I bought a SurfaceBook

[PhoneI]

As a SurfaceBook owner I really don't get the love for this device. If you want a Windows machine, there are better alternatives.

The selling point of the SurfaceBook is that it's also a tablet. I guess the problem is it makes a downright terrible tablet. I seriously get less than an hour battery life on mine when using it in tablet mode.

 

[Queen6]

Oh come on, no need for this self-righteous patronising speech. I am certainly not dismissing the merit of the Surface and I am the first to admit the MS is the only company in the industry, other than Apple, who truly attempts to innovate. I have clearly pointed out in plenty of posts. I personally might be not interested in the Surface line of products, because I don't find them interesting or useful, but I have bough a bunch of these things for some of our employees and they seem to be happy, so thats great.

And anyway, I was merely pointing out the obvious discrepancy in the logic of some posters (not you btw, you have so far been very consistent in your statements, even though we seem to have very different views), who criticise the MacBook Pro as being underpowered and too expensive, but for some reason praise the just-as-underpowered and similarly price Surface line. Nothing more, nothing less. I don't know if its the lack of clarity in my post or some sort of cognitive bias, but nothing I said justifies this sort of response.

As to my final statement: sorry, but thats true. They simply say things like "Intel i7 CPU' or "Nvidia graphics". I was unable to find more detailed specs on the Surface website. If you think thats ok and customer-friendly, cool. But to accuse me of being juvenile because I point out obvious lack of transparency on MS's side, just because you seem to like the product? Not really what one would expect from a mature adult.

In business, one learns when it`s wise to respond or ignore, equally we may very well be kindred spirits, albeit on different frequencies. I also openly apologise as in retrospect english may not be your primary language, therefore some interpretation may be inaccurate on my behalf.

Q-6
[doublepost=1478523439][/doublepost]

As a SurfaceBook owner I really don't get the love for this device. If you want a Windows machine, there are better alternatives.

The selling point of the SurfaceBook is that it's also a tablet. I guess the problem is it makes a downright terrible tablet. I seriously get less than an hour battery life on mine when using it in tablet mode.

Your holding it wrong

Q-6

 

[Queen6]

@Queen6 Have you had any problems with sleeping/waking or hibernating? I've read many reviews and some complain bitterly about the surface book not suspending properly. Some even complain about the computer getting hot while sleeping and crashing. Similar problems also when detaching the screen.

Just curious what your experience is. I am considering getting one, but did not for the issues mentioned that affect possibly a small minority of buyers.

In all transparency I have yet to look to look at this subject in detail. So far my observations are that sleep is not an issue, equally it`s prudent to investigate what the system will execute. I have opted out of sharing Windows Updates, and Connected standby.

100% both batteries, just done a full shutdown & restart of the SB. Will let it sleep (battery verified at 100%) and will check it out 12 hours or so; Wifi is on all Power settings are default. Lets see...

Q-6

 

[mac666er]

I'm happy with the Surface Book, it does everything I want it too, I have not had one issue.
Congrats @Queen6 on your new machine.

I think Apple and MS are on different trajectories. Apple being a bit complacent, arrogant and maybe protecting their position instead of innovating. MS because they missed out on the mobile smart phone market seem to be more hungry and willing to take chances. Not all of the surface products were winners, and even the SufaceBook and Surface Pro 4 had issues. Those issues have long been resolved, and we have a stellar product imo.

@maflynn glad to read you have had no issues for months. I assume you travel with it, put it to sleep, and work it? As opposed to for example being plugged in to a wall most of the time and used mostly in laptop mode for light tasks?

 

[FX120]

This is almost exactly what I said the other day about Apple and their feelings toward touch screen laptops. It's a stupid argument saying people's arms will get tired when they sell an iPad Pro with a keyboard where the primary mode of interaction is via a touch screen that you have to raise your arm to.

