Newtons, I was merely trying to see if anybody here has had the same problem, and if it's something I need to be concerned about. I don't think I phrased it in such a way as to incite anger or sarcasm.
Sorry if I offended the product.
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iPad iPad Air 2 vs new Surface 3?
- Thread starter johngwheeler
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Newtons, I was merely trying to see if anybody here has had the same problem, and if it's something I need to be concerned about. I don't think I phrased it in such a way as to incite anger or sarcasm.
Sorry if I offended the product.
Sorry if I came on too strong, I am not fan boy of either Apple or MS but just want the best portable hardware for field use I can get.
I am really waiting on the SP4 due out this summer and then the iPad Pro which I hope has gone past the rumor stage and we will see this fall.
Have a good weekend.
Agreed. It is the reason why I believe that the Surface may grow in popularity but will never be more than a very popular option for Windows-based devices.
There is a premium price paid, and practical compromises made, in Surface ownership that doesn't really pay off because of the software situation.
Microsoft got it backwards, IMO. Historically they focus their attention on hardware (they assume that they've got "software" nailed down) at the expense of developing a software community that will result in a vibrant ecosystem.
It is much more difficult to cultivate a healthy ecosystem than to create leading edge hardware.
Apple took the opposite approach. Their hardware for the first few generations is, "meh", but they work to create an environment that draws developers.
This year is going to be interesting, and I think that in this wave of hybrid devices Apple is going to have an easier road:
If Apple produces a similar Surface-like device, it'll be a significant blow to Microsoft because they'll have a rich ecosystem to support the hardware. (ironically, MS Office will help Apple in that regard)
If Apple sits this one out, Microsoft will be the front-runner, but they'll be dogged by the software issue unless their unified vision comes to reality.
There are a number of reasons I like the Surface and the pen experience is absolutely one of them. The scrolling issue, granted I don't own one to play around with settings more, is a jerky line by line scrolling versus a smooth stepless scroll you'll find on Apple's OS. I searched forums and found a number of other complaints saying all you can do is set it to scroll one line at a time. Did I miss something on the Surface? That alone would get me much closer to owning one as I can definitely find a use for it.
Where are you having trouble with smooth scrolling? In IE and most Microsoft programs scrolling is perfectly smooth. It's bad in Chrome, but that is Google. There is a lot that is wrong with Chrome on Windows.
It seems like your talking about touchpad scrolling now. Before you said there were touch interface issues/lag. I wouldn't doubt the touchpad experience is better on a mac--but thats a generic mac-pc issue: appple is better at touchpads! Its not an issue for me as i use screen touch
Why not wait until IF an iPad Pro is released and what it has and doesn't have before attempting to accuse people of inconsistency and hypocrisy?
And it is quite possible that the people who would praise the iPad Pro are not necessarily the same ones who are slamming the Surface. Right?
I ordered the surface 3 earlier this week and will hold off updating as long as possible. All indications are 10 is another disaster that will likely be replaced by a 10.1 early in its lifespan. Microsoft has had this public development for months but is only now dealing with the fact users hate it
Where are you getting information that Windows 10 is a disaster? From everything I've read so far, Windows 10 fixes a lot of the issues of Windows 8. I've been following the development of Windows 10 for a while and I'm really impressed with what they are doing. And most news outlets that cover it in depth agree. Can you show some links from good sources that say it is a disaster? I'm not calling you out, just interested as I'm about to commit to buying a surface 3 with LTE when it comes out or the Surface Pro 4.
I've been playing with the Surface 3 at my local best buy and I am really impressed with the machine. It's not that powerful, but it will fit my needs. I think Microsoft did a great job with OneNote and the pen. It's amazing.
It depends on where you're coming from. On desktops and laptops, it's being lauded as the gratist wandows evar! The tablet people, on the other hand, aren't quite as pleased, since MS basically went full reverse and stripped out a lot of the features that made Win8 a good fit for touch, but were nigh useless with a keyboard and mouse. Like the Charms Bar, being able to flip through open apps by swiping from the left side of the screen, things like that.
Windows 10 will be rejected because it does not restore the start menu--its another fake restore this time with the tile interface encapsulated in the new "start menu" Desktop users hate this, and they hate that this is MS second start menu restoration that is just a modern rehash. So all the users who filled comment sections saying they wouldn't upgrade from win7 to win8 are going to be back rejecting this product. Only this time there is more pressure--MS could forego one enterprise refresh cycle--but not two. If windows 10 doesnt show improved adoption--it will deemed a bigger failure than windows 8.
Remember--the tech press echoed the line that the desktop was a legacy feature for a full two years
and enterprise would have to adjust. Now it looks like Modern is becoming the legacy interface. Its unclear
to me whether new touch apps that emerge will be modern apps or desktop apps with special interfaces. No one wants to support modern because the apis are immature and MS gets a huge cut of the revenues
Windows 10 is also doing away with the control panel--perhaps they will bring this back in windows 12
after more market rejection
Also note that windows 10 is ugly--its color schema, icons and folders are hideous. MS is making a big deal about modern apps on the desktop--but the market has totally rejected the windows store and modern apps.
