would like to point out is some of the pre-installed apps. Usually these are a bad-thing (bloat-ware yuck!) but with Windows 8 some of them are actually pretty darn useful. The default Mail app is really cool and so is the People one. People is basically an aggregate for social networks. I’ve got my Facebook account synced to it and so it pulls all of my notifications, which I can comment on in app without ever visiting the site. I think the same can be done for G+ but I’m not quite sure.

One thing I am annoyed with is that there is no really good web browser atm. I’ve tried Firefox which I immediately uninstalled after seeing that even its Modern UI sucked balls (hoping the devs improve this as I adore WaterFox on my desktop). Chrome and Chrome Modern have their own problems, but they’re much less annoying. I’ve been meaning to try the Modern UI Bing app, and I’ll make sure to respond back after I’ve tested it for a few days.

Battery

In my honest opinion, battery life is fine for the Surface Pro. Sure it could be better (as darktiger’s post proves), but you have to keep in mind that hardware wise this thing is NOT a tablet. If we’re discussing specs, this thing blows all current tablets completely out of the water. It’s like the Bugatti Veyron of tablets atm.

I really wish Microsoft changed or better yet, had a completely different marketing strategy for the Surface Pro as compared to RT. Too many people are confusing it for just another tablet because of its form-factor, which is where the entire controversy surrounding battery life stemmed from.

If you compare this thing to any ARM based tablet, then yeah batter life sucks donkey balls. However, if you take a step back and compare it a device with similar hardware specs then it is much, much more competitive.

Gaming

As far as gaming, the Surface Pro does pretty well, considering what it is. I’ve played Diablo 3 on close to max settings (had to turn shadows off and bump resolution down a bit), but the FPS was very fluid. I haven’t had a chance to play Civ5 yet, but from what I’ve heard it’s pretty epic with its touch capabilities.

One thing I will say is that the device gets very hot when doing anything 3D intensive for an extended period of time. Be prepared to place it on a table as it does get fairly uncomfortable when it heats up. It’ll never burn you, but you will start sweating if it’s sitting on your lap with the fans going.

Overall Experience

I love my Surface Pro and I’m super glad I decided to go with it. Like many, I was super hesitant at first mostly because of the shenanigans that is Windows RT, but I’m glad I bit the bullet. This thing is definitely worth the money if you’re going to make use of its capabilities.

So why exactly did I get it? Well, I’m a college student who prefers hand-written notes, enjoys playing a few games in between classes when I have the rare chance (pesky work!), and who really wanted a super-portable device that could run 3DS Max, IDE of my choice, web browser, and a slew of other apps that I use on any given day without ever throwing a fit.

I don’t deny that a Laptop/Ultrabook would have probably suited all my needs. But after having a HP Laptop for a few years, and then a MacBook Pro, I just wanted something a little more portable. I probably could have gotten away with an Air, but I like toys and this is the newest one sooooooo. :p

Is Surface Pro for me

If you’re looking just for a tablet, then the Surface Pro is NOT for you. This thing offers an incredible array of capabilities and just using it as a tablet would be doing it an immense amount of injustice. You’d be far better off purchasing a lower priced ARM based tablet as you’d enjoy it just as much and save a lot of money.

--------

If you’re a student, who wants to take notes, play a few games in between classes, do homework involving stuff such as 3D Modeling, Picture/Video Editing, (basically content creation stuff), then this device is good candidate for you.

If you’re a student looking for all the above in a ultra-portable device, then Surface Pro is definitely for you. This thing is absolutely fantastic to use in class for notes and can also play most games with a few graphical tweaks.

--------

If you’re an artist, then this device is right in your alley. Although I am not very artistic (drawing wise), I’ve allowed my friend who is an Art major play around with it and he absolutely LOVED it. He has a MacBook Pro Retina and verbally said he would drop that thing in an heart-beat if he could afford a Surface Pro.

------

If you’re job consists of content creation (Microsoft Office, Video/Photo editing, 3D Modeling, yada yada yada) and you’re looking for a very portable device, then this device is for you. It’s really superb at this sort of stuff.
 
Great post, I think your observations are spot on. This is a hybrid device and you get the most benefit out of using it that way, as both a laptop and a tablet. I especially appreciate you point of cradling it when holding, makes like easier. And yes, OneNote is awesome on a Windows 8 tablet. Ink in Windows 8 is very responsive, I don't notice any lag on my Core devices at all and even my lowly Atom Clover Trail tablet provides a very smooth inking experience in OneNote.
 
heatlesssun said:
Great post, I think your observations are spot on. This is a hybrid device and you get the most benefit out of using it that way, as both a laptop and a tablet. I especially appreciate you point of cradling it when holding, makes like easier. And yes, OneNote is awesome on a Windows 8 tablet. Ink in Windows 8 is very responsive, I don't notice any lag on my Core devices at all and even my lowly Atom Clover Trail tablet provides a very smooth inking experience in OneNote.
Click to expand...