Once again, Apple marketing hard at work. This is what I've called disingenuous for years (again, the prime example being iOS being the world's most advanced mobile operating system that still can't do some of the simplest stuff).

http://thenextweb.com/apple/2016/10...touchscreen-macs-wouldnt-useful-hypocritical/

Apple’s Jony Ive says touchscreen Macs wouldn’t be useful, but it’s hypocritical

I find myself touching the screen of my Surface Pro all the time when I have the keyboard attached and using it in "laptop mode". It's super nice to switch applications by touching the task bar with my fingers, and I do it without moving my palms from a typing position.

 

[QuickDraw]

@Queen6 Have you had any problems with sleeping/waking or hibernating? I've read many reviews and some complain bitterly about the surface book not suspending properly. Some even complain about the computer getting hot while sleeping and crashing. Similar problems also when detaching the screen.

Just curious what your experience is. I am considering getting one, but did not for the issues mentioned that affect possibly a small minority of buyers.

I had sleep, hot bags, crashes during sleep/wake up, up until the last system update (a week, or two ago)
I also reinstalled Windows 2month ago during my ~5month of using the surface book, as my system got hosed somewhat and refused to do any windows updates anymore. I assume this was due to being on windows insider/beta builds, who knows, I stick with stock updates now. I still have ongoing scaling issues, when connecting two monitors via the surface dock, and in general some older apps don't scale well on that 3000x2000 screen.
The machine runs hotter than i would like it too, but as i use it mostly as a desktop, its not a big deal, perhaps its related to some software i run in the background, i do have lots of legacy stuff running unfortunately.
All in all it does the job, it seems to get better with Windows 10 updates, but yet this laptop gave me more issues than any other machine.
As usual YMMV, I am sure (as seen in this thread) many are perfectly happy with it.

cheers,

 

[maflynn]

@maflynn glad to read you have had no issues for months. I assume you travel with it, put it to sleep, and work it? As opposed to for example being plugged in to a wall most of the time and used mostly in laptop mode for light tasks?

Yes, I travel with it and iI use it on the battery most of the time. I just got back from a weekend trip in October and it worked out well, before that I was in San Fran for a week, and it was more then up to the task

 

[mac666er]

I had sleep, hot bags, crashes during sleep/wake up, up until the last system update (a week, or two ago)
I also reinstalled Windows 2month ago during my ~5month of using the surface book, as my system got hosed somewhat and refused to do any windows updates anymore. I assume this was due to being on windows insider/beta builds, who knows, I stick with stock updates now. I still have ongoing scaling issues, when connecting two monitors via the surface dock, and in general some older apps don't scale well on that 3000x2000 screen.
The machine runs hotter than i would like it too, but as i use it mostly as a desktop, its not a big deal, perhaps its related to some software i run in the background, i do have lots of legacy stuff running unfortunately.
All in all it does the job, it seems to get better with Windows 10 updates, but yet this laptop gave me more issues than any other machine.
As usual YMMV, I am sure (as seen in this thread) many are perfectly happy with it.

cheers,

Thanks, I like what Microsoft is doing lately with their products, and I would like to try this one out. But as I gotten older, I get less time to play with gadgets and definitely can't spend a lot of time dealing with Windows if I happen to get a lemon Surface Book.

Glad it is working for you now, hopefully it will stay that way.
[doublepost=1478536765][/doublepost]

Yes, I travel with it and iI use it on the battery most of the time. I just got back from a weekend trip in October and it worked out well, before that I was in San Fran for a week, and it was more then up to the task

Glad to read it worked out. I think from September up until now is a good trial run.

 

[SteveJUAE]

I find myself touching the screen of my Surface Pro all the time when I have the keyboard attached and using it in "laptop mode". It's super nice to switch applications by touching the task bar with my fingers, and I do it without moving my palms from a typing position.