Finally windows 10 is shaping up as a deeply flawed tablet ui. Yes, there is a lot of windows 10 happy talk at the moment--but i expect things to change in mid summer.
By the way--i am a surface fan from day one and just bought the surface 3. I feel windows 8.1 is something of a mess--but it works for my needs
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I'm using Windows 10 right now, and most of your complaints are based on the usual preemptive freakouts.
The new Start menu is functionally identical to the old one, but has the added bonus of tiles on the side. Which, by the way, can be turned off entirely, and the Start menu squeezed down to the thickness of the original Windows 95 menu.
The new settings menu is a GODSEND compared to the convoluted, hard to navigate mess that was the old control panel. It's much more logically laid out, making everything so much easier to find. Other than that, you get to the new settings in much the same way you got to the old ones, so while it might look a little different, functionally, it's exactly the same.
The icons? Placeholders. MS had shown a preview of what the final icon set will look like in response to people freaking out over the super cheap recycle bin icon that was in the earlier builds. The new recycle bin icon made it into more recent builds in response. The rest are coming later.
The tablet complaints are about the only logical issue people are facing. The continuum thing and universal apps are interesting ideas that could work out well, but it'll require people to actually make universal apps before it'll be worth a damn.
I had zero learning curve with Win10. It's basically Windows with all the UI stuff I've always wanted, plus some bits and pieces from Win8 that don't get in the way of the whole desktop experience.
Recent documents have been moved to the quick access page when you open up File Explorer. I think it makes more sense there. Keeps the Start menu focused solely on launching apps and getting to your settings.
awesome tablet
I received this during the week and set it up today. For my needs its a total win. Its the first digital tablet that really feels like a sketch pad. It has that kind of weight and density. It seems like they extended the palm rejection activation distance in the digitizer--overall the performance is excellent. The new wider aspect ratio makes this a much better text machine than the pro 2--but i wont be doing a lot of typing with this. IE metro is a great browser--its likely the only touch app i'll use. I dont know if this competes with an ipad for most users-its a hybrid--its own thing.
I received this during the week and set it up today. For my needs its a total win. Its the first digital tablet that really feels like a sketch pad. It has that kind of weight and density. It seems like they extended the palm rejection activation distance in the digitizer--overall the performance is excellent. The new wider aspect ratio makes this a much better text machine than the pro 2--but i wont be doing a lot of typing with this. IE metro is a great browser--its likely the only touch app i'll use. I dont know if this competes with an ipad for most users-its a hybrid--its own thing.
I'm waiting for this. I want to see what Apple does in the "professional" tablet sector, if anything. I think the Surface is fascinating and if I had excesses funds I'd test one. I've used on briefly at Best Buy and was impressed with the hardware and Windows 10 is an improvement in my opinion.
I think a direct comparison between an iPad and a Surface is difficult. On aims at being a tablet, the other as a full computer in tablet form. Personally, I think the iPad is a superior device if you want a tablet. The Surface lacks much of the creative/tablet focused apps that exist on the iPad. That's not to say the Surface has bad software; it has much more powerful software, but many users that buy an iPad just want a tablet, not a full computer, and that's why I think the Surface will remain a relative small product.
Many of the people I know with iPads don't want or use a file explorer, they don't want an antivirus with updates, they don't want "desktop" mode. They just want an instantly usable device that feeds them content and the iPad is superior. Then you have the tech-ish crowd that just want one "real" computer. I'd imagine most of these people would get a more traditional laptop/desktop though some will surely go for the Surface. Then you have the more technically inclined people and students. The tech savvy people may want a Surface as a supplemental system and I can speak from experience that the Surface is popular among students at my university.
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For me personally, I'm not sold on a "Pro" tablet and am actually leaning towards the Mini. I have a MacBook Pro that I have to bring with me to class and for my TA office hours. I have an iPad for casual use and MANY PDFs. I find the iPad's software and hardware more efficient for PDFs than a Mac or even a larger Surface. I also have my iPhone. The Surface could be the computer that I take to school, but it wouldn't be sufficient as my only computer. Therefore I'd need a Surface, a MacBook Pro, and an iPhone. Well, if I can't replace my Mac with the Surface, then I'd rather have a more "in between" tablet device, which the iPad suffices.
Sorry, that came out longer than I intended it to.
I had to go take another look but you are right. My comment does not apply to touch. For some reason, after trying various usages, I walked away thinking it did. I even did some searches to find other complaints about the issue. Sorry for the confusion. I'm still disappointed that the experience is disjointed in that way. I should be able to dock the thing and get the same experience at my desk that I do mobile. It's not really a PC touch pad thing, either. Drivers sometimes come with a smooth scrolling option but it never seems to work everywhere and I've found times when I can't scroll at all without grabbing the scroll bar.
