Opinion: Windows Surface Pro 2

[BadLuckChuck]

I have used one and I am debating on whether or not to buy one. I like the design of the whole tablet set including the keyboard/cover. I also feel like on a tablet, Windows 8 would be a great OS. How well has this OS performed for you on this tablet? My current laptop doesn't seem to handle windows 8 all that well with it's snap feature and the app's running in the background. All in all Im curious on the community's opinion on this tablet.

[qwertywarrior]

for a tablet i would really go with a baytrail one

[T.Vengeance]

I think it deserves more credit than it's receiving. 

[beebskadoo]

Not a horrible option but it's a very niche product.

Battery life is about 7 hours of moderate use, it's a little underpowered for enthusiast use but for general computing it's decent.

 

I would recommend an Ultrabook over the surface. The price is just too steep!

[beebskadoo]

You need consider that Windows is upscaled to 150% on the Surface Pro which means it will cause incompatibility with legacy (and modern) programs and games.

Yeah, Adobe PS is unusable. it's just too damn small of a screen!

[BadLuckChuck]

Not a horrible option but it's a very niche product.

Battery life is about 7 hours of moderate use, it's a little underpowered for enthusiast use but for general computing it's decent.

 

I would recommend an Ultrabook over the surface. The price is just too steep!

So if I am using this product for Netflix, Office, and basic internet browsing, it should exceed expectations. Currently I am in the market for a decent laptop replacement for traveling.

I agree with you on the price vs Ultrabooks though.

[dizmo]

Not a horrible option but it's a very niche product.

Battery life is about 7 hours of moderate use, it's a little underpowered for enthusiast use but for general computing it's decent.

 

I would recommend an Ultrabook over the surface. The price is just too steep!

Totally agree. I mean, when you consider that the Sony ultrabook or the Samsung Series 9 weigh not a whole lot more than these guys, come with 13.3" screens in a 12" size laptop footprint...I don't honestly see what's so appealing about the tablet. Hell their both as thin as or thinner than the Surface with its keyboard attachment, though I think that greatly improves the battery life.

 

I'd take a strong look at the Dell Venue 11 Pro if you really want to go that route. Apparently their keyboard is much, much better and still provides awesome battery life.

[beebskadoo]

So if I am using this product for Netflix, Office, and basic internet browsing, it should exceed expectations. Currently I am in the market for a decent laptop replacement for traveling.

I agree with you on the price vs Ultrabooks though.

you can do all of that on a much cheaper Bay Trail enabled tablet from Dell, Asus, etc for less money and have enough money left over to get a decent laptop.

 

 

My recommendation would be go for the Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 if you want to spend that kind of money.

 

The Display is incredible (Almost 4K) and it's around the same price as the Surface Pro 2

 

Plus it has a keyboard attached, it's light, portable, has a 'tablet mode'

[beebskadoo]

Totally agree. I mean, when you consider that the Sony ultrabook or the Samsung Series 9 weigh not a whole lot more than these guys, come with 13.3" screens in a 12" size laptop footprint...I don't honestly see what's so appealing about the tablet. Hell their both as thin as or thinner than the Surface with its keyboard attachment, though I think that greatly improves the battery life.

 

I'd take a strong look at the Dell Venue 11 Pro if you really want to go that route. Apparently their keyboard is much, much better and still provides awesome battery life.

I have said this since the Surface came out, they should have just made a Microsoft Surface Ultrabook. It would have been much more appealing to business persons and such and would be a lot less of a niche product in general.

The size is what really kills it for most.

[TheProfosist]

Im waiting for the 8in asus win8 one with the stylus to come out!

[BadLuckChuck]

you can do all of that on a much cheaper Bay Trail enabled tablet from Dell, Asus, etc for less money and have enough money left over to get a decent laptop.

 

 

My recommendation would be go for the Lenovo Yoga Pro 2 if you want to spend that kind of money.

 

The Display is incredible (Almost 4K) and it's around the same price as the Surface Pro 2

 

Plus it has a keyboard attached, it's light, portable, has a 'tablet mode'

 

Intresting. I have looked at the YOGA and I was a bit skeptical about buying. I would like to test it before I actually buy it.

 

There a lot of opinions on this subject and they are starting to persuade me to go in for a ultrabook that utilizes a touchscreen.

[dizmo]

I have said this since the Surface came out, they should have just made a Microsoft Surface Ultrabook. It would have been much more appealing to business persons and such and would be a lot less of a niche product in general.

The size is what really kills it for most.

Definitely. I thought about getting one when I was looking at a portable computer...but honestly, you save maybe half a pound, get a bigger screen, better keyboard, more USB ports (usually). I thought "hmm...if I have trouble carrying around an extra 500g I should probably consider that more of an issue and invest in some weights."

Plus the connection between the keypad and tablet portion is weaker than say the hinge on a notebook.

 

 

One of my friends got the Sony ultrabook with the touchscreen and she loves it. She was super skeptical about it when she first got it, thinking it would just be gimmicky and something she'd never use, but now that she has she doesn't think she'd go back to a regular notebook. She had to use mine for a bit and kept getting frustrated when she'd catch herself swiping the screen only to have nothing happen.

[beebskadoo]

Intresting. I have looked at the YOGA and I was a bit skeptical about buying. I would like to test it before I actually buy it.

 

There a lot of opinions on this subject and they are starting to persuade me to go in for a ultrabook that utilizes a touchscreen.

We sell them at BestBuy, we actually have a few exclusive models with certain hardware combinations that can only be had at BestBuy (shameless plug)

 

From my experience, the Keyboard is one of the best, the trackpad is excellent with great gesture support. The screen is really good ,it's the same Samsung display that is used in the Ativbook 9 ultra (3200x1800) 95% of sRGB and 75% of Adobe RGB score i.e. really good!

The only issue is on battery power the yellows 

[beebskadoo]

Definitely. I thought about getting one when I was looking at a portable computer...but honestly, you save maybe half a pound, get a bigger screen, better keyboard, more USB ports (usually). I thought "hmm...if I have trouble carrying around an extra 500g I should probably consider that more of an issue and invest in some weights."

Plus the connection between the keypad and tablet portion is weaker than say the hinge on a notebook.

 

 

One of my friends got the Sony ultrabook with the touchscreen and she loves it. She was super skeptical about it when she first got it, thinking it would just be gimmicky and something she'd never use, but now that she has she doesn't think she'd go back to a regular notebook. She had to use mine for a bit and kept getting frustrated when she'd catch herself swiping the screen only to have nothing happen.

Yeah, at this point in time it makes no sense to buy a laptop without a touchscreen.

 

Microsoft did a great job in the build Quality department, If I was given a Surface Pro 2 I would definitely enjoy it but it's too niche for most people. And the battery life that Microsoft claims (12 hours) is bullshit. Expect 7.5 average.