Surface Pro

CrimsonRequiem · Jan 31, 2013

Now that it's coming out and we know the tech specs and such on this device.

I'm curious as to what you guys think of it. I was seriously considering purchasing one but Microsoft seems to like shooting themselves in the foot every time.

I'm not quite sold on the current storage space on the Surface Pro. A third of the space is already take up by the OS. Not to mention all the other bloat ware that is probably on it.

I'm still waiting for a tablet Ultrabook from Apple (not named MBA). >_<" As much as I like my two iPads I need more power on the go.

Yes I do have a 13" MBP but I would like it in Tablet form.

I'm sure a few of you guys remember Axiotron and the Modbook which I also considered. Now they are gone and replaced by Modbook Pro. Which is essentially the same thing but they are using a MBP instead of a MB. The price tag on it is still quite high. That's really the only thing that is keeping me from seriously considering getting one.

Plus I'm sure if Apple were to do it. They would do it better.

pigoo3 · Jan 31, 2013

CrimsonRequiem said:
I was seriously considering purchasing one but Microsoft seems to like shooting themselves in the foot every time.

The price tag on it is still quite high. That's really the only thing that is keeping me from seriously considering getting one.

I thought you said that you had less money than Zimbabwe!

- Nick

osxx · Jan 31, 2013

Have not had a chance to play with the Surface Pro but would still rather have a MBA over the Surface.

CrimsonRequiem · Feb 1, 2013

pigoo3 said:
I thought you said that you had less money than Zimbabwe!

- Nick

Well just planning ahead

Like for next month. :Evil:

osxx said:
Have not had a chance to play with the Surface Pro but would still rather have a MBA over the Surface.

I'm not a fan of the MBA. >_<"

vansmith · Feb 1, 2013

CrimsonRequiem said:
I'm not quite sold on the current storage space on the Surface Pro. A third of the space is already take up by the OS. Not to mention all the other bloat ware that is probably on it.

More than that. The 128GB version has 83GB of usable space (65%) while the 64GB has, wait for it, only 23GB (36%). What a joke.

CrimsonRequiem · Feb 1, 2013

vansmith said:
More than that. The 128GB version has 83GB of usable space (65%) while the 64GB has, wait for it, only 23GB (36%). What a joke.

Yep that's not cool at all. Then they say oh well you can put in a SD card and attach an external HDD.

Who wants to bring an external HDD and attach it to a tablet?

MYmacROX · Feb 1, 2013

CrimsonRequiem said:
Yep that's not cool at all. Then they say oh well you can put in a SD card and attach an external HDD.

Who wants to bring an external HDD and attach it to a tablet?

And why do I have to spend more money to get the storage that I originally thought I was purchasing? Just advertise it as what the size that's truly available and price it accordingly. What a joke.

louishen · Feb 1, 2013

I'm still waiting for a tablet Ultrabook from Apple (not named MBA). >_<" As much as I like my two iPads I need more power on the go.

Isn't that an ipad with a bluetooth keyboard?

Saying that, What would be cool is an iOS tablet device that when docked to a keyboard case with an Intel chip could morph into a machine with the option of running in iOS or OS X mode

I'll patent that before I contact Tim Cook

i2fat2kidnap · Feb 2, 2013

I played around with the Surface tablet at the Microsoft store recently. I really love how they included a trackpad and keyboard to their 'smart cover' and still kept it relatively thin and light. The Surface tablet itself is quite heavy.

cwa107 · Feb 2, 2013

Want to know what I think of it? I think Microsoft is trying to test the famous Einstein quote about insanity: "...doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results".

Microsoft has tried to spur on the "Tablet PC" so many times now, it's starting to get silly. Many of you will say "oh, this time it's different - the OS is designed for touch". To that I say, "yup, it sure is... but what about the apps?". And that's where the problem comes in with the dichotomy between Windows RT and Windows 8.

People buying the Pro (as opposed to the cheaper Surface) will mostly do so to run normal, x86 apps. And when they find that they can't do so without a stylus or by trying to maneuver a pointer around the screen with their finger, this will become an exercise in frustration and will be relegated to the dustbin of technology, just like with every "Tablet PC" before it.

There is a reason why Apple was successful with the iPad, when all other tablet manufacturers have fallen flat. You need to design the machine from the ground up to do touch - and that includes the apps. If you try to shoehorn a "desktop" app into a different form factor, you're doomed to fail right from the start. It seems that Microsoft still doesn't get it. No one is buying the Pro to run Metro apps.

vansmith · Feb 2, 2013

cwa107 said:
If you try to shoehorn a "desktop" app into a different form factor, you're doomed to fail right from the start. It seems that Microsoft still doesn't get it.

I think they do get it but for them, "getting it" means reshaping a desktop OS to work on a touch platform which, in practice, doesn't "get it" at all. In other words, they seem to understand the problem but don't know how to devise a solution.

iggibar · Feb 2, 2013

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

That's what I've got to say about this.

cwa107 · Feb 2, 2013

vansmith said:
I think they do get it but for them, "getting it" means reshaping a desktop OS to work on a touch platform which, in practice, doesn't "get it" at all. In other words, they seem to understand the problem but don't know how to devise a solution.