This is the point I made a year back when I got a SP4 even if you only use the touch 10% it's still a win over non touch and I'm sure on other occasions many will use SB and SP4's in full tablet modes and find it harder to justify lessor consumption devices when it comes around to renewal

Another factor of the new touch bar on the MBP is its not logically positioned neither close to most used KB area and not inline of sight ie the screen. IMO these toolbars work fine on smart phones where both your digits and eyes are working but to look down to press some item is a poor compromise to touch screen

In an earlier post someone compared the new 2016 MBP to the SP4 which is over a year old now, which just about sums up Apple these days IMO and why many find MS new releases exciting

I have no idea what I would do with a Surface studio but I just want one LOL and I think we can have reliable hopes for better things in 2017 from MS over Apple

The SB and SP4 certainly had it's issues in the beginning but these are long resolved and were software. The design and hardware have proven to be solid and the OS has developed rapidly and backward compatibility of new peripherals like the surface dial shows a fundamental difference in MS approach. Apple could not even keep magsafe that many used for years as an example of Apple design thoughtfulness LOL

Like Queen 6 I have found USB-C to be fickle across devices and not all dongles are equal or compatible and having 4 of them on the new MBP is not a bonus.

No one wins in Apple stop producing MAC's but while they remain focused on content and mobile platform OSX lovers are in for a dull and bumpy ride IMO

 

[v0lume4]

So far I have yet to use a Mouse with my Surface Book as I find the track pad being near identical to my Mac`s, I would say Apple may have the edge on gestures, equally I have not looked at the Surface Book trackpad settings in detail. To date the Surface Book`s trackpad has been excellent and with the added layer of input via "Touch" I have a Lenovo Bluetooth mouse for detail work once I have the need and a SwiftPointGT which very well suited to long sessions and allows access to touch centric commands via mousing input, takes a little getting used to. I fully expect the Surface Book mousing experience to be fluid same as any other well specified Windows 10 system.

Wifi is solid, being significantly faster than any of my current Mac`s used professionally; 2015 rMB, 2014 13" rMBP & 2012 15" rMBP. Mac`s have and continue to be problematic regarding WiFi connectivity. As I work and travel globally it`s physically impossible for me to control the WiFi environment my systems connect to. At the extreme end of the spectrum is the flat inability to connect to a known network, requiring need to use a portable router as a repeater, or resort to a wired solution. In general a slower than the norm experience is my expectation on a Mac. Surface Book streams 4K video effortlessly over my VPN, none of my Mac`s can achieve anything close to this wireless performance, same applies to large file downloads, the Mac`s will be slower and more prone to disconnections.

So far I have been using the Surface Book in isolation, more focusing on setting it up and absorbing the details. I don't anticipate any issue with an external display, at most I may need to adjust the individual display scaling. My current external is also due for replacement, so I will be looking at one to complement the Surface Book shortly.

I am keenly interested to see what Microsoft does with the Surface Book, the new Surface Dial is something I can also take advantage of, so will be getting the Surface Dial on release. Surface Book 2 will likely address the gap on the hinge etc. upgraded CPU/dGPU, some talk of Quad Core CPU option, USB C/TB-3. Given the recent release of the Performance Base it`s very clear that Microsoft is listening to it`s customers and not solely chasing thin for the sake of being thinner; doubling graphic performance and significantly extending battery runtime at the cost of some increase in thickness & weight in the base.

Surface Book`s additional vertical display real estate is noticeable and very welcome, being vastly more practical than the far more common 16:9 aspect rations, Pixel Sense display is superb; Some very slight light bleed at the top of the display, at maximum brightness with a solid black background, both points are equidistant so very likely the light source. Difficult split between the rMb & Surface Book for the best display, both are extremely competent; Surface Book deals with black levels & white saturation better when direct compared on lagom.nl/lcd-test, colour is a wash pardon the pun, Surface Book overall has the edge.