One thing I noticed is Onenote included in office 2013 is MUCH more responsive than the onenote metro app. I never noticed any input lag, until I tried the metro version. I was using the office version, and was wondering wtf people were talking about with stylus lag, as there is literally no lag at all, even when drawing very quickly with ON13.
 
Biznatch said:
One thing I noticed is Onenote included in office 2013 is MUCH more responsive than the onenote metro app. I never noticed any input lag, until I tried the metro version. I was using the office version, and was wondering wtf people were talking about with stylus lag, as there is literally no lag at all, even when drawing very quickly with ON13.
Click to expand...

Good point, the Metro version is much slower and has very few features compared to the desktop version so I rarely use the Metro version.
 
I do not understand why there has to be a metro version and a regular one. Why can't they make these programs run under the same base with different interfaces. When I am on a windows 8 laptop, I always feel like everything is duplicated. The full version and the neutered one. It is redundant, slows down productivity and takes up precious place in devices that need every kilobyte of space they can get their hands on.
 
Andyk5 said:
I do not understand why there has to be a metro version and a regular one. Why can't they make these programs run under the same base with different interfaces. When I am on a windows 8 laptop, I always feel like everything is duplicated. The full version and the neutered one. It is redundant, slows down productivity and takes up precious place in devices that need every kilobyte of space they can get their hands on.
Click to expand...

The reason is migration. Their plan is eventually to have everything running as a metro app and phase out legacy x86 if possible. We are suffering through that painful midpoint in a transition.
 
I'm glad to have the choice personally. Trying to use the desktop with touch is exactly why the previous generations failed. Now I can use the desktop the way I always have but also have a touch interface that's awesome. Later we'll see where it goes, but metro is light enough and easy enough to use that I'm happy with it.
 
Hello, I want to restore my surface to factory settings as if it just came out of the box and also to erase everything I did on it.


how do I go on about doing that?

Thanks in advance!
 
Don't choose full disk wipe unless you want it to take a really long time or you want to seriously cover your tracks not just delete data.
 
When people talk about how metro is annoying/redundant I always get confused. It's a replacement start bar as it is, and certain apps now work with it in fullscreen mode. That's all it is. That said I love the surface pro my brother got, I'm just waiting for a better version to come out that has better battery life and I'm sold.
 
I like the look and feel of the Surface Pro. My brother in law bought one, and I love it. All except for the lack of a solid hinge to make it a 'ultrabook'. It's just a tablet with a simple keyboard that can run x86 applications. If it had a nice (aftermarket?) keyboard attachment, I'd be sold. I'd own one right now.

My other options are the Lenovo convertibles (Twist & Helix), that have a sturdy hinge that are 'true' laptop/ultrabooks/convertibles.

Does anyone know or have any inside information on if/when Microsoft or other vendor would release a nice keyboard replacement? Surface is my #1 choice, but Lenovo may win this round due to such a simple issue (which in my case is a deal breaker - I use a laptop in a lot of situations - on my lap, sitting on a comfy chair, etc.).
 
PhantomTaco said:
When people talk about how metro is annoying/redundant I always get confused.
Click to expand...

Not to derail the thread (Win8 is on the Surface, deal with it!), but the redundancy comes from the multiple applications with a Modern UI version and a desktop version. It's not too bad in theory, especially on hybrid devices like the Surface. I think the issue comes from using it on a desktop, where you don't want the full screen, touch enhanced version with the precision of a mouse. You want the standard desktop version. On a Surface, it's a non-issue (or very very minor - try using Win7 on a small tablet without swearing). The problem is that it is a unified OS across multiple platforms where it isn't really a one size fits all type of thing. That's my stance.

Back to the Surface, now. What kind of wireless range are you getting? Is the wifi antenna fairly good, or is it rubbish when it gets 20 feet from the AP? This is more of an issue at work where we may be deploying these on a sales floor setting.
 
Ur_Mom said:
I like the look and feel of the Surface Pro. My brother in law bought one, and I love it. All except for the lack of a solid hinge to make it a 'ultrabook'. It's just a tablet with a simple keyboard that can run x86 applications. If it had a nice (aftermarket?) keyboard attachment, I'd be sold. I'd own one right now.

My other options are the Lenovo convertibles (Twist & Helix), that have a sturdy hinge that are 'true' laptop/ultrabooks/convertibles.

Does anyone know or have any inside information on if/when Microsoft or other vendor would release a nice keyboard replacement? Surface is my #1 choice, but Lenovo may win this round due to such a simple issue (which in my case is a deal breaker - I use a laptop in a lot of situations - on my lap, sitting on a comfy chair, etc.).
Click to expand...

The Type Cover is really quite good, at least on Surface RT, as I have not played with a Pro yet. What other kind of "keyboard attachment" are you looking for?
 
CEpeep said:
The Type Cover is really quite good, at least on Surface RT, as I have not played with a Pro yet. What other kind of "keyboard attachment" are you looking for?
Click to expand...

The Type Cover on the Pro is really nice. It works well.

