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First Reviews of Microsoft Surface Pro: Good Display, Full Windows 8, Compromised Experience
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Yes, I use a digitizer every minute of my life, NOT
We all use what we have for what we do.
The SURFACE will be good for some consumers and not for others. Looked at one around Xmas time, but was not impressed.
As for tablets the iPad (3) I have is not perfect, but it is a fine piece of equipment and does what I use it for.
I always outwait Apple products for a few generations before I buy them.
PC users may want to do the same with the Surface. With all the available technology out there it's harder to screw it up than getting it right.
Weird positions?
Yes, 'weird positions', like sitting without a desk, or standing while holding the device. The design of the keyboard for the Surface (which seems to be universally described as 'required for actual use'), is absolutely brain-dead unless you have a significant, flat surface on which to rest the device.
I suspect that, if the Surface takes off at all, we'll see after market keyboard cases which solve this particular issue (much as we've seen aftermarket keyboard cases for the iPad which effectively turn it into a laptop).
Yes, I use a digitizer every minute of my life, NOT
We all use what we have for what we do.
My comment was only in relation to how it could be useful for some, it is nice to have there for those who want it which I know is going to be a rather small number of overall sales. If one does not wish to work with art then that feature is for the most part useless and it comes down to wanting a full OS or not.
The RT looked questionable on every level.
I know I want to wait a bit, see what another generation or two brings.
Not to mention that the user is now required to carry around a power adapter with their Surface. But hey, the Surface does run Excel.
Too true
Too true, but lets hope that the 10W Haswell lives up to the hype better than windows 8 ;-) -- we're not there yet.... but I hope that Apple are on the case?
Too true, but lets hope that the 10W Haswell lives up to the hype better than windows 8 ;-) -- we're not there yet.... but I hope that Apple are on the case?
In 18 months time, this thing will be able to do 90% of what an iPad does because it'll be many percent lighter and have a much longer battery life. In 18 months time, it'll also be able to do 90% of what a MBA does because its internals are comparable to most ultrabooks. It'll have all the apps that you've been using on the iPad over the past four years and all the apps that you grew up using on your PC at home, all the functionality of your office computer and most of the functionality of a MBA. It'll basically render the high end iPad useless because it'll be too expensive and and it'll render the entry level MBA useless too because it doesn't offer the same functionality.
What are the iPad's advantages over it right now? From my position, its weight and battery life. Both those issues should be solved by new hardware.
What are the MBA's advantages over it right now? Marginally better performance and ease of use in situations that require typing. This could be solved if Microsoft or OEMs find a way to make the transformation between tablet state and laptop state easy, comfortable and intuitive.
I honestly would not be surprised to see this or something that this will beget dominate the majority of student-use laptops in colleges and universities in a few years time. Why would you spend $900 on iPad when $100 more nets you this? And why would you spend $1000 when the same nets you 90% of the performance and functionality and a whole different paradigm of use and functionality. You'd be an idiot to do so, honestly.
Unbelievably, if Microsoft get this right, its advantage over Apple-made products will actually be software. In most people's wildest dreams, I don't think they ever expected that this could be true. But it could.
Of course, I say all this with the caveat that Microsoft actually builds on what is a very good start and the next iterations of this develops in the way it should. If they offer poor and inferior hardware when compared to an ultrabook then they will alienate a lot of customers and if they cannot shave off the inches and pounds and extend battery life then they will never be able to market it as a tablet. But if - and this is a big if - they use the hardware that we know will exist well - Intel's new processors, for example - then this thing will be a massive success. What's odd this time about Microsoft's vision is that you can actually see it coming together in a year or two. You don't have to wait for some revolutionary hardware to come out for this to succeed.
What are the iPad's advantages over it right now? From my position, its weight and battery life. Both those issues should be solved by new hardware.
What are the MBA's advantages over it right now? Marginally better performance and ease of use in situations that require typing. This could be solved if Microsoft or OEMs find a way to make the transformation between tablet state and laptop state easy, comfortable and intuitive.
I honestly would not be surprised to see this or something that this will beget dominate the majority of student-use laptops in colleges and universities in a few years time. Why would you spend $900 on iPad when $100 more nets you this? And why would you spend $1000 when the same nets you 90% of the performance and functionality and a whole different paradigm of use and functionality. You'd be an idiot to do so, honestly.