Newer Mac`s win outright on the speaker side, the Surface Book`s audio is crisp & clear, may distort at maximum volume (not tried). The rMB has a more full bodied sound field, with the rMB being the winner. For my needs the Surface Book is adequate and much better than one would expect given such a thin device, besting many others; when working I always travel with a B&O A1 or A2 so the built in speakers are less of a consideration.

Is the Surface Book perfect? No, no portable is, as by very nature compromises must be made, however the Surface Book brings a great deal of usability, utility & flexibility to the table, for my needs far less compromised than the 2016 MBP`s, which in reality offer some nice touches over the 2015 MBP`s, however coupled with the diminishment in OS stability and general lack of focus on productivity in macOS, switching to the Surface Book was an easy decision.

I depend on my hardware for my living, therefore it "must" be relevant & current, in many serious engineering streams Apple`s Wireless & USB C only world is little more than a pipe dream. As for, comparing a touch enabled dynamic hot key bar to displays that are fully Touch & Pen enabled, no just no, even Steve Job`s famous Reality Distortion Field fails miserably to generate one iota of the suspension of disbelief required to think this paradigm is remotely believable...

Dongles requiring "logic""are the very last thing you want, as people are already finding that "all dongles are not equal"; with absolute certainty my 2015 rMB & 2016 Samsung TabPro s muti-port adaptors are not interchangeable, yet both are USB C. This now represents a nightmare for the consumer with the only certain path being to buy directly from the manufacturer of the device, at whatever the price. Dongles & adaptors are little more than another revenue stream for Apple; being now near mandatory, lost requiring replacement, coupled with very significant margins and we will be stuck with them for years to come, unless you have the luxury of 100% control of your computing environment.

What Apple doesn't get is that frequently the professional user is a catalyst for many other sales; bottom line is if I don't "buy" into the Mac, nor will my business, family & some friends. I was recently speaking to a friend of mine who is a professional designer, her first words were expressing interest in the upcoming Studio and she has used Mac`s exclusively for years, and so it spreads Core Rot...

Q-6

I appreciate you taking the time to type that out, thanks. It was a great read.

 

[Queen6]

@Queen6 Have you had any problems with sleeping/waking or hibernating? I've read many reviews and some complain bitterly about the surface book not suspending properly. Some even complain about the computer getting hot while sleeping and crashing. Similar problems also when detaching the screen.

Just curious what your experience is. I am considering getting one, but did not for the issues mentioned that affect possibly a small minority of buyers.

In all transparency I have yet to look to look at this subject in detail. So far my observations are that sleep is not an issue, equally it`s prudent to investigate what the system will execute. I have opted out of sharing Windows Updates, and Connected standby.

100% both batteries, just done a full shutdown & restart of the SB. Will let it sleep (battery verified at 100%) and will check it out 12 hours or so; Wifi is on all Power settings are default. Lets see...

Q-6

Ok just opened the Surface Book; Battery-1 93%, Battery-2 100%


From this very limited test; sleep and the Surface Book is not an issue equally like any other system things may change with the addition of further applications...

Q-6

 

[unagimiyagi]

I have a Surface Book. The track pad is not in the same league as the MacBook. It also makes for a horrendous tablet.

Really? I am surprised to hear that. I heard that it's finally as good as the macbook. Isn't that what Microsoft spent all their time advertising? If it's not as good, I got to stay in the apple world. Can't go back. Don't know why an accurate touchpad hasn't been made by anyone other than Apple.

 

[Queen6]

Really? I am surprised to hear that. I heard that it's finally as good as the macbook. Isn't that what Microsoft spent all their time advertising? If it's not as good, I got to stay in the apple world. Can't go back. Don't know why an accurate touchpad hasn't been made by anyone other than Apple.

My Surface Book trackpad is as good as any of my MBP`so I am happy with that. Lot the newer Windows notebooks are now coming with decent trackpads, which is good for all.

