Windows Surface Pro 128GB

[Melbosa]

Well today I got mine.  I will have to use it for a while to really give you a good overview of it, but here are my initial thoughts:

• Having full control over what and how the device behaves and works and what software it uses - priceless!!!
• The screen is a full 1080p, which is really nice
• It is very responsive, and the stylus is also works as well as any tabletop mouse stylus pad I've used... and very precise at least in Paint (will try CS6 soon)
• I would say it isn't your typical carry everywhere tablet - its weight would deter you from that, as well as it's battery life. People say it gets hot, but I have found it no more hot than my iPad 2 on my lap while using for same amount of time.  Will try more to see if it really gets down right hot
• Full OFFICE suite or any other software you like to run for general office collaboration - none of the half there mail systems that ALL tablets have been using to date
• Wireless does not start before login on some protocols on boot - pain if you never logged in before under a domain account or other external ACL source - have to log in locally, connect wireless, then log out and back in with new account.  Not an issue after cached creds are completed
• Do not rely on VDI clients or Remote Desktops to do work related tasks - all my IT stuff can be done from the device, including anything requiring Serial like conductivity - thanks to USB 3.0 port and full OS

More to come the more I use.

I wonder how long until someone reformats one with a Linux distro lol...

[Mr. Analog]

I'm curious about battery life. From what I've read it's not an "all day" machine.

A lot of people were complaining about heat as well, I know my Xoom can get a little toasty streaming video for a few hours...

[Lazybones]

Apparently the BIOS isn't locked so you can turn secure boot off and load other OS on it.

We have one to play with in the office but I haven't had a chance.

[Lazybones]

Gabe over at Penny Arcade seems to approve.

http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/02/25/the-ms-surface-pro

[Thorin]

So...  How much did this cost you?  A grand plus tax?  Did you buy the keyboard for another hundred twenty plus tax?

I agree that it appears to be powerful when comparing against other tablets, but for that price I can buy two tablets with keyboards that each last twice as long.  If compared to a full-featured laptop, though, it's a decent price and a great size although the storage is smallish and who knows how good the video subsystem is.

Congrats on the new toy, though.

[Tom]

So...  How much did this cost you?  A grand plus tax?  Did you buy the keyboard for another hundred twenty plus tax?

I agree that it appears to be powerful when comparing against other tablets, but for that price I can buy two tablets with keyboards that each last twice as long.  If compared to a full-featured laptop, though, it's a decent price and a great size although the storage is smallish and who knows how good the video subsystem is.

Congrats on the new toy, though.

Now do mine! ($1980 laptop + $200 256GB ssd + $100 16GB ram upgrade)

[Thorin]

Uh, do what, look up the prices?  You just specified them, silly.

[Tom]

Uh, do what, look up the prices?  You just specified them, silly.

No, what you could buy that would be somewhat equivalent for the same price.

[Mr. Analog]

Yowza!!

[Melbosa]

Well I was lucky, work bought me it at my request.  Spec wise, it is as powerful as the laptop work bought me, but $300 less (you are right the costs were $999+129+GST).  The new Apple iPad 128GB version without Cellular option will be $799.  So the price difference isn't much between the two, but functionality wise I think the Surface is by far more powerful than the iPad (both in specs and in usage - at least for me).  The Apple App store does for sure beat out the Microsoft Store at the moment, but being able to install any software you want opens that up to even par IMO.

It definitely is a laptop in tablet form.  And yeah you could buy two tablets for the cost of this one.  No argument there.  But business functionality wise, I am putting the Surface Pro higher than all the rest (and I've tried the RIM Playbook, Asus Eeee Transformer, and Apple iPad, each at length), but granted I have only been using the Surface Pro for a day!

[Mr. Analog]

I don't understand the appeal of the Surface Pro at all after having read about it now, it has all the weaknesses of a tablet but for the price of a more flexible laptop. I could have understood if they came out the gates cheaper than an iPad with the first generation and built a user base but they didn't and so this seems more like a niche device than anything else. A zero-upgrade laptop with a touch screen :-\

[Melbosa]

You may be right, it might only fit a select amount of people's needs (myself being one of them).

For me I needed a device that I could hold in my hand, work in the data centres and wiring closets with only wireless access and yet have all my tools.  I couldn't do that with a laptop cause it wouldn't fit in one hand.  I couldn't do it with a netbook cause it didn't have the computing power I needed for my tools. The iPad/Android/Playbook meant using a VDI for all that functionality which doesn't give me serial console access I need to some devices. This Surface Pro fits all those needs today.

Perhaps in the future something better will come along for me that would be better, but for now this device has all of what I need in one place.

But I say you are probably right... the Surface Pros aren't for the average tablet user, and cost more than the average person would want to spend.

[Mr. Analog]

I dunno, again to me it seems like a more expensive touchscreen enabled ultrabook.

But that's me.

[Tom]

I dunno, again to me it seems like a more expensive touchscreen enabled ultrabook.

But that's me.

That's exactly what it is. A convertible ultrabook. Nothing wrong with that. But it's not for everybody.

I like a tablet because its lighter and has a more dedicated interface, and doesn't get in the way as much when doing simpler tasks. But I can definitely see the appeal of the convertible tablet.

[Mr. Analog]

I guess, I look at things from my perspective, I'd rather have a kick ass laptop that can be upgraded and a tablet or smartphone on the side for mobile stuff