Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro (128GB)

• Average user rating: 4.5 stars out of 6 reviews
• My rating: 0 stars

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• 9 stars

  Wonderful first attempt at a new breed of device.

  by mikeheel on February 25, 2013

  Pros: Tablet + laptop functionality
  Great touch interface
  Smooth and powerful
  Runs traditional programs
  1080p display

  Cons: Battery life, while decent for a laptop, is is short for a tablet
  Thick & heavy for a tablet, but good for a laptop
  Limited ports for a laptop, but great for a tablet

  Summary: I was able to get a 128 GB Surface Pro a little over a week ago now. I got the Type Cover and Wedge Mouse with it. My main concerns ...

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  Summary: I was able to get a 128 GB Surface Pro a little over a week ago now. I got the Type Cover and Wedge Mouse with it. My main concerns were battery life, size of screen, and the fixed-angle kickstand. So far, I love it. It has been a great replacement for old Dell XPS laptop and my Android tablet. I'll talk about my three concerns prior to buying it and then add a few more observations.
  
  Battery: My lowest day of real-world use was a shade (like 5 minutes) below 6 hours. It was down to 6% battery life left at that point after relatively heavy use. Most days, I'm getting 7 hours out of it. While more time would be better, I'm relatively pleased. Granted, I'm not a heavy gamer. I'm mostly using it for writing, editing, PowerPoints, reading, and surfing with some light video watching thrown in from time to time. The bigger battery issue, IMO, is the fact the charger doesn't have a keeper strap or anything like that (so you can't pack it up neatly) and the charger is sometimes a pain to connect to the charging port (it doesn't just happily snap in, like the MBA does). But it's certainly livable.
  
  Screen size: The screen is amazing. I was concerned about the size, but the easy scaling by touch makes it wonderfully easy to use. My only gripe here is the snap feature (or whatever MS calls it when you can run to two programs side-by-side on the start screen). I love the feature and used it when I gave a presentation last week (had my personal notes up on one side and the presentation paper up on the other so I could keep my speech synchronized with the paper). But I wish you were not limited to a fixed ratio. I'd really like a 50/50 or 60/40 split every now and then. I hope MS adds this via software update at some point.
  
  Kickstand: No worries here. I can easily use this as a laptop on my lap while sitting on the couch. It is far more versatile in that regard than conventional tablets. It is stable enough to use the touchscreen interface with no worries at all. One other benefit I noticed is that since the keyboard is the only part on your lap, you don't get a bunch of heat on your lap when using it in your lap, either.
  
  Regarding other things, the speed and response is impressive. No lag on anything. Surfing is much faster and smoother on the Surface than on the current gen iPad (a friend who is a huge iPad geek and I played with them and both agreed the Surface was substantially faster when it came to loading pages). At this point, the best surfing experience by far is with MS Explorer 10. I'm a huge Chrome fan, but it is not optimized the same way Explorer is yet, and that optimization makes a huge difference. To my great surprise, I really like Explorer 10.
  
  The pen works pretty well. It is nice to have native ability to have clients sign a Word doc on the Surface. It works well for free-hand notes (particularly when used with OneNote), but it is not perfect. I do wish it had a slot for the pen, but I just put in my pen pouch in my briefcase or backpack; that works perfectly fine.
  
  The Wedge Mouse was a nice addition; I'm sure any decent bluetooth mouse would work great with it. On the desktop mode, the mouse is handy to have sometimes, but you can get by without it by using the trackpad or the pen.
  
  The touch interface is very smooth. Apps are better than expected, but there are still plenty of holes in the lineup. Installing "legacy apps" (aka, real programs) was perfectly smooth.
  Weight isn't as bad as I initially thought. When I first opened it, I immediately thought it was too heavy. But that feeling went away after about 5 minutes of use. The kickstand helps mitigate the weight in that you can often prop it up with the kickstand rather than support all the weight all the time. I tend to prefer to read in landscape mode, anyway, but you also get used to portrait mode pretty quickly (although it does look a little over-tall at first blush).
  
  Switching from start screen to desktop is not quite the jarring experience it has been portrayed as in some reviews. However, I do miss pinch to zoom and that sort of scalable touch function when running desktop programs. You can use touch navigation and such on desktop programs, but it'd be perfect if you could use a full touch interface all the time.
  
  The Type Cover is very good. It is not as good as top-end keyboard, but it is imminently usable and responds well to normal pressure. I was too cautious with it at first and made a few more mistakes as a result. But once I warmed up (took maybe 20 minutes), I was able to fly along with no issues. The trackpad is not so great, but it is functional and the touchscreen and pen more than make up for any deficiencies with the trackpad. I also haven't had any issues with the Wedge Mouse. I only break it out for heavy editing work, though.
  