I wouldn't even give them that much credit.

Their Windows 8 strategy demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both the mainstream PC market and the Tablet market. That is, a jack-of-all-trades is a master of none - and the "Surface Pro" (and countless 3rd party derivatives) are the ultimate expression of that deeply flawed concept. I could go on, but no one wants to read my WOT, I'm sure.

As I've been saying for many years, what Microsoft lacks is focus. Trying to be all things to all people, answering to every product segment in the technology market has never worked well for them. I am hopeful that the Windows 8 experiment is an "Aha!" moment for them... and that they go back and reassess what their customers want (much like they did when Vista fell flat and they quickly cooked up Windows 7).

pigoo3 · Feb 2, 2013

vansmith said:
I think they do get it but for them, "getting it" means reshaping a desktop OS to work on a touch platform which, in practice, doesn't "get it" at all.

I think that the problem is...they think that they get it...or they tell themselves that they get it...but they really don't!

It's kind of like someone telling themselves..."I Can Fly"..."I Can Fly"..."I Can Fly"...1000 times. Unfortunately...saying it 1000 times doesn't make it true!

- Nick

vansmith · Feb 2, 2013

Perhaps I should rephrase what I said. I think MS gets that you need a mobile specific OS but fail to understand how to do it. Thus, they seem to understand the nuances of mobile usage but think that taking a desktop OS as the base is the right way to do it.

CrimsonRequiem · Feb 2, 2013

i2fat2kidnap said:
I played around with the Surface tablet at the Microsoft store recently. I really love how they included a trackpad and keyboard to their 'smart cover' and still kept it relatively thin and light. The Surface tablet itself is quite heavy.

To be fair it's not exactly a tablet. It's an Ultra Notebook in a tablet form factor. Hybrid of sorts.

cwa107 said:
Want to know what I think of it? I think Microsoft is trying to test the famous Einstein quote about insanity: "...doing the same thing over and over again, expecting different results".

Microsoft has tried to spur on the "Tablet PC" so many times now, it's starting to get silly. Many of you will say "oh, this time it's different - the OS is designed for touch". To that I say, "yup, it sure is... but what about the apps?". And that's where the problem comes in with the dichotomy between Windows RT and Windows 8.

People buying the Pro (as opposed to the cheaper Surface) will mostly do so to run normal, x86 apps. And when they find that they can't do so without a stylus or by trying to maneuver a pointer around the screen with their finger, this will become an exercise in frustration and will be relegated to the dustbin of technology, just like with every "Tablet PC" before it.

There is a reason why Apple was successful with the iPad, when all other tablet manufacturers have fallen flat. You need to design the machine from the ground up to do touch - and that includes the apps. If you try to shoehorn a "desktop" app into a different form factor, you're doomed to fail right from the start. It seems that Microsoft still doesn't get it. No one is buying the Pro to run Metro apps.

You bring up some very valid points that I didn't even think about. The Windows RT and Windows 8 thing was confusing for a lot people.

I haven't tested the Surface Pro with Desktop Apps so I can't say for sure how good or bad the experience is. I'm actually planning on going to the Windows Store today to test it out. >_<"

I kind of want to do a video blog but I doubt they would let me do that in the store.

cwa107 said:
I wouldn't even give them that much credit.

Their Windows 8 strategy demonstrates a fundamental misunderstanding of both the mainstream PC market and the Tablet market. That is, a jack-of-all-trades is a master of none - and the "Surface Pro" (and countless 3rd party derivatives) are the ultimate expression of that deeply flawed concept. I could go on, but no one wants to read my WOT, I'm sure.

As I've been saying for many years, what Microsoft lacks is focus. Trying to be all things to all people, answering to every product segment in the technology market has never worked well for them. I am hopeful that the Windows 8 experiment is an "Aha!" moment for them... and that they go back and reassess what their customers want (much like they did when Vista fell flat and they quickly cooked up Windows 7).

Windows ME was probably worst than Vista and they didn't seem to move that fast to remedy anything. I think that's was about the time I gave up on Windows.

I'm still running Windows 7 on my Gaming Rig cause I'm not confident that my games will run that well on Windows 8. I don't think I'll be upgrading anytime soon.

vansmith · Feb 2, 2013

CrimsonRequiem said:
I haven't tested the Surface Pro with Desktop Apps so I can't say for sure how good or bad the experience is.

I'm going to bet that it's terrible. Applications designed to work with a mouse rarely work well with the finger.

CrimsonRequiem · Feb 2, 2013

5 minutes of finger moving and I get this:

4C1CF4BD-03A7-44CB-A11F-9028A349F303-32055-000027327759F81C_zpsd63ad9ca.jpg

cwa107 · Feb 2, 2013

Love that teeny little scroll bar along the right side of the PowerPoint dialog in the picture. So much for optimizing Office 2013 for touch.

CrimsonRequiem · Feb 2, 2013

cwa107 said:
Love that teeny little scroll bar along the right side of the PowerPoint dialog in the picture. So much for optimizing Office 2013 for touch.

Yeah after that happened I just kind of left it there. I was like "Your problem now." Sorry about the quality of the image guys. I had to try and sneak it with my phone. >_<"

Surface Pro

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