Microsoft Surface Pro 2: We Go Hands On

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somebodyspecial

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Pointless, I can buy a 17in fully loaded laptop for $1000 with a 650M card with 2GB and two slots for HD's (a SSD for boot and regular for data). HP sells top of the line ones for $900 (add your SSD for $100 when it gets in the door). Comes with 8GB, Burner, etc. These are seriously OVERPRICED. This can't hold a candle to a REAL 17in laptop, or an even more loaded 15.6in or heck a 13in. Anything is better than 10in for $900 with the lowest config of 4GB/64GB config. That is ridiculous. I pronounce this product a failure until they drop to $600 low end. x86 isn't that important, as I will always go to my PC to do any content editing/creation or serious gameplay. I play one of two ways, a good enough android game experience (thus replacing coming consoles) or an AWESOME PC experience. So some crap x86 powered tablet for $1000 won't fit for me. Intel's gpu going to provide a great experience at 1080p on my TV? NOPE. So no real pro app uses, gaming sucks, leaving it basically a REALLY expensive nexus 10r2 (which should be out next month or two).

Raise your hand if you'd pay $400 extra to run office on your tablet. I see two hands...LOL. A 13in laptop can do the same for $600 and have far more power. I expect a huge writedown again next Q...ROFL. I hope they don't price Surface 2 RT the same way. They get another writedown for that also if they do. RT already hurts that to begin with. A high price of say, anything over $400 will have problems.
 

d_kuhn

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I had a 13" ultrabook and switched to a Surface Pro... why... because I don't want to lug around an laptop if I don't need to, and the Pro performs as well in a lot less volume (than low end consumer laptops). Yes it costs more but it really depends on what your priorities are. The pro works great for high mobility needs... and I've got an hp workstation for when I need something with more umph.
 

robertrobert

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Add $300 for the Wacom graphics tablet for your 17" laptop.
I'm a photographer and interested in it as a much cheaper Cintiq.
My 16-bit layered files are rarely larger than 1GB, so the 8GB RAM with 512GB SSD will do me just fine and still be half the price of the Cintiq Companion or the same price as the Cintiq 13" and I get an entire computer instead of just the touch sensitive monitor.
 


Except that said laptop does not transform into a tablet at weighs way more.

Battery life on that laptop is also not nearly as good as the Surface Pro 2 will have.

Its a different market. I wouldn't mind one for my work because sometimes a tablet would be better to use than a laptop for the ease of moving it around.
 

joaompp

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Hopefully this will bring down the price of other similar spec'd tablets, I'm dying for a reasonably priced Sony VAIO duos with 13" screen.
 

versaapex

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I don't know what any of you are talking about, but I can get so much more for this price. Seriously, for that price, I can build a computer with corei5 and GTX 700 series, buy a UPS, and have a 22" screen. Way bigger screen, WAY more games playable.
 

ragenalien

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I don't think you understand the idea of a portable device versaapex. I can't take a desktop on a plane, to a hotel, or conceivably outside of my house without a huge amount of effort. This is a completely separate market.
 

nolarrow

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@versaapex - You missed the point completely lol.

Thats like saying why buy a $600 smart phone when you can build a mid range gaming pc recommended by toms and play WAY more games lol. Ummm, cuz the computer won't fit into my pocket?
 

mitchellvii

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Nice device but who is this for? If the screen was 11.6" or larger I would call this a winner but 10.6" is just to small to comfortably run legacy apps. I own a Surface Pro and as a business user let me tell you, it's too small. I tried. It's too small. Did I mention it's too small? It's too small.

Also doesn't have enough ports and there is nowhere to put the pen (yeah the magnetic thing but no one uses that because it is a great way to lose your pen). Looks good, works bad school of design.

This is too expensive for the consumption crowd and the wrong form factor for the business crowd. All of the gee whiz new stuff is just me-too's to what their competitors are offering with better for factors.
 

mitchellvii

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Nice device but who is this for? If the screen was 11.6" or larger I would call this a winner but 10.6" is just to small to comfortably run legacy apps. I own a Surface Pro and as a business user let me tell you, it's too small. I tried. It's too small. Did I mention it's too small? It's too small.

