Should I pull the trigger on an SP2?

[Zangmonkey]

I have been eyeing the surface pro 2 but was going to be patient because I knew how ambitious Intel's roadmap was for low power units and I figured I could wait a few months longer for an surface pro 3.

Now Intel has pushed Broadwell to the end of 2014, which probably pushed integrators into Q1/Q2 2015.

I don't think that MS is going to skip a new release from the surface team this summer... but what should we expect to see in it? Without a new CPU platform in it I may just buy an SP2 now and figure out my options next year.

What do you guys think?

 

[Climber]

If you need it buy it. If you don't then wait.

 

[Kueller]

I'd wait.

My main issues with the Surface Pro 1 were the size, weight, battery life, and aspect ratio.
Note that CPU power is not in that list. Because for a tablet the i5 CPU was more than adequate.

Surface Pro 2 fixed the battery life issue.
I don't expect the aspect ratio issue to be fixed in the foreseeable future.
That just leaves size/weight, which I'm hoping will be addressed in the next refresh.
I think a physical redesign seems logical since there isn't much else they can change to spur sales (with broadwell being pushed back) besides a potential screen upgrade which I don't really expect.

At worst the SP3 comes out (without any compelling reasons to buy it over the SP2) and butchers the price of the remaining SP2 stock, like the SP2 did to the remaining SP1 stock.

 

[lazimutha]

Having the same dilemma. Thinking about offloading my laptop and buying a SP2, but then thought about waiting. Having said that, its not much of a choice at the moment as the SP2 just isn't available anywhere. At least not the 8gb ram versions I'm looking for.

 

[limitedaccess]

I'm not sure if the SP2 will see the same end of life sale pricing as the SP1 simply because the production run seems to much more scaled down (evident by the supply issues). First gen Surface products were really over produced compared to what actual demand was.

The SP2 already received a silent refresh with the CPU upgrade.

Broadwell is expected to have the same TDP as Haswell (Haswell was slightly lower than Ivybridge) for the same class of CPUs. I don't feel a significant reduction in chassis size/weight is likely to come without compromises in cooling (heat/noise) or performance (lower class CPU) or possible features (changing out the Wacom digitizer). The SP2 is less noisy for example than the SP1 likely due to keeping the same chassis designed around Ivybridge's 2W higher TDP allowing a much less aggressive fan profile.

 

[rudy]

There wont likely be a SP3 till late October. Is that a few months to you? Also with a new shake up in CEO who says there will even be a SP3?

All of the other important stuff is so speculative. Shoot they haven't even released the extended battery keyboard. I wouldn't be sitting around banking on that if you like or want the device buy it.

 

[Kueller]

I'm not sure if the SP2 will see the same end of life sale pricing as the SP1 simply because the production run seems to much more scaled down (evident by the supply issues). First gen Surface products were really over produced compared to what actual demand was.

The same sale pricing? I agree with you there, I doubt the SP2 will ever get down to $399 for the 64GB like the SP1 did...but $599 or $699 for the SP2 128GB? I can see that happening.

Broadwell is expected to have the same TDP as Haswell (Haswell was slightly lower than Ivybridge) for the same class of CPUs. I don't feel a significant reduction in chassis size/weight is likely to come without compromises in cooling (heat/noise) or performance (lower class CPU) or possible features (changing out the Wacom digitizer). The SP2 is less noisy for example than the SP1 likely due to keeping the same chassis designed around Ivybridge's 2W higher TDP allowing a much less aggressive fan profile.

So what do you expect the next revision of the Surface Pro to feature in order to attract new buyers or entice previous buyers to upgrade? I just can't see another incremental CPU upgrade doing much to drive sales.

 

[IceDigger]

Buy a mac and you will never look back.

 

[limitedaccess]

So what do you expect the next revision of the Surface Pro to feature in order to attract new buyers or entice previous buyers to upgrade? I just can't see another incremental CPU upgrade doing much to drive sales.

It isn't they won't do chassis changes or even reduce size/weight but I don't feel you can expect a significant reduction in terms of size/weight unless they compromise in other areas. If you think the Surface Pro is too large compared to ARM (and now Bay Trail) devices it'll likely continue to be so (assuming it maintains its relative feature set), if you're borderline than there might be improvements there.

It isn't just the CPU but things like the Wacom digitizer and faster storage system (full mSATA not eMCC) simply take up more space. The Surface Pro is already relatively small and light compared to other devices with actually similar class of hardware, the existing chassis isn't very horribly optimized in terms of size/weight given what it needs to accommodate.

Ditching features and going down to a ULX (or even Bay Trail) CPU would give the most flexibility to go with a much smaller and lighter chassis, but would you want those trade offs?

Other improvements could be making 8gb memory and the higher storage prices more accessible. The current markup to get 8gb ram and a 256gb SSD is rather absurd in my opinion.

Broadwell is expected to focus on significant GPU performance gains I believe (possibly approaching 50%). For me this would be huge due being able to better double as a mobile gaming device.

 

[Safety]

I believe that you can get an idea of what the Surface Pro 3 may look like based on Intel's Broadwell based NUC roadmap:

http://www.anandtech.com/show/7774/broadwell-nuc-roadmap-revealed

Rock Canyon (mainstream)

✓ Next gen CPU/Graphics performance:
✓ Intel® Core™ i3/i5 Processor
✓ Power the big screen via miniHDMI
✓ 4k and triple display support via miniDP
✓ M.2 SSD & 2.5” SSD/HDD drive options
✓ USB 3.0 ports for faster data transfers (Multiple USB 3.0 ports)
✓ Headphones/headset ready (audio jack)
✓ Wireless built-in (WiFi and Bluetooth) (Intel based solution)
✓ HTPC remote control ready (IR sensor)
✓ Replaceable lids for NFC, Wireless Charging

Maple Canyon (professional)

✓ Next gen CPU/Graphics/Turbo performance
✓ Remote manageability and security with
✓ Intel® vPro™ Technology & TPM hardware
✓ 4k and triple display support via 2x miniDP
✓ M.2 SSD and 2.5” SSD/HDD drive options
✓ Comprehensive I/O with audio and USB 3.0
✓ Replaceable lids for NFC

The Ivy Bridge based NUC and SP1 shared the same processor. The same goes with the Haswell based models (pre-updated SP2). The upcoming i5 Broadwell is rumored to also have a 15W TDP processor but will still require active cooling which as others have already mentioned may mean that the SP3 won't be dramatically thinner than the SP2.

 

[Sgraffite]

They just got the 256GB models in stock here at the local Microsoft Store. I exchanged my 512GB model for one to save $500.