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New Surface Pro

microsoft.com

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Re: New Surface Pro

#231

Post by robotresearcher »

thesuitonym wrote: post #121
Helmet wrote: post #110

How is this a functional laptop? And I'm being dead serious here and 100% literal - how do I work with this machine while it's on my lap? It looks like it would be a real pain in the ass to do so, with the "Kickstand" and all.

It's not a functional laptop. Putting a Surface on your lap is the worst experience you'll ever have. But as a portable Windows 10 device, my Surface Pro 1 is one of my favorite devices.

> Putting a Surface on your lap is the worst experience you'll ever have.

If true, that would be a wonderful life.

Re: New Surface Pro

#232

Post by zghst »

tomtheelder wrote: post #208
zghst wrote: post #118

Microsoft is completely unashamed and masterfully brilliant at copying and improving on Apple's strategy. The only concern is that they're making a bunch of machines not many people will buy, however, in the long run it's better that they have the production expertise and well minted engineers. Apple should and probably isn't resting on its heels, I bet we're going to see a preemptive strike on HoloLens (and probably…

What about this are you describing as copying Apple's strategy?

MS built out an entire hardware line that mimics Apple's hardware line and then put up counter points to Mac alongside each competing Apple product. It is obvious and Microsoft's collective ego shows. It is a very late response to Apple's old campaign, they have moved on completely.

Re: New Surface Pro

#233

Post by rhodysurf »

thesuitonym wrote: post #121
Helmet wrote: post #110

How is this a functional laptop? And I'm being dead serious here and 100% literal - how do I work with this machine while it's on my lap? It looks like it would be a real pain in the ass to do so, with the "Kickstand" and all.

It's not a functional laptop. Putting a Surface on your lap is the worst experience you'll ever have. But as a portable Windows 10 device, my Surface Pro 1 is one of my favorite devices.

The Surface Pro 3 and on are completely different to use on your lap than the first and second gens.

Re: New Surface Pro

#234

Post by exodust »

6stringmerc wrote: post #63

Look I'm a fan but until I see it running some real heavy artillery (Ableton Live 9 Suite, Massive, AmpliTube, and a half-dozen VSTs) in real-time vs. the competition, then it's just another hollow claim. Sure, hardware and performance are getting better. Sure, the Surface Dial is a massive game changer in the long term. But, look, the problem with marketing to creative people is that they take it sort of as a challe…

You might want to check out 'molten music tech' youtube channel. He has tons of info about the surface pro and music making... he puts it through paces and provides a good analysis. Recent videos he looks at the surface book.

Much better to watch people actually using the software rather than just reading reviews...

Surface Book review for music production https://youtu.be/jqPhTDM-uBg?t=1m21s

surface pro 4 https://youtu.be/NwpebBvLBSI

Re: New Surface Pro

#235

Post by dawnerd »

kayoone wrote: post #219
tracker1 wrote: post #197

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure... "PRO" should probably be a label for "PRO" versions of something, and 16GB should probably be a minimum in that case. Lots of people doing heavy image work or video may be better served by more than that as well. Which is well within that segment.

Thats a matter of definition. Surface Pro originally was to distinguish against the Surface RT, where it made sense. Same goes for iPad Pro which is clearly not meant in the same way you are suggesting, Macbook Pro is the same. The PRO label is meant to distinguish them against their own lower tier products. Imo the demand for 32GB RAM Laptops is pretty limited right now, which is why you usually find that in worksta…

Maybe it's limited because companies are only putting it in workstation class laptops instead of giving consumers a choice.

Re: New Surface Pro

#236

Post by doublerebel »

passive wrote: post #199

I've been using a Surface Pro 3 as my one-and-only for almost 3 years, and it really feels like time to upgrade, so I've been looking forward to this one. My workload is probably something like 40% reading, 30% writing, 25% coding, and 5% running code, and the Surface has been a nearly ideal form factor for this. The new "Surface Pro" ticks a lot of boxes for me: - Supports my existing keyboard, pen, dock, and power…

The priciest part should be the SSD, and most people are fine with a small SSD and use the microSD for overflow. I'm similar to you, I just chose a 16GB i7 256GB model SP4 with the Alcántara keyboard, and it came in well under 2K. Super powerful and the price point well beating a comparable Mac was one of the top selling points for me.