Q-6

 

[PhoneI]

Really? I am surprised to hear that. I heard that it's finally as good as the macbook. Isn't that what Microsoft spent all their time advertising? If it's not as good, I got to stay in the apple world. Can't go back. Don't know why an accurate touchpad hasn't been made by anyone other than Apple.

As far as windows laptops go it's a fine trackpad. Still doesn't come close to the MacBook trackpad. Go to Microsoft store and try it. It will only take a few seconds to notice.

 

[RickTaylor]

I'm tempted by the Surface Book. Currently I use a macbook pro together with an iPad Pro. The iPad pro is my whiteboard for lecturing, as well as my device for marking up pdfs. My macbook pro is my device for writing things up in Latex or the like.

It would be nice to have a single device that could do both; if nothing else I wouldn't have to worry about sending documents back and forth via Wi fi. But the macbook and the iPad Pro already do what I need them to do. I originally tried a Lenovo two in one laptop, but I didn't like it as much as either a laptop or a pen-enabled device. As a laptop, I missed the mac trackpad which seemed so fluid and natural to use, and there were more times than I liked where I'd open it and it wouldn't be responsive for whatever reason. As a pen-enabled device, my students told me my handwriting looked better with the iPad pro, and programs like Good Note and Notability were helpful.

Perhaps the Surface Book would work better though; I could at least try it for a while and return it if it was unsatisfactory.

 

[Queen6]

I'm tempted by the Surface Book. Currently I use a macbook pro together with an iPad Pro. The iPad pro is my whiteboard for lecturing, as well as my device for marking up pdfs. My macbook pro is my device for writing things up in Latex or the like.

It would be nice to have a single device that could do both; if nothing else I wouldn't have to worry about sending documents back and forth via Wi fi. But the macbook and the iPad Pro already do what I need them to do. I originally tried a Lenovo two in one laptop, but I didn't like it as much as either a laptop or a pen-enabled device. As a laptop, I missed the mac trackpad which seemed so fluid and natural to use, and there were more times than I liked where I'd open it and it wouldn't be responsive for whatever reason. As a pen-enabled device, my students told me my handwriting looked better with the iPad pro, and programs like Good Note and Notability were helpful.

Perhaps the Surface Book would work better though; I could at least try it for a while and return it if it was unsatisfactory.

You really need to dive in and see if the Surface Book meets your needs first hand. To date I am not for one second disappointed with the Surface Book, with it very much meeting my expectations, in some instances exceeding. The Surface Book is a very different experience to the 13" rMBP; a far more complex software set up, equally a much more versatile system.

Personally I have had literally zero issue with my own i7, 8Gb, 256 SSD Surface Book, it`s a unique and uncompromising system, in many respects. In many respects the Surface Book is the computer I have always wanted Apple to produce. Trackpad & inking is beautifully fluid, a fast & powerful machine that redefines the ultrabook category, very much a notebook that uniquely identifies itself. Currently I have 13" 2014 rMBP & Surface Book if pushed to choose; the Surface Book for me is the clear winner despite the more complex OS & set up. The Surface Book is the first computer a long time to reinvigorate and excite me, the WOW factor if you will, and it delivers in "spades".

The downside is the Surface Book is a far more complex machine and not for those who have issue working & living in the Windows 10 environment, as no amount of capability will resolve that. Highly recommended from an owner & user of the Surface Book employed in a professional environment...

One way in, one way out; The early morning helicopter flight over the rainforest can only be best described as "epic"

Q-6

 

[RickTaylor]

You really need to dive in and see if the Surface Book meets your needs first hand. . .
Q-6

Thanks for your observations. If I order tomorrow (Nov 11), I'll be within the holiday period, and if the Surface Book doesn't fit my needs I'll have something like 2 months to return it. So this should give me plenty of time to dive in.