I must say I was rather enamored with using the pen in Onenote and spent a lot of time playing around in there to see how easily I could add and manipulate info. Folks adamantly agains Apple creating a pen for iPad have simply never tried an active stylus. I'm curious if there is a list of Metro apps that make use of it in ways that go beyond what you can do with touch, if anyone knows. I recall seeing a cool video of an app used to compose music on the Surface. I want to see more of this in other usage scenarios.
I think your referring to staffpad--it is pretty cool. I would add there are many applications for creating music on windows that play nicely on the surface 3. Instead of using ios music apps--each with its own sandbox and difficult to integrate--i use desktop apps like ableton and reason that are directly transferable. to me, touch is not the end of the world--thats why i like the way surface supports touch and traditional apps
I'm about to purchase the surface 3. I wanted to wait for the LTE version, but I'm not sure I can hold off any longer and there is no date given my microsoft on when it will ship.
My question to those who have it already, how is the speed? Does it feel sluggish? I'm not going to be playing heavy games. But mostly using OneNote for notes and drawing. Some writing. Some programming with processing and maybe Java. Some web programming/HTML and maybe diving a little into photoshop/illustrator and some light video editing in Premiere.
I've tested the machine at Best Buy but a little limited with what software is installed on the machines there.
My question to those who have it already, how is the speed? Does it feel sluggish? I'm not going to be playing heavy games. But mostly using OneNote for notes and drawing. Some writing. Some programming with processing and maybe Java. Some web programming/HTML and maybe diving a little into photoshop/illustrator and some light video editing in Premiere.
I've tested the machine at Best Buy but a little limited with what software is installed on the machines there.
Thanks all for all the comments in this thread. It was really helpful as I was in the same boat with a decision. I've decided to stick with my current setup instead of getting a S3. My geeky side wanted more toys and was nagging me to buy a Surface 3. Apologies in advance for the long winded explanation.
I have a MacBook Air (2014) supplied by work and a personal iPad Air (with Logitech Folio keyboard case). I NEED a Mac as I'm the only Mac person in the email admin/authentication team at work. I do the occasional work at home and the majority of the tasks are done remoting in to Windows and Unix servers running using Windows apps etc. I use the iPad every night on the couch to web surf, read RSS and watch videos, Facebook etc. I also use the iPad when I go to club meetings for notes and reading/(occasional) editing of documents which can be cumbersome on the iPad. I often use Splashtop to remote into my home office Mac and work computers. As I commute on 2 wheels, I thought leaving the MBA at work and the iPad at home and just commuting with the S3 would be great as sometimes my backpack is so full and heavy.
I think I'll stick with the current setup as the S3 charging comments are worrying. I also have a Samsung Slate 7 that I've been testing Win10 on that has just crashed on me (preparing recovery loop which I see is a common issue with Win8.1 installs too) and the niggles that drive me crazy sway me to stay on OS X which has always been reliable for me. Another thing I use all day everyday on OS X is Expose as I have so many windows and apps open on multiple virtual desktops that its a godsend. I know there are 3rd party options for this but they just don't cut it against the built in Expose etc functions of OS X. Main issue with S3 is also Outlook which is so laggy and crashes so often on Windows.
Decided I'd rather put up with some extra weight and have stable/reliable devices that have longer battery life to do my work and play.
I have a MacBook Air (2014) supplied by work and a personal iPad Air (with Logitech Folio keyboard case). I NEED a Mac as I'm the only Mac person in the email admin/authentication team at work. I do the occasional work at home and the majority of the tasks are done remoting in to Windows and Unix servers running using Windows apps etc. I use the iPad every night on the couch to web surf, read RSS and watch videos, Facebook etc. I also use the iPad when I go to club meetings for notes and reading/(occasional) editing of documents which can be cumbersome on the iPad. I often use Splashtop to remote into my home office Mac and work computers. As I commute on 2 wheels, I thought leaving the MBA at work and the iPad at home and just commuting with the S3 would be great as sometimes my backpack is so full and heavy.
I think I'll stick with the current setup as the S3 charging comments are worrying. I also have a Samsung Slate 7 that I've been testing Win10 on that has just crashed on me (preparing recovery loop which I see is a common issue with Win8.1 installs too) and the niggles that drive me crazy sway me to stay on OS X which has always been reliable for me. Another thing I use all day everyday on OS X is Expose as I have so many windows and apps open on multiple virtual desktops that its a godsend. I know there are 3rd party options for this but they just don't cut it against the built in Expose etc functions of OS X. Main issue with S3 is also Outlook which is so laggy and crashes so often on Windows.
Decided I'd rather put up with some extra weight and have stable/reliable devices that have longer battery life to do my work and play.
My problem with the surface 3 pro is in my usage it can't replace a laptop/desktop. So I end up using it just like any other tablet. And comparatively speaking I prefer the iPad as a tablet over the Surface.
One day it will be powerful enough to be my all in one computing solution but until then I'll keep dedicated devices.
One day it will be powerful enough to be my all in one computing solution but until then I'll keep dedicated devices.