  As a productivity tool, I love that cold boots in 8 seconds (about 2-3 seconds from standby) and shuts down in about 2-3 seconds. I can just pick it up, turn it on, and dive in. Thanks also to MS for avoiding bloatware. The Surface Pro handles everything I've thrown at it smoothly. The touchscreen is addictive. My kids have MBAs that I have worked with from time to time (and liked more than my Dell XPS), and the Surface feels more user-friendly than the MBA. Touch is a big part of that; you can just pinch to zoom most things, and it it makes a difference on smaller screens like those of the Surface and MBA. I would have chosen the MBA over my old XPS, but I'd take the Surface of a MBA every day of the week now.
  
  At this point, I'd give the Surface Pro about an 8.9 out of 10 and can strongly recommend it for most folks. It'd easily push a good bit higher if it were just little thinner and lighter, had maybe 25% more battery life, and if you could use the full touch interface for desktop programs.

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  1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.

• 9 stars

  Excellent combination of a laptop and a tablet

  by afdeluca1 on April 30, 2013

  Pros: Touch interface - very smooth
  Ability to use Microsoft Office programs
  Can get work done just like it is a laptop
  Type cover is EXCELLENT
  Digitizer pen
  VERY fast to boot up
  Solid as a rock

  Cons: Cant turn off "tap to click" on touchpad
  Some desktop programs arent optimized for touch yet
  Not very sleek or smooth looking. A little thick.

  Summary: I am so glad I waited for the Pro. With 128 Gb of storage and the ability to use a MicroSd card, there is plenty of storage available. Also, this ...

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  Summary: I am so glad I waited for the Pro. With 128 Gb of storage and the ability to use a MicroSd card, there is plenty of storage available. Also, this thing works great. Very fast and smooth. The kickstand makes this thing stand very solid, which is great with the touchscreen. Very stable.
  
  I am about three weeks into using, and rarely use my laptop. My iPad is now just for entertainment purposes since I have a legacy iTunes library.
  
  I wont regurgitate prior reviews. Buy the Surface Pro. You will like it.

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• 10 stars

  Perfect for my needs!

  by TheMoose210 on March 18, 2013

  Pros: High Performance
  HD Screen
  Solid Build
  Type Cover
  Full Microsoft Office
  Wacom Digitizer & Pen

  Cons: Battery life could be improved.
  Projecting to 2nd screen could be easier. Took awhile to figure out that the Pro's default display projects the screen at 150% (switch it to 125% and you're good to go!)

  Summary: I purchased the Pro on the day of the release and haven't looked back. I specifically wanted the 128GB since it will be primarily for work and with the ...

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  Summary: I purchased the Pro on the day of the release and haven't looked back. I specifically wanted the 128GB since it will be primarily for work and with the microSD card slot I have over 141GB currently available. The Pro does everything my laptop does while being much more portable and convenient.
  
  My work revolves around large spreadsheets in Excel as well as large PowerPoint presentations and PDF files, things I would not be able to do if I had purchased an iPad. Worth the wait.

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• 9 stars

  Practical tablet that replaced my laptop.

  by pbooren on March 16, 2013

  Pros: - start interface
  - multiple apps at the same time
  - screen resolution
  - being able to download any software
  - replaced my laptop
  - type cover is awesome
  - portability and practical tablet
  - extremely fast
  - 5 second load up from being shut down

  Cons: - the pen would be great if it had a place to store it inside the device
  - more apps, but that will come with time

  Summary: I'm typing this up with my Surface Pro sitting on my lap on my couch. I love it. I'll be completely honest, I was super stoked about it, ...

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  Summary: I'm typing this up with my Surface Pro sitting on my lap on my couch. I love it. I'll be completely honest, I was super stoked about it, and then got cold feet right before buying it. I researched out all the tablets and laptops and determined that I could simply cut out buying both a tablet and laptop and go with a hybrid of the two. So I made the jump and bought one. I have loved it. It has completely replaced my laptop and fulfilled my urge to get a new tablet. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to set it on my lap while sitting on the couch, on the bus, but the kickstand works so well whether its on my bed, lap, desk, anywhere more or less. I'd recommend it for anyone who is looking to replace their laptop in a business and student setting. For some tech savy geek that needs all the specs in the world it may not be able to replace your laptop or computer like it has for me.

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• 9 stars

  After much research, glad I waited for the Surface Pro

  by Gillyala on February 18, 2013

  Pros: -well-built case
  -Wacom digitizer and stylus pen
  -handwrite notes on docs and PDFs
  -microSD slot
  -detachable keyboard
  -front AND rear facing cameras
  -excellent damage insurance policy (Microsoft Complete)
  -no bloatware

  Cons: -stylus storage
  -no ethernet port

  Summary: I had to return TWO Samsung slates due to hardware problems so there was no way I was going to try a third time. I waited for the Pro because ...