Unbelievably, if Microsoft get this right, its advantage over Apple-made products will actually be software. In most people's wildest dreams, I don't think they ever expected that this could be true. But it could.
Of course, I say all this with the caveat that Microsoft actually builds on what is a very good start and the next iterations of this develops in the way it should. If they offer poor and inferior hardware when compared to an ultrabook then they will alienate a lot of customers and if they cannot shave off the inches and pounds and extend battery life then they will never be able to market it as a tablet. But if - and this is a big if - they use the hardware that we know will exist well - Intel's new processors, for example - then this thing will be a massive success. What's odd this time about Microsoft's vision is that you can actually see it coming together in a year or two. You don't have to wait for some revolutionary hardware to come out for this to succeed.
That review doesn't exactly recommend the Surface Pro. But the Surface Pro is great for what it is - but it is what it is and no amount of caterwauling by fanbois is going to change the fact that it's a great ultrabook-tablet. There are better tablets out there than the Surface Pro and there are better ultrabooks than it. But it might be the best ultrabook-tablet on the market
The future for tablets or laptops.
If all you do is blog/photo editing/ and the normal emails and surfing, then you don't need a laptop and this tablet (still priced to high IMO) or something comparible would be an viable option.
However, if you have a job that requires that you have several applications open at one time the 10 inch tablet is just to small to have the mutible windows open. I don't see how any tablet can replace a rmbp or any similarily spec'd laptop.
That's a lot of words to say "If a future version of the Surface is a good product then it will be a good product".
People said the same things you did way more than 18 months ago: "Oh, just wait, this product isn't good at all, but in the future it'll be really great, if they make it that way".
Apparently there's a niche of users who need the advanced functions of Excel AND a touchscreen in the same device, and for whom the Surface Pro will be an improvement over what they are already using. I have no idea who these people actually are, of course.
You don't understand the digitizers point in a tablet. The primary intended use is for noting. Automatic handwriting to text is integrated down to the "software keyboard" level, so any old or new noting application you want. You just write fluidly. It understands it and converts that to text. It just works really well. If you want to use it instead of pecking at a glass keyboard for search, a url or something, you can do that.
When its integrated and understands the average crappy handwriting out of the box (and it does,) then its a great feature. With Onenote, its awesome. Use it with an ULV proc unit like the Clover Trail units, and it just works (for 7-10 hours.)
The thing holding back the unit isn't the storage; learn about the recovery partition, time-machine equivalent system restore file and so forth and you can stop sweating about space (oh, and throw in a class 10 sdhc card if you need to, for a lot less than $100.)
The big problem with the unit is Microsoft's timing. Intel does their processor releases in two phases each generation; new technology first, then improved power profiles or speed yields second. Microsoft jumped in because it fit with their Windows 8 release timing, but would have been wise to ship with just the existing 32bit ULV proc, the clover trail Z2760 1st, then release "pro" with the Haswells. If they couldn't wait then just include a replaceable battery like the Latitude 10 or Kupa Ultranote.
Actually, we have a pretty good clue based on the proportion of screen sizes seen in Android devices.
The 'normal' size encompasses the 3.5" to 4.5" range, where the 'large' size encompasses the 4.25" to 7" range. (Yep, there's some overlap.)
So, as we can see from the first chart, the category including 5" screens that some people claim are 'needed', 'extremely popular', or 'selling like gangbusters' actually account for about 10% of Android devices, and that category includes the 7" tablets as well.
tl;dr version - There's absolutely no evidence that the 'phablet' form factor is particularly popular. Even Google's Android statistics don't support that idea.
The problems of the Surface Pro aren't really related to it being a first gen product. They are all problems associated with Windows tablet PC which has been around for over a decade now. All the PC makers have been at it for over 10 years now. Using full blown PC parts just take so much space and a large battery to make it work. Intel has to take the blame for this one. Other OEMs such as Samsung and ASUS already all made thin and light tablet PCs in the past few years.
The second part of the hardware problem is the fundamental problem of the Surface form factor. As a Windows laptop, its ~10" screen is just too small and the keyboard setup is often uncomfortable to use because it has to sit on a flat surface. As a tablet the screen is too elongated to be used in the portrait mode. These are problems that can be mitigated in the next generation but still puzzling given that from the very first exhibition of the Surface these concerns were voiced.
