Surface Pro Receives Lowest Rating for Repairability

[zakislam]

High risk of destroying tablet is present by merely opening it.

Surface Pro Receives Lowest Rating for Repairability : Read more

 

[Guest]

God bless surface, and God bless Metro! Hooray for Surface! Hooray for Metro! Boooooooo to Linux and Metro haters! Metro yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyyyy!!! We love you Metro!!!

 

[JamesSneed]

Im not sure anyone expects tablets to be user repairable, do they?

I would much have the device not break in the first place.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=Yyqtte2DU3M#t=5s

Since this is a general purpose computer with a full blown OS the comparable mac device is the MacBook pro 15"(iPad = Surface RT) which also got a 1 from FixIt:
http://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/MacBook-Pro-with-Retina-Display-Teardown/9462/

 

[warezme]

So the device is booby trapped and if a part that is already easy to break happens to fail, your screwed. No thanks, you fancy pants people keep your tablets. If I ever feel the need to get a tablet, China has cheap android models going for around $60. If it breaks, so what.

 

[rgjhawkins]

I don’t get why this is seen as a negative, this just tells me the thing is solidly built so as not to break in the first place. Plus MS offers extended warrantee for $99 which is damn cheap compared to its competitors, this is just another witch hunt in my opinion.

 

[XngXtuHl]

[citation][nom]JamesSneed[/nom]Im not sure anyone expects tablets to be user repairable, do they?I would much have the device not break in the first place.http://www.youtube.com/watch?featu [...] 2DU3M#t=5s[/citation]
The Real drop test: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wK1SJAdjsts

 

[lpedraja2002]

I didn't expect a tablet to be repairable except for battery or SSD replacement but having 90 screws on such a little thing? :O

Still, Ipad4 received a 2 out of 10 on the repairability score so I guess its just a tablet thing.

 

[mayankleoboy1]

90 SCREWS :O

 

[kevinthegamer]

I would prefer to pay for the 2 year extended warranty For Surface RT $99.00, For Surface Pro $99.00 (Regular Price: $149.00).

It even includes accidental damage, even for accidents like drops or spills.
Why would you'd risk damaging it more while repairing it when you can get that kind of warranty plan.

 

[bustapr]

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.

 

[slyu9213]

This thing is secure

 

[wemakeourfuture]

[citation][nom]rgjhawkins[/nom]I don’t get why this is seen as a negative, this just tells me the thing is solidly built so as not to break in the first place. Plus MS offers extended warrantee for $99 which is damn cheap compared to its competitors, this is just another witch hunt in my opinion.[/citation]

- Competitors offer $99 warranty, that's why MSFT is offering that.
- Not really a witch hunt when this group does this for all major mobile products

 

[fudoka711]

[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]

The image says it got a "1"...is there a link somewhere saying it actually got a 4?

 

[salgado18]

[citation][nom]mayankleoboy1[/nom]90 SCREWS[/citation]
Screw this, I'm going desktop!

 

[LukeCWM]

I Googled it, and it did actually score a 1. As much as I dislike Zak's gotcha-titles, he's right on this one.

 

[C12Friedman]

Does this replace the MacBook Pro w/Retina in "first place" then?

 

[beardguy]

This sucks. I hate when companies do this.

Basically, it's not mean to be repaired, it's mean to be replaced. I'm not a big environment guy, but surely lots of these will end up in landfills. We really should be more responsible with new tech and being able to repair it. I hate the "disposable" attitude we have all grown to except.

//end rant

 

[beardguy]

On a side note - Reminds me of my tech days trying to disassemble laptops with an insane amount of screws and parts. And the inevitable left over screws after reassembling the entire thing.

Of course, you give the laptop back to the customers without saying a word

 

[p05esto]

I expect all devices from tablets to cell phones to have normal screws you can remove to take apart and repair. I hate companies that lock their crap together and don't allow repairs. To hell with you Apple and Microsoft, seriously TO HELL!!!

 

[dark_knight33]

[citation][nom]beardguy[/nom]This sucks. I hate when companies do this. Basically, it's not mean to be repaired, it's mean to be replaced. I'm not a big environment guy, but surely lots of these will end up in landfills. We really should be more responsible with new tech and being able to repair it. I hate the "disposable" attitude we have all grown to except. //end rant[/citation]

While I agree with the sentiment behind your statement, I just want to point out that the more integrated and miniature devices get, the less repairable they are. Imagine what guys that used to build the really big mainframe computers from the 60' & 70's think about working on laptops...

"You have to swap the whole cpu?! Well, back in MY DAY we COULD replace the CPU cache! Just reach in there, and swap it out." Just don't forget your wire wrapping tool btw, lol...

The point is, some perspective is needed here. The surface is a highly integrated & very rigid device. I watched the drop tests, the thing didn't even flex when dropped on it's corner. That's pretty sturdy. I'm sure they could have done with less adhesive and less fasteners, and the device would also be less rigid. If anything, I would suggest that the additional complexity of the device is an indicator of the value you are getting for your money. Clearly it takes a lot more labor & parts to assemble one of these. That being said, it also serves as an excellent advertisement for an affordable 2 year accident warranty.

 

[internetlad]

not a big surprise. the iPad is the exact same way. Thick layer of sticky, hard glue around the perimited with several crucial wires (power, volume, digitizer, and wifi) dangerously close to where you have to dig a spunger to get the unit apart.

I find that applying the right amount of heat helps (too little and it's very difficult to get off and the digitizer shatters, too much and components start to melt or malform) but i've never killed an iPad while attempting a repair (generally digitizers)

It's all about knowing where to be cautious.

 

[beardguy]

@dark_knight33

Def some valid points. If the device rarely breaks, it could help make up for the fact that it is very hard to repair. And I agree, the two (repairable and durable) are somewhat mutually exclusive. Still, I hope we can find a balance between the two as more and more devices become smaller and more sophisticated. I mean, if this is where desktop computers are headed, it's going to suck

 

[Soda-88]

And this is not to be expected how exactly? Either way, when I get Surface 2/3 Pro (depends on which one will be the first to please my needs, i.e. better graphics performance, extra USB port for mouse without sacrificing external storage functionality) I'll replace the SSD with a bigger one straight away.

 

[gm0n3y]

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.

 

[acerace]

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.