I have storage coming out of my ears after years of collecting disks cards servers and clouds so I have no need to buy a larger SSD.

Being forced into a higher bracket would make me look around more. The clearance SP4s are a great deal right now and I'm not regretting my full-price purchase.

Re: New Surface Pro

#237

Post by dawnerd »

kayoone wrote: post #180
jmkni wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I have the XPS 15 with 32GB ram, it's an amazing laptop. It becomes essential once you start running VM's or Docker etc

the surface pro is more comparable to the XPS 13, which does not come with 32GB either.

Which makes it comparable to the 12" MacBook which is far from a pro device.

Re: New Surface Pro

#238

Post by passive »

pfooti wrote: post #227
passive wrote: post #199

I've been using a Surface Pro 3 as my one-and-only for almost 3 years, and it really feels like time to upgrade, so I've been looking forward to this one. My workload is probably something like 40% reading, 30% writing, 25% coding, and 5% running code, and the Surface has been a nearly ideal form factor for this. The new "Surface Pro" ticks a lot of boxes for me: - Supports my existing keyboard, pen, dock, and power…

what sort of coding do you do on the spro? I'm going to be buying a new laptop / ultraportable / tablet in the near future, and I'm curious about this. Can you comfortably run some kind of linux VM on it? What kind of external keyboard does it support? How does the display hold up in moderate lighting conditions? For a lot of work, I've got a desktop, but I use my 2013 mbp at cafes and such. I mostly do node and fron…

Most of what I do is python, but I've done a fair amount of JS, some PHP, Java and others, as needed.

I have run VMs on this, but 8GB RAM gets tight, so it's not something I do regularly. I do use Microsofts version of Bash on Ubuntu for things where I am more comfortable with standard linux tools.

I use the type cover for almost everything, but I've got a more traditional keyboard hooked up to my dock.

The display is excellent. It's glossy, so direct sunlight is problematic, but otherwise it gets plenty bright and looks very good to me, though I suspect my tolerance for colour inaccuracy is pretty high.

Re: New Surface Pro

#239

Post by malloryerik »

sacheendra wrote: post #101
nailer wrote: post #41

One import thing with all Surface laptops that most people don't know: > Support is limited to the country you purchased the device in. Eg: - If you buy an Apple laptop, and need a repair, they'll fix it if it's in warranty, regardless of where you are. - If you buy a Microsoft laptop, and need a warranty repair done in a different country, Microsoft won't help you. I purchased a Surface Book (which I love) in a Micr…

> - If you buy an Apple laptop, and need a repair, they'll fix it if it's in warranty, regardless of where you are. Not true. That is only for the iPhone. The Macbook has only national warranty.

Maybe they didn't have to do it, but I bought a Macbook Air in Korea (no official Apple stores there, strangely) and had the body repaired for free at an Apple store in Japan. The repair was minor, so maybe that was why they did it? But it certainly seemed like they were going to take care of whatever problem I had.

Re: New Surface Pro

#240

Post by lmm »

zghst wrote: post #228
lmm wrote: post #218

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's often how reality works though. I remember the Apple fans mocking computers shipping with floppy disk drives, but floppy disks were useful at the time. Migrations take time, not everyone can afford to just rush out and buy all-new accessories. For a device that you buy today and will use for say 3 years, USB-A and a dongle for compatibility with -C is probably better for most users than the reverse.

That's the truth. But our society will only move as fast as we say to. All of this, economy, technological advance, social issues all exist in our mind. Surely a giant such as Microsoft could be dedicated to being at the forefront of a wave of events

These things are ultimately tools, means to an end. I'm glad MS is thinking of their users rather than adopting new for the sake of new.
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