Yes you could run desktop Windows software but if I were to run desktop Windows software, I'd pick another laptop which will have a larger screen real estate with a much better keyboard and the touch pad, not to mention it'll be flat out more comfortable to use when moving around.
As a tablet...I can't really think of any reason to use this over other tablets when the price is already higher than ARM tablets. Some argue active stylus is a selling point but that features has been around for years with Windows tablet PC and so far it has proven to be a failure as a sales point in moving a large quantity of units.
In short at its price it has to do something much better than the dedicated tablets and laptops and the Surface Pro fails to do so, in fact it's arguably much worse in most things compared to dedicated devices.
I'm sure it's popular but it's probably particularly popular in the demographic that is more willing to spend big money on phones. Thus the percentage of people who buy large Android phones probably is a bit small at this point compared to the overall Android market.
For academic area, Macs are superior simply because it uses industry grade UNIX for which thousands of science and other programs are available. There is not need for Windows with its viruses
Bar the huge number of Windows-only apps with no Mac counterparts, such as ArcGIS.
I never had anything close to 4 hours with my MBA or 17" MBP. Apple said 8 hours, but never got even half of that, even with the display dimmed.
Having used the Windows 8 on the Samsung SmartPC Pro, I think that it is pretty cool that I can run everything that I usually do for business and development on the tablet, plus I have a very nice interface in the Metro section. I had the iPad since day 1, as well as the iPhone, so I'm pretty familiar with iOS and its evolution, but I have to admit, the Windows 8 metro is pretty nice.
I agree. The thing is, you can run MathLab, LabView, whatever you need on the full Windows 8 tablets, while on the iPad all you have is 2nd grader math apps.
Of course it's not as good as dedicated devices. If it was and did more then everyone would be gushing over it. It's a first generation product whose limitations are hardware that is very likely to be resolved in the very near future. The first smartphones weren't as good phones as Nokia dumbphones because its battery life was poor, typing was much harder etc. It also wasn't as good a PDA as whatever existed because the screen was too small, the battery life was **** etc., and it wasn't as good a camera as the small Sony/Samsung digital cameras because the sensor was **** and the megapixels were incomparable. It also wasn't as good a music player as the iPod because it had limited storage. But all in all, it approximated the job of those devices quite well. It never was able to approximate 100% of the functionality and to this day, it still can't compete with dedicated devices in their specific area, but as a general product, it's bloody great, isn't it?
Now let's speak about the Surface in similar terms. How much of tablets can it approximate at the moment? In software terms, for me, 100%. Anything you can do on the Nexuses, iPads, Notes and Galaxy Tabs, you can do on this. It fails on the hardware stuff, namely its weight and poor battery life. Will Haswell help? Will general evolution of hardware help? I would say so. How much so remains to be seen but straight from the start, you can see that it is not far from being able to approximate most of what the iPad does.
How much of ultrabooks and MBAs can this approximate? Again, on the software side, there isn't an issue here. On the hardware side, also, there isn't an issue since it's running virtually the same stuff that an MBA is and its internals are comparable to ultrabooks. The only issue is ease of use and the kickstand. These aren't problems that can never be resolved. It'll require some imagination but with so many people invested in this platform, I'm quite confident that sooner or later someone will stumble upon a solution.
In response to the comment that someone made about how PC makers have been trying and failing to accomplish this for years, I completely agree. Hybrids and tablet PCs have failed for years because they were terrible products. But they weren't terrible because they were poorly designed or had poor hardware. They were terrible because the software was terrible. That isn't a problem anymore. This is the key.
Now let's speak about the Surface in similar terms. How much of tablets can it approximate at the moment? In software terms, for me, 100%. Anything you can do on the Nexuses, iPads, Notes and Galaxy Tabs, you can do on this. It fails on the hardware stuff, namely its weight and poor battery life. Will Haswell help? Will general evolution of hardware help? I would say so. How much so remains to be seen but straight from the start, you can see that it is not far from being able to approximate most of what the iPad does.
How much of ultrabooks and MBAs can this approximate? Again, on the software side, there isn't an issue here. On the hardware side, also, there isn't an issue since it's running virtually the same stuff that an MBA is and its internals are comparable to ultrabooks. The only issue is ease of use and the kickstand. These aren't problems that can never be resolved. It'll require some imagination but with so many people invested in this platform, I'm quite confident that sooner or later someone will stumble upon a solution.