The kickstand, though, is what I dislike. The keyboard attachment I'm looking for would be a replacement keyboard similar to the type cover, but with a sturdier connection to the Surface, that can "lock" in place (not the right way to describe it - hold it steady like a laptop without being on a flat surface and using the kickstand).
 
I've been pretty happy with the Touch Cover, to be totally honest. You're not going to get physical key speeds out of it, but depending on how much typing you do, that may not even matter. Plus, it's significantly thinner than the Type Cover and better to look at.
 
Ur_Mom said:
The Type Cover on the Pro is really nice. It works well.

The kickstand, though, is what I dislike. The keyboard attachment I'm looking for would be a replacement keyboard similar to the type cover, but with a sturdier connection to the Surface, that can "lock" in place (not the right way to describe it - hold it steady like a laptop without being on a flat surface and using the kickstand).
Click to expand...

Got it. So you're really looking for a better stand or something rather than a different actual keyboard. This seems to be a common complaint with this device. It makes me wonder why Microsoft built the stand into the device instead of building it into the cover like Apple does.
 
CEpeep said:
Got it. So you're really looking for a better stand or something rather than a different actual keyboard. This seems to be a common complaint with this device. It makes me wonder why Microsoft built the stand into the device instead of building it into the cover like Apple does.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I'm happy with the Microsoft keyboard, I'm just not sure how to implement a better stand other than a keyboard replacement that includes some sort of ....something to make it a bit sturdier in that department.
 
Ur_Mom said:
The Type Cover on the Pro is really nice. It works well.

The kickstand, though, is what I dislike. The keyboard attachment I'm looking for would be a replacement keyboard similar to the type cover, but with a sturdier connection to the Surface, that can "lock" in place (not the right way to describe it - hold it steady like a laptop without being on a flat surface and using the kickstand).
Click to expand...

Why not then just buy the Samsung or one of many other tablets with detachable keyboards. I think the whole point of surface is to bring a different form factor to the table. Not to conform to forms that already are being produced by competitors. In fact the Samsung actually has a place to hold the pen which I think makes it a better all around device for most people.
 
rudy said:
Why not then just buy the Samsung or one of many other tablets with detachable keyboards. I think the whole point of surface is to bring a different form factor to the table. Not to conform to forms that already are being produced by competitors. In fact the Samsung actually has a place to hold the pen which I think makes it a better all around device for most people.
Click to expand...

Nice. Was not aware of the i series CPU's in those. My Mom has one, but with an Atom CPU and is very disappointed in performance.

That looks like it'd definitely be up there. With keyboard, it is about the same cost as a similar Surface Pro. Of course, that's exactly what I was looking for. I wish Microsoft would design a keyboard similar to that for the Surface to connect to. But, the ATIV looks like it may be the answer. Definitely owe you a thank you!
 
Ur_Mom said:
Nice. Was not aware of the i series CPU's in those. My Mom has one, but with an Atom CPU and is very disappointed in performance.

That looks like it'd definitely be up there. With keyboard, it is about the same cost as a similar Surface Pro. Of course, that's exactly what I was looking for. I wish Microsoft would design a keyboard similar to that for the Surface to connect to. But, the ATIV looks like it may be the answer. Definitely owe you a thank you!
Click to expand...

I can't speak for the 500T but I've owned the 700T and it had terrible screen grain even worse than the U2711.

It more or less looks like this:

images
 
wonderfield said:
You'll want to do a reset. See the following: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-8/restore-refresh-reset-pc

I take it you're returning/selling it?
Click to expand...

OldPueblo said:
Don't choose full disk wipe unless you want it to take a really long time or you want to seriously cover your tracks not just delete data.
Click to expand...

Yes, im returning it. Its a good device, but its just not what I need right now.

some things seemed to not work properly, and the price compared to its specs isnt very impressive. I liked the portability, but the touch cover only registered 50% of the time. clicking a link in google by finger (touch) NEVER opened it (chrome), had to restart it to get the touch cover/pen to start working again, and other problems.

If I had a good paying job I would definitely keep it, but im limited in funds and its just not right.


I don't have much info on it. I installed steam/games, my college logins, and a few other things though that have to be 100% erased.

Thanks for the link!
 
Last edited:
rudy said:
Why not then just buy the Samsung or one of many other tablets with detachable keyboards. I think the whole point of surface is to bring a different form factor to the table. Not to conform to forms that already are being produced by competitors. In fact the Samsung actually has a place to hold the pen which I think makes it a better all around device for most people.
Click to expand...
The problem is the Samsung doesn't feel like a complete product either. The touchpad and screen are worse, and while they have the keyboard dock, they don't have a battery keyboard dock meaning you're stuck at the 6.5h and the balance of the device isn't right. I believe the keyboard also has issues with disconnecting.

Lenovo seems like they've got it, except they delay everything and it's way more expensive. If MS does make a battery keyboard dock like they've hinted, then that could be the complete product (at least until Haswell.)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top