Anyone looking at picking one up? Been waiting for this one for a while (been waiting for ANY halfway decent tablet that can do business and pleasure). Reviews are all over the place. One thing I've never understood about tablet reviews post-iPad is that they all revert back to the iPad as the "one tablet to rule them all" which is fair, it's been the most successful. What always has me curious is that the iPad has glaring shortcomings (no expandable memory, no pen input, no real keyboard input, horrible word and spreadsheet processing, battery can't be replaced) and it's almost as if everyone ignores this because...I'm not really sure. I chuckled when one reviewer of the Surface Pro said "more ports would be nice" yet can't help but compare it to the iPad...that has no ports at all. Some complain about light cooling fan noise but gloss over the fact that the i5 will power programs such as full Adobe Suite and AutoCAD. Would like to try one out for a test run to see what it can do, the battery life does scare me a bit though. Here's a few snippets of reviews: Walt Mossberg, Wall Street Journal: Surface Pro: Hefty Tablet Is a Laptop Lightweight. "I like the original Surface and see it as a tablet with the extra benefit of some Microsoft Office programs. However, I am less enamored with the Surface Pro. It's too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple's full-size iPad. It is also too difficult to use in your lap. It's something of a tweener — a compromised tablet and a compromised laptop... In my tough battery tests, where I set the screen to 75 percent brightness, turn off power-saving features, leave the Wi-Fi on and play locally stored videos until the machine dies, the Surface Pro did pathetically. It lasted just under four hours between charges — less than half the stamina of the iPad on the same test and three hours less than the Surface RT." Joe Wilcox, BetaNews: First impressions review. "Surface Pro is magnificent. A classic. It's the Windows experience you longed for but were denied. The tablet is a reference design for what -- and what not -- Microsoft OEM partners should achieve. The device is the past and future, pure personal computer and post-PC. Simply put: Surface Pro is jack of all trades, both master of many, and (gulp) none. Capabilities astound, yet quirks abound. But even they are endearing, giving Windows 8 Pro personality and dimension. For the past five days, I've had the privilege of using Surface Pro, which goes on sale February 9, as my primary PC... Unquestionably, Surface Pro isn't for everyone. But it could be for you." John Biggs, TechCrunch. The Microsoft Surface Pro Proves That The PC Is Back. "I come bearing glad tidings. After decades of OEM malaise, a constant parroting of the speeds and feeds mantra, and an aesthetic that was formulated in the back room of a dingy Staples office supply store, the PC is really back. In short, the Surface Pro is so good that it could drive Windows 8 adoption with enough force to make people reconsider Microsoft's odd new OS. Microsoft bet the farm on a new paradigm and it needs a champion. Surface Pro is the right hardware for the job. I haven't been a Surface apologist and, although I've seen Windows 8 as more of a success than a failure, no hardware has truly made me see the value of the platform until this model Surface." Scott Stein, CNET: Smart almost-laptop nearly gets it right. "The good: The Microsoft Surface Pro fits a full ultrabook experience in a compact 10-inch tablet. Thanks to the ingenious Type and Touch covers, it offers a comfortable interface and typing experience. The clean, crisp design and sharp 1080p screen rise above the competition. The bad: The battery life is disappointing, and more ports would be nice. The 64GB model barely has any free storage. It costs as much as a regular laptop, especially because the cool keyboard cover isn't included by default. The bottom line: The Surface Pro's gutsy design successfully reinvents the Windows 8 laptop by cramming an ultrabook experience into the body of a 10-inch tablet. Those wanting to go all-in on the tablet experience won't regret buying the Surface Pro, but we're holding out for a future, more polished generation of the device."
Back when it was first introduced I was eager to part ways with my money and get one, but as more time passes I'm less inclined to do so. If I do get one, it will be sometime in April or shortly thereafter. I look forward to playing on it, but if it is unusable in my lap (as some reviews have stated), I probably won't get it. But if I do I already have a product key for Office 2013 from one of those Deal threads!
planning on grabbing one as my home laptop replacement. With some tablet bonus features to it I guess
Scored myself a 128GB + Type Cover this morning, and it is awesome... and I wasn't alone, as they sold out within an hour or so. Here'a panorama of the line at the Galleria - http://sdrv.ms/UPfesq . I am biased of course, but this guy proves why most tech-bloggers are freaking clueless when reviewing stuff... http://www.zdnet.com/surface-pro-ve...eing-dishonest-with-storage-space-7000011009/ Basically, all "tech bloggers" dogged it, while traditional media loved it. Take it as you will.
No, it's because the things that should be pretty universal for most people when it comes to a tablet - form factor, weight, battery life, heat, etc. - are done well on the iPad. It's why the 3rd gen got knocked for generating a little more heat than the previous iPads, even though it is still way below what anyone would see on a laptop. It doesn't matter, because of what the iPad 2 did so well. The things you mentioned aren't the main reasons the majority of people started using tablets. That stuff was already covered by the 'tablets' that existed already. And they didn't sell outside of their respective enterprise/career markets. Masses of people didn't buy iPads (or the Nexus 7 or the Kindle Fire) because they wanted to put together a good spreadsheet. In any case, at that price point the Pro was never really about the mainstream tablet market like the RT, it's a more fair comparison with Ultrabooks. And the Pro seems like a good ultrabook. It's just, unfortunately, a pretty substandard tablet. And I don't know how then it fits in with the market with other ultrabooks or convertibles and touchscreen devices like the Yoga or XPS, etc. It seems better than those on the ultrabook front. The whole thing is just kind of in a no-man's land in that regard.