Also doesn't have enough ports and there is nowhere to put the pen (yeah the magnetic thing but no one uses that because it is a great way to lose your pen). Looks good, works bad school of design.

This is too expensive for the consumption crowd and the wrong form factor for the business crowd. All of the gee whiz new stuff is just me-too's to what their competitors are offering with better for factors.
 

Rhinofart

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Why does everything always come down to playing game? I can get way better hardware for playing games, bigger screens, etc. Using that mentality for justifying everything just proves one thing. Narrow mindedness.
 

lpedraja2002

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Anyone else who writes another "I canz build my own game PC for $xxx moenyz!" is a moron who thinks that just because he/she can't find a use for this particular tablet no one else needs it or just wants it because he's rich. Also, if you fail to understand what this tablet is useful for then, I'm afraid, you fail at life... end of discussion.
 

lpedraja2002

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Anyone else who writes another "I canz build my own game PC for $xxx moenyz!" is a moron who thinks that just because he/she can't find a use for this particular tablet no one else needs it or just wants it because he's rich. Also, if you fail to understand what this tablet is useful for then, I'm afraid, you fail at life... end of discussion.
 

lpedraja2002

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Anyone else who writes another "I canz build my own game PC for $xxx moenyz!" is a moron who thinks that just because he/she can't find a use for this particular tablet no one else needs it or just wants it because he's rich. Also, if you fail to understand what this tablet is useful for then, I'm afraid, you fail at life... end of discussion.
 

d_kuhn

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To MITCHELLVII... I think the Pro is aimed at mobile business users... which is what I am. You've got good points regarding the silly pen mount and the screen size being a limit... but I never use the pen and I've found that the screen is still workable for most basic content creation (Office apps, Photoshop, etc...). I even have VS.NET installed and it runs great... but I wouldn't want to do any real development on it. I've been getting more Pro's for Scientists in my group... it turns out it's just about an ideal box for IP Capture (think of it as an Electronic Lab Notebook). It's a great tool for certain uses, and I don't miss my ultrabook a bit (it does almost everything better than the little HP elitebook I had), but it's not meant to be a general purpose machine. It ended up allowing me to get rid of both the Elitebook and my iPad, and while it's not quite as slick a tablet as the iPad... it can do a whole lot more of the things that I need in a mobile system.
 

game junky

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I have a Surface Pro - the Pro 2 with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD is intriguing but the battery life is the big sleeper of the upgrades they made. 7+ hours might be worth considering it for people who constantly travel but need to be able to have file share access for work. I was kinda hoping they would open the door for a 12-13" model with a QHD screen - it's time to give up on RT, I know you think that it's the same as iOS because it has an app store and isn't a full operating system but I don't think your audience agrees. Use those resources to making an additional pro option that includes a discrete graphics card, a higher capacity battery and a higher res screen and watch it sell.
 

cknobman

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I thought the Surface Pro was pointless for a long time until I picked one up this summer at TechEd for $399 (128GB version).

Now I use the thing all the time and wont touch my laptop. Surface is the perfect blend of portability, ease of use, and still offer the ability to be productive.

I get Metro and tablet like performance when I want to play, watch, read and can switch to the desktop when I want to code or work in office and other legacy apps.

Those that knock it simply dont understand because they have not tried it.
 

Pallimud

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The Surface from the start peaked my interest but I still don't have a use for it--that's why I don't own an iPad either. I own a custom PC at home that handles everything I need, and I have a MBP from work that I use when traveling or if I want mobility. My iPhone I use when I need portability and don't want a laptop. That's my problem with tablets, as much as I want a Surface, I don't think I can find a real use for it. Any good ideas for me so I'll have an excuse to get one? :p
 

stevejnb

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It can really completely and pretty much seamlessly replace your laptop and, unlike a laptop, it has that tablet form factor for reading... But frankly, if you're happy with your laptop, there is not *real* reason to justify buying one. If you just want a tablet form factor for reading books/comics/whatever, a sub $200 Android tablet will serve you quite well. So no, no good excuse ;) But I would recommend seriously considering one when you're looking to replace your laptop... Outside of a missing DVD drive, there is nothing a laptop does that a Windows 8 tablet can't.

 
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