I'm thinking of ordering the i5 with 256GB of storage and no gpu. I could afford a more powerful machine, but don't see that I need either a faster processor or a GPU. I could even consider the 128 GB model; I'm not using more than that now. That could be enough, especially if I could upgrade it later if I needed to. I'd mostly use it for writing technical documents, and using mathematical graphing software like Mathematica, though only for teaching so not pushing it anywhere near its limits.

I like Windows well enough. One feature I like is it seems to be easier to bring forward just one window from another application without bringing up all the other windows associated with it. The main negatives in the past on Windows laptops has been, I haven't been able to rely on them consistently starting up quickly from being suspended when I open the lid, and the touchpad hasn't felt as natural. But otherwise its fine. Since I'm using this for work, I don't mind putting in the time to learn it, so long as it pays off.

 

[Michael Goff]

For those of you with the old base: If given the chance, would you buy the new performance base?

 

[Queen6]

Thanks for your observations. If I order tomorrow (Nov 11), I'll be within the holiday period, and if the Surface Book doesn't fit my needs I'll have something like 2 months to return it. So this should give me plenty of time to dive in.

I'm thinking of ordering the i5 with 256GB of storage and no gpu. I could afford a more powerful machine, but don't see that I need either a faster processor or a GPU. I could even consider the 128 GB model; I'm not using more than that now. That could be enough, especially if I could upgrade it later if I needed to. I'd mostly use it for writing technical documents, and using mathematical graphing software like Mathematica, though only for teaching so not pushing it anywhere near its limits.

I like Windows well enough. One feature I like is it seems to be easier to bring forward just one window from another application without bringing up all the other windows associated with it. The main negatives in the past on Windows laptops has been, I haven't been able to rely on them consistently starting up quickly from being suspended when I open the lid, and the touchpad hasn't felt as natural. But otherwise its fine. Since I'm using this for work, I don't mind putting in the time to learn it, so long as it pays off.

Opting for the non dGPU option will also boost the battery runtime which is a bonus. I would expect the the notebook to handle you requirements with ease, with the i5 CPU being 12%-13% slower then my own i7 Surface Book Depending on your usage of Mathematica it may be worth considering the Surface Book with dGPU as I believe that Mathematica can take advantage of the dGPU`s CUDA cores.

Personally I am more careful with the set up on a Windows system, only installing what I know I will need, what I know from experience does not raise issue. Given the generous return window, to me it`s well worth trying Surface Book, itw`s the first computer to really excite me in years
[doublepost=1478829449][/doublepost]

For those of you with the old base: If given the chance, would you buy the new performance base?

If I opt for a second Surface Book the next one will be Surface Book 2 with the Performance Base, as Microsoft have all but said it will have an Nvidia 10 series dGPU, having not included one in the current model as they ran out of time. I would also want to see one first hand and go through the better reviews. I expect Surface Book 2 will be a signifiant enhancement with Microsoft dealing with it the same manner as it has done with the Surface Pro.

Q-6

 

[SteveJUAE]

I'm tempted by the Surface Book. Currently I use a macbook pro together with an iPad Pro. The iPad pro is my whiteboard for lecturing, as well as my device for marking up pdfs. My macbook pro is my device for writing things up in Latex or the like.

It would be nice to have a single device that could do both; if nothing else I wouldn't have to worry about sending documents back and forth via Wi fi. But the macbook and the iPad Pro already do what I need them to do. I originally tried a Lenovo two in one laptop, but I didn't like it as much as either a laptop or a pen-enabled device. As a laptop, I missed the mac trackpad which seemed so fluid and natural to use, and there were more times than I liked where I'd open it and it wouldn't be responsive for whatever reason. As a pen-enabled device, my students told me my handwriting looked better with the iPad pro, and programs like Good Note and Notability were helpful.

Perhaps the Surface Book would work better though; I could at least try it for a while and return it if it was unsatisfactory.

Rick I think your experience is a classic case on how Apple tier their devices. Each one is nicely developed to excel in a limited way with very little overlap on top features etc between devices, all hidden under the disguise of ECO IMO.