It's hard to understand the appeal. It is faster and more versatile than the iPad, but it's also heavier and has poorer battery life. It's basically an expensive and underpowered laptop minus the laptop while adding on the things that a tablet shouldn't be. If you're going to use it for work, why not just get a powerful and lightweight laptop instead? They have touchscreen technology with the flip screens where it can be like a tablet now. It doesn't make sense
I was interested until I found out about the ~4 hr battery life. Deal breaker for me. I'd rather just get a full fledged laptop at the same price point.
You stated the reasons tons of people would want it. "It is faster and more versatile than an iPad." I had an iPad, and I was continually frustrated by it's limitations, limitations that are self-imposed. The same goes for my Surface RT. It was more versatile than an iPad, but it still wasn't everything I needed it to be. That's the beauty of the Surface Pro. If I want it to be a tablet, it is. If I want it to be a laptop, it is. Most people don't walk around with tablets, they are either on a desk or in their lap, and in that regard Surface Pro shines. For those that have never used Windows 8 in a touch environment, it is hard to explain. I keep my left hand on the screen, and my right on the keyboard... Windows 8 redefined how I use a computer. I travel, and would carry a laptop and tablet, now I don't have to anymore. I also like to play video games occasionally (on Steam), and my Surface which as an Intel 4000 graphics card, outperforms my $1500 Lenovo laptop with integrated graphics. People calling it a laptop with lackluster specs need to take a look at the specs again. I can run Photoshop, Visual Studio and 100 browser windows, and it flies just like my powerful desktop. That's the reason for the "poor" battery life. They did not want to sacrifice performance for battery life. You can resolve battery life issues through accessories, you cannot resolve performance in the same way. They are releasing an add-on battery that will integrate somehow with a keyboard... even then, I travel and never have an issue with battery life due to plugs literally being everywhere now. I have a $15 inverter for the car, and every airport terminal and restaurant has plugs galore. Is a Surface Pro for everyone? No, but if you'll notice that 3rd party manufacturers are focusing on similar hybrid devices, because that is the future. Lenovo, HP, Samsung, Dell, Asus, Sony and many others are all building hybrid devices. The lines between a tablet and laptop will continually be skewed. Either way, the Surface Pro is an amazing first-generation device... and I guarantee, unlike with Apple, future iterations won't be slight improvements on a set schedule. Microsoft invented tablet computing in 2000, and left the innovation of hardware to vendors. That will no longer be the case. The purpose of the Surface is as much branding as it is forcing hardware partners to continue to innovate, and we're already seeing the fruits of that labor.
The Surface Pro is hot. It'll probably replace the iPad in the enterprise setting if its legacy support is up to snuff.
Legacy support is up to snuff, because if it runs on any previous versions of Windows... it'll run on the Surface Pro. Backwards compatibly is Microsoft's bread and butter. <iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/vPnehDhGa14" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
I have a Surface RT (using now) and I agree. If I want the power of a laptop, I'll use a laptop. To compare the Surface Pro with an iPad is missing the point. A fair comparison is with MacBook Air. The iPad comparison is to the RT. After 2 weeks, I sold my iPad. RT does everything the iPad did and then some. But the RT doesn't replace my laptop (...which I almost never take home anymore, btw).
Microsoft clearly draws that line in marketing and selling to consumers. The RT is a tablet first, with some PC functionality. The Pro is a PC first, with tablet functionality. These words were reaffirmed by Panos Panay, the head of the Surface team, at the launch event in Las Vegas yeterday.
It has been nearly a week and I've lived on this thing. Surface Pro + Type Cover + Wedge Touch Mouse is fan-freaking-tastic. I've gamed (casual and hardcore), I've coded, I've blogged, I've Skyped, I've recorded and edited 1080p video, I've watched HBO GO, Showtime Anythime, Netflix and rented movies via Xbox... and then done my day to day work, all without issue. I've used it at a desk, at a restaurant, at a bar, at a coffee shop, on the couch and most importantly on the toilet. I average just shy of five hours of battery life. It is one versatile device. I just found out today I will be traveling non-stop to Chicago through the end of March, thank God I have my Surface Pro to make life easier and geekier.
Here's a review from a different perspective. Gabe from Penny Arcade - http://www.penny-arcade.com/2013/02/24/the-ms-surface-pro I recommend reading at their site as he includes many pictures.
Neat review from Penny Arcade. I've been running the 128GB model with the type cover and pen for a little over a week now and am absolutely in love with the device. It really is hard to explain how much easier this thing makes your life until you use it for a week or two. I run around to job sites and even yesterday looked a guys house who wanted to make an extension. Pulled it out, took a picture, loaded up Note Anytime app, drew up a quick sketch overlayed on his house and showed him some ideas of what an extension might look like. He liked it so I screenshotted it then e-mailed it to him. All in about 10 minutes.
While on the road I use my Surface Pro about 90% of the time, and love it. I love that I can move from one place to another and be back up and running in about 2 seconds. I walk around with a wedge mouse in my jacket pocket as well, pretty funny.
