Surface Pro Receives Lowest Rating for Repairability

[waikano]

Those that need the ling...Scroll to the bottom.

http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/Microsoft+Surface+Pro+Teardown/12842/3

 

[waikano]

*link

 

[jacobdrj]

[citation][nom]acerace[/nom]Well, when they published the repairability report about Apple iPad, everyone was bashing Apple like there's no tomorrow. Now, when the publish the same report about Microsoft Surface, everyone acts like it's not a big problem.Seriously people on Tom's, some of you guys are very stupid. I'm sick with this double standard.[/citation]
No, it is still a problem, and I am still unhappy with the switch to unrepeatable parts, just to save a few grams, when it would foster better customer satisfaction if they just made these devices a little more repairable...

The difference is, now that Apple has moved away so far away from repairability, it has become commonplace, and we now expect that almost all companies will be treating us like crap from now on with respect to devices that have a chance at lasting more than a year...

 

[bustapr]

[citation][nom]bustapr[/nom]hey mr islam, this holy grail of misleading titles is wrong. they gave it a 4/10. Apple iPad still has lowest score I believe.[/citation]
my apologies mr islam, I cited regular surface tear down.

 

[wemakeourfuture]

[citation][nom]acerace[/nom]Well, when they published the repairability report about Apple iPad, everyone was bashing Apple like there's no tomorrow. Now, when the publish the same report about Microsoft Surface, everyone acts like it's not a big problem.Seriously people on Tom's, some of you guys are very stupid. I'm sick with this double standard.[/citation]

Well said, huge double standard here.

 

[ubercake]

The key part of a sentence in the article: "Unless you perform the opening procedure 100% correctly". There are experts who know how to fix these things. They are not designed for consumer repair and maintenance.

 

[dark_knight33]

[citation][nom]gm0n3y[/nom]While I understand that most people aren't going to want to open it, I think that it is still a negative point. I would like to be able to upgrade the SSD (for example) if I feel like it. And who wants to pay an extra $150 for a warranty? I'd rather just be able to replace the screen myself if I break it.[/citation]

If you think you are likely to break the screen within 2 years, it's far cheaper and less hassle to pay for the warranty. The digitizer/screen is a lot more than the cost of the warranty. That being said, a design where you can pop a piece of the back cover off, swap out the SSD with just a few screws would be nice, but tablet makers will never do that for the simple reason that they want to up-sell you on an overpriced upgrade when you buy the device.

And not to say anything bad about you, or your repair skills, but the screen is in fact replaceable. If the trade off for *you* being able to replace the screen is that everyone either has a thicker, less durable tablet, or it's a lot more expensive, I vote for you getting inconvenienced for something you would like to be able to do, but are never actually going to do anyway.

In either case, it's clearly a question of priorities. If upgrading and repairing your own device are so damned important, buy an ultrabook. Same specs, likely more user-serviceable. If a tightly integrated, smaller/lighter device is more important, get a tablet.

This debate reminds me of all the older mechanics complaining about fuel injection. They will stick with a carb they constantly have to fiddle with, with less mpg, less power, and worse emissions, just for the sake of not needing a code scanner to see exactly what's wrong. The old excuse being, it's too difficult for the home mechanic to work on or fix, when the truth is, given enough time, tools optimized to do the job in question will become cheap and general understanding of FI will increase to the point of making carbs look like stone-age tech.

My point is: Eventually, kids will just make fun of you for using a laptop (because you think it's easier to work on).

 

[Guest]

You people forget one of the most important things.
This device will eventually require cleaning. The heat exchangers use fans
The fans gather crud/dust/hairs...etc The fans and heat fins need to be cleaned
or it will turn into an overheating pile of rubbish in no time.
The ability to not service this type of unit is VERY BAD.
Compared to an Ipad.. they have no fans.. or holes for that matter, so no real issues on this side.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]wemakeourfuture[/nom]Well said, huge double standard here.[/citation]

I admit that there is often a double standard for this sort of thing biased against Apple, to be fair, Apple is also usually less durable and they do it on things that aren't merely tablets too. For example, it's a helluva *fun* time to try repairing a Macbook, especially the newest models.

That said, I'm not happy with MS about this either. I don't see it being impossible to have something be both very sturdy and at least reasonably serviceable.

 

[dark_knight33]

[citation][nom]joonjum344ing[/nom]Compared to an Ipad.. they have no fans.. or holes for that matter, so no real issues on this side.[/citation]

Very valid point. However, would compressed air not be enough to expel the dust? I've never needed to remove my laptop fan to clear the HSF of dust.

As to the double standard, I would say that I neither attacked nor defended Apple's design choices.

I look at a tablet like a motherboard. It would be nice if I could fix it myself, and I am rather skilled. However, I have neither the required tools nor experience to desolder a BGA chip and replace it. They could use sockets for all chips, but then it'd be more like an ugly breadboard and not a motherboard, never mind the additional problems that it would create. At some point, serviceability is sacrificed for integration & smaller size. I don't think a random opinion from someone that has never had to design an electronic device, or be forced to make it smaller is really valid in this case.

What you guys don't realize is, it's not usually about making it hard to take apart, it's about making it hard to come apart on it's own. They aren't using custom head fasteners, or exotic chemicals -- we're talking Phillips heads and GLUE.

I can't stress this point enough: Out of the tens to hundreds of millions will be sold, how many will need to be fixed or altered by a layman? It's not like the tablet isn't repairable. The only real complaint I'm hearing is that MSFT didn't make it easier for someone without tools or experience to take it apart, and that seems like a pretty minor complaint in exchange for a device that wasn't even possible 10 years ago. -- The same goes for the ipad!

 

[jabliese]

[citation][nom]dark_knight33[/nom]I can't stress this point enough: Out of the tens to hundreds of millions will be sold, how many will need to be fixed or altered by a layman?[/citation]
You forgot the time frame. In 5 years? 6 years? 10 years? These are specced as high power devices, the tech could certainly have a 10 year life span. Unless something simple breaks, and costs $500 to repair.

 

[blazorthon]

[citation][nom]jabliese[/nom]You forgot the time frame. In 5 years? 6 years? 10 years? These are specced as high power devices, the tech could certainly have a 10 year life span. Unless something simple breaks, and costs $500 to repair.[/citation]

They might have a long life cycle like those, but whether or not they are likely to is a whole other matter. Also, I'd wait until seeing some failure rates before passing judgement and it's not like they're impossible to repair; they're just very difficult to safely open for people who don't know what they're doing. They're still capable of being opened and serviced if necessary.