I have owned and used many Apple products and bought even more for my 3 sons and wife. Although my wife and I have always exclusively used bootcamp, my sons are in and out of both OS's.

There will always be groups that have distinct requirements or phobias but I think of late Apple true colours are obvious to even the most die hard fan.

I find it just strange that some users priorities are based on almost trivia cross platform apps or convenience which promote tier buying of Apple products. I suspect very few are actually software wise that indebted in the Apple ECO.

I think MS approach is far more refreshing and comments over build quality design features and interface are largely argumentative or simply personal preferences especially on keyboards and trackpads.

Opinions on devices optimisations are simply that "Opinions" and if we were to extrapolate Apples model we would all have 5 ovens, 4 Irons, 6 cars, 3 vacuums to optimise peeks performance for each task in hand LOL

You are certainly lucky in the US to have these trial periods and use it to your best advantage but for many I think it just promotes being fickle where in other countries you are more likely to persevere with the change.

 

[maflynn]

I'm thinking of ordering the i5 with 256GB of storage and no gpu. I could afford a more powerful machine, but don't see that I need either a faster processor or a GPU. I could even consider the 128 GB model; I'm not using more than that now. That could be enough, especially if I could upgrade it later if I needed to. I'd mostly use it for writing technical documents, and using mathematical graphing software like Mathematica, though only for teaching so not pushing it anywhere near its limits.

I opted for the low end similarly and I've been happy with the perfomance. I was a little worried about the 128GB storage but so far that hasn't been an issue. I picked up one of BaseQi isDA 350a that I will use as storage supplement. I just need to find a microsd card that will be large enough (and fast) but I'm in no hurry since the my SSD has plenty of space free.

 

[apolloa]

I will possibly be looking at the Surface Pro 5 next year, it needs to be a nice general purpose machine, and run Starcraft 2 and Crysis 1. All other games I have are old so will be fine.

Looking forward to what they will launch, I think the Studio and Book are possibly a bit too expensive for what I would need. It's why I look at the new MacBook Pros, they are nice but way overpriced in the UK now.

 

[RickTaylor]

I opted for the low end similarly and I've been happy with the perfomance. I was a little worried about the 128GB storage but so far that hasn't been an issue. I picked up one of BaseQi isDA 350a that I will use as storage supplement. I just need to find a microsd card that will be large enough (and fast) but I'm in no hurry since the my SSD has plenty of space free.
View attachment 671519

I may go for the 128 GB one as well, if only because it's in the Microsoft store, and I don't have to wait for it to be delivered. My current laptop with a 128 GB drive has over 20 GB free, and I can see how to free up 16GB more if I need to.

 

[RickTaylor]

I went to the Microsoft store today, thinking I'd buy a Surface Book. But after sitting down for a while and trying writing on five of them, I found the experience disappointing compared to the pencil on the iPad pro. The tip felt weak, and it didn't feel as firm a surface as the iPad. It was natural writing on it, and my handwriting wasn't as good. Since the main purpose I have for getting a pen-enabled device is to use it as a whiteboard, I've decided to put up with the awkwardness in manipulating files between a macbook pro and iPad pro. Thanks for everyone's advice here.

 

[Queen6]

I went to the Microsoft store today, thinking I'd buy a Surface Book. But after sitting down for a while and trying writing on five of them, I found the experience disappointing compared to the pencil on the iPad pro. The tip felt weak, and it didn't feel as firm a surface as the iPad. It was natural writing on it, and my handwriting wasn't as good. Since the main purpose I have for getting a pen-enabled device is to use it as a whiteboard, I've decided to put up with the awkwardness in manipulating files between a macbook pro and iPad pro. Thanks for everyone's advice here.

Not sure if you are are aware you can get tips varying hardness/friction for the Surface pen, $10 for a set of four. Others will need to talk of the differences as I an using the the standard tip.

Q-6