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legioxi

macrumors 6502a
Mar 2, 2013
644
76
You should try it, if you live near a Microsoft Store, before you call it crappy. I've tried it and I found it to be an excellent machine. It is very smooth and responsive. The resolution is out of this world compared to the Air. Just saying...

I have a work supplied SP3, along with a personal MBA 11" (current gen) and some other Macs/Windows machines.

The SP3 is great for writing (OneNote 2013, not the Metro OneNote) and makes Windows 8.1 kind of nice. However it has ****** wireless, a ****** keyboard that costs another $130 and small annoying glitches (like the screen keyboard not always coming up when entering text) that make it an annoying device to use for a full day's work. The keyboard is cheap and flimsy, typing on it gives a weird hollow feeling that just doesn't... mesh (poor word choice) with typing all day.

Then there is the need for a cloud account to use preloaded software (OneNote) and the inability to store files locally for the preloaded Metro version of OneNote. Microsoft's attempt to force you into a cloud account for the Windows login itself (you can skip, in small print).

If this was the SP1, I'd consider it just standard new device glitches. But this is the third round of their tablet. It just lacks the fit and finish of an iPad/MBA/ThinkPad (minus the new Lenovo crap).

If I went with a Windows mobile device again, I'd buy an older IBM/Lenovo ThinkPad but I think I'll stick to VMs for Windows instead of buying another device to run it.
 

Coupz

macrumors regular
Dec 24, 2013
200
20
Seems like some Microsoft employees want to have a MacBook and that's what Microsoft does to get some MacBooks haha
 

scaredpoet

macrumors 604
Apr 6, 2007
6,627
342
You should try it, if you live near a Microsoft Store, before you call it crappy. I've tried it and I found it to be an excellent machine. It is very smooth and responsive. The resolution is out of this world compared to the Air. Just saying...

Opinions are of course subjective. I have tried the Surface, four iterations (Surface, RT, 2, Pro 3). While I'm sure they appeal to some and are quite useful to folks in a strictly Windows environment, they are lacking in a number of the features I need on my laptop or tablet (the ability to boot more than one OS without having to jump through hoops to do it, and a *nix shell to name a couple).

And aside from OS-level stuff, it's nice to have a laptop whose screen can stand up on its own rather than having to be propped up with a stand. Only until you use it do you realize just how much surface real estate that takes up, making it far less convenient than Microsoft lets on.

The interface is smooth and responsive? That's nice. So's my Macbook Air. And the latter lets me do my job without jumping through hoops or drastically changing my workflow.
 

Naimfan

Suspended
Jan 15, 2003
4,669
2,017
Just think of it as Sony offering trade-in deals on Xboxes for PS4s. You've got two competing products in the same field, one company wants you to use their stuff over the others, so they're giving you an enticing deal to make you more deeply consider it.

It's not desperation. It's just marketing.

Sure, didn't mean to imply desperation - I doubt MS is "desperate" in the normal meaning of the word.

I think it somewhat cheapens the brand, and highlights to me that Microsoft itself isn't quite sure how to present the SP3. At the high end, I think it's too expensive, and at the low end I think it kind of gets lost in all the sub-$1K noise.
 

Shirke

macrumors regular
Jan 20, 2013
124
10
Personally, I would still prefer a laptop because honestly, I need all the ports.
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
That might not be too far from the truth, considering Microsoft corporate now forbids the purchase of Apple products on the company's dime.

A recent email leak seems to suggest that Microsoft will soon ban

Considering that post was made in 2012, I'd like to see a better source that confirms this was actually done.

Anyways, it's obviously not completely true otherwise Microsoft would not be using it's funds to buy Apple products. :p

(yes I know it was referring to employees)
 

levifig

macrumors member
Jan 30, 2008
52
14
Ames, IA
When did Microsoft decided to get into the busines of making profit with Apple's hardware? Are they gonna resell these used in some developing markets for a profit? :D
 

Laptopdog78

macrumors member
Mar 24, 2014
78
81
You should try it, if you live near a Microsoft Store, before you call it crappy. I've tried it and I found it to be an excellent machine. It is very smooth and responsive. The resolution is out of this world compared to the Air. Just saying...

I'm just saying........ How long before it runs like a bag of ****??? When it's full of adware, crapware, worms, Trojans, slugs, and caterpillars!!!! About 3 weeks I'd guess!! You could always try rebooting lmfao!!!
 
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mabhatter

macrumors 65816
Jan 3, 2009
1,022
388
$650 is crazy low.
Just about ANY working, Maverick compatible MacBook goes for at least $650 used. I was looking for parts for my 2009 White Poly MacBook and even those are $600 if they work at all and come with Maverick loaded.

Their "offer" is a joke compared to the secondary market... The only people this is good for are the ones getting the $300 markup per laptop "traded in" when they are resold.
 

sir1963nz

macrumors 6502a
Feb 9, 2012
735
1,216
Perhaps this is Microsofts way of getting rid of the devices staff rejected and allows them to acquire a cheap source of Macs for those staff to use instead.

:D
 

mr.bee

macrumors 6502a
May 24, 2007
750
468
Antwerp, belgium
well the screen and bezel are very ugly and embarrassingly old on a macbook air. you have to admit the screen on the surface pro 3 is better.



but Microsoft as hardware in general? never!
 

Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
13,329
7,421
I'm just saying........ How long before it runs like a bag of ****??? When it's full of adware, crapware, worms, Trojans, slugs, and caterpillars!!!! About 3 weeks I'd guess!! You could always try rebooting lmfao!!!

If you download crapware, that's on you. If you have problems with Trojans, adware, and worms... that's on you as well. Seriously, my bootcamp partition runs rather speedy with 8.1.
 
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MDA

macrumors newbie
Nov 28, 2002
26
0
Trade in a MacBook Air for something that desperately wants to be a laptop but isn't? I don't think so.
 

Westside guy

macrumors 603
Oct 15, 2003
6,335
4,152
The soggy side of the Pacific NW
The problem with the surface is that it runs the ****** Windows.

Even for people who like Windows 8.1, this isn't the only problem...

They (Microsoft) don't really know what market it is they're trying to be in. If you compare the Surface 3 to a laptop, you immediately find the keyboard to be... subpar would be a charitable descriptor, really. And if you compare the Surface to a tablet, you immediately find the thing is far too heavy and bulky.

It's the worst of both worlds.
 

Parasprite

macrumors 68000
Mar 5, 2013
1,698
144
I'm just saying........ How long before it runs like a bag of ****??? When it's full of adware, crapware, worms, Trojans, slugs, and caterpillars!!!! About 3 weeks I'd guess!! You could always try rebooting lmfao!!!

This post makes my soul hurt.
 
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Cyborg21

macrumors 6502
Sep 2, 2013
332
0
It's just about the same thickness as the iPad 2/3/4, and just 2mm thicker than the iPad Air. I'd hardly call that super thick and awkward.

Let's compare them.
 

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macs4nw

macrumors 601
I call B.S on this. it's almost like they are admitting failure.

I don't see it that way. The Surface Pro is an evolving product, and I give MS credit for tenaciously making improvements to their offerings. Is there a market for full-fledged computing platforms in a tablet form, in addition to the many ultra-thin laptops already flooding the market? I don't have the answer to that, but MS believes there is, and they deserve credit for staking billions, as well as their reputation on that.

Personally I think the Surface Pro is a sleek and aesthetically pleasing product, and if it didn't run Windows, I might have actually considered one.
 
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