In response to the comment that someone made about how PC makers have been trying and failing to accomplish this for years, I completely agree. Hybrids and tablet PCs have failed for years because they were terrible products. But they weren't terrible because they were poorly designed or had poor hardware. They were terrible because the software was terrible. That isn't a problem anymore. This is the key.
Microsoft confuses market
Microsoft must have realized they are creating confusion in the market with this hybrid device. In spite of the original announcement that sparked a flurry of comments about building a toaster/fridge last year, Microsoft plodded along and created a hybrid PC/Tablet that nobody gets, or wants.
First, its disappointing that people are equating it to an iPad. Except for form factor this is not an iPad competitor. This is more a competitor to the Macbook Air and PC Ultrabooks. Offering "tablet like" mobility with Ultrabook level of performance. About the only thing to compare to the iPad is the price and to make Apple realize that iPad pricing is off their rockers for offering less technology for higher prices. If Microsoft could pack a laptop CPU into a tablet there no reason why Apple is charging near $1000 for top-end iPad taht uses cellphone CPU's. But then again, Apple has never cared about competitive pricing so the point it moot.
Second, even die-hard Microsoft users are scratching their heads about where to use this. The Windows Desktop experience using touch is horrible. Microsoft has done nothing to make the desktop experience better for touch, buttons are too small for fingers, too many UI metaphors that rely on mouse or stylus input like tool tips. To top it off, running ANY application on the Windows desktop means you are going to get a slew of stuff that just doesn't function properly on a touch tablet. Slapping a tablet ready Start Menu overlay on top of the good ol' standard Windows desktop was about the worst decision Microsoft has made.
I think Microsoft needs to wake up and start developing their next gen product, both hardware and software wise. Wishful thinking that Surface and Surface Pro, along with schizo Windows 8, will gain market and acceptance over time will only ruin them.
Microsoft must have realized they are creating confusion in the market with this hybrid device. In spite of the original announcement that sparked a flurry of comments about building a toaster/fridge last year, Microsoft plodded along and created a hybrid PC/Tablet that nobody gets, or wants.
First, its disappointing that people are equating it to an iPad. Except for form factor this is not an iPad competitor. This is more a competitor to the Macbook Air and PC Ultrabooks. Offering "tablet like" mobility with Ultrabook level of performance. About the only thing to compare to the iPad is the price and to make Apple realize that iPad pricing is off their rockers for offering less technology for higher prices. If Microsoft could pack a laptop CPU into a tablet there no reason why Apple is charging near $1000 for top-end iPad taht uses cellphone CPU's. But then again, Apple has never cared about competitive pricing so the point it moot.
Second, even die-hard Microsoft users are scratching their heads about where to use this. The Windows Desktop experience using touch is horrible. Microsoft has done nothing to make the desktop experience better for touch, buttons are too small for fingers, too many UI metaphors that rely on mouse or stylus input like tool tips. To top it off, running ANY application on the Windows desktop means you are going to get a slew of stuff that just doesn't function properly on a touch tablet. Slapping a tablet ready Start Menu overlay on top of the good ol' standard Windows desktop was about the worst decision Microsoft has made.
I think Microsoft needs to wake up and start developing their next gen product, both hardware and software wise. Wishful thinking that Surface and Surface Pro, along with schizo Windows 8, will gain market and acceptance over time will only ruin them.
So for someone today who already even owns one of the following:
1) iPad
2) MacBook
3) Windows desktop
4) Windows laptop
Is there any reason to get the Surface Pro?
If the Surface Pro does what any other tablet can, then if you have a tablet then you don't need it, and if you don't have a tablet, you can save money and get an iPad.
If you need to run Office software, then why not get an MBA?
If you need to run Windows software, why not get a windows laptop?
I guess if you don't any computer at all, maybe the Surface Pro would appeal, if you have some bizarre requirements such as an MBA is no good because you absolutely need to run Matlab BUT a Windows laptop is no good either for some reason (again, I'm thinking of these hypothetical users who need VB access in Excel and also a Wacom digitizer but cannot handle a laptop).
Otherwise, if I had $1000 I'd put it into any of the four options above first, instead of waiting for the Surface to actually be a better product.