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  Summary: I had to return TWO Samsung slates due to hardware problems so there was no way I was going to try a third time. I waited for the Pro because I needed a fully functional PC that could download and handle large graphic programs like Adobe CS and Corel Graphic suites and had a digitizer with stylus input. These needs eliminated a lot of the other tablet/PC hybrids. In addition to having better specs than the 11" Mac Book Air, (which is what the Pro should be compared to),I work in portrait mode a lot which requires a detachable keyboard, both not possible with the Air. The battery life is no worse than other computers with similar specs.
  
  I bought the TypePad because it offers a better typing experience, in my opinion, than the TouchPad and adds stability to the Pro when I'm using it on my lap.
  
  Even though the stylus magnetically clicks into the power port, it is easily detached when extracting the Pro from a backpack or purse, for example, so I bought a spare.
  
  I also expect less glitches with Windows 8 if it is running on a Microsoft computer.
  
  Summary: After exhaustively comparing specs, functionality and prices, Microsoft did a good job with the Pro.

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• 10 stars

  I chose the Surface over a Samsung ATIV.

  by mottsmith on February 14, 2013

  Pros: A pleasure to hold. Beautiful display (and scratch proof). Surprisingly functional pen input. Zippy, fluid performance.

  Cons: Battery life could be better. Occasional device glitches. Easy to lose the pen, particularly when charging the device.

  Summary: I've been anxiously awaiting a PC that is both completely portable and powerful, and I couldn't be happier with the Surface Pro. Before its release, I purchased a ...

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  Summary: I've been anxiously awaiting a PC that is both completely portable and powerful, and I couldn't be happier with the Surface Pro. Before its release, I purchased a Samsung ATIV Smart PC with a bundled keyboard dock, but ended up returning it after a week.
  
  Now that I've had the Surface for a bit, I can offer these comparisons:
  
  1. FORM -- The Surface is the perfect size if portability is your goal. It's a little smaller than an iPad in an Otterbox case. I can easily hold it like a book for reading emails on the couch or surfing the Web. It's big enough for Word docs and spreadsheets but small enough to carry with me anywhere, which I love. The Samsung has an 11.6 inch screen (versus the Surface's 10.6 inches), making it more viable as an all-purpose computer, but less pleasant to hold or travel with.
  
  2. INPUT -- I purchased the Type Cover and agree with all the praise its been getting. It feels great and folds easily behind the device when you're using it as a tablet. but Also, perhaps because I am long-time iPad user, I find the Surface Pro's onscreen keyboard to be a reasonable alternative to a hard keyboard for limited applications. There's no real-time auto-correct like on an iPad, so it forces you to be more accurate, but the Surface's virtual keyboard is more responsive than the iPad's, so this is doable. I've also been completely surprised at how usable the pen is. In fact, the pen has become one of my favorite features. I can hold the Surface in tablet mode and use the pen to make hand-written comments on Word or PDF documents, and this is a pleasure.
  
  Many others have complained with good reason that you can't easily use the Surface as a true "laptop" in your lap. The rear kickstand needs a more solid surface than legs can offer, and the keyboard covers provide no support. This is a bit of a bummer, but, again, I have found the pen and virtual keyboard good enough alternatives that I am satisfied with the trade-off for portability and tablet functionality.
  
  The Samsung ATIV Smart PC, on the other hand, has an available docking keyboard that is heavy enough to counterbalance the computer, allowing you to use it as a traditional laptop. This is nice in theory, but I had problems (as have others) with the keyboard connecting and disconnecting constantly when on my lap versus a solid surface. So, in the end, the added weight and bulk of the Samsung were of no value to me. Moreover, the Samsung is larger than the Surface and its pen isn't quite as responsive, so I found using it in tablet mode less pleasant than I have found the Surface.
  
  3. DISPLAY -- The Surface has an absolutely gorgeous 10.6-inch display. It's vivid and beautiful. The Samsung's display is larger, making it marginally better for reviewing wide spreadsheets, perhaps, but it's also noticeably less vivid than the Surface's. After using the Surface, the Samsung display looks drab.
  
  CONCLUSION -- I use both Microsoft and Apple products, and I genuinely like both for different reasons. I've always liked MS for heavy business functionality (I live on Excel and Outlook), and I like Apple products for their shear awesomeness. That said, the Surface is the first non-Apple device I've used that I love the way I love Apple products -- and it's a fast, powerful business computer to boot. It's absolutely my favorite device to come along in years.

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