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Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

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Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#191

Post by ConstantineXVI »

facorreia wrote: post #175
ConstantineXVI wrote: post #28

I've had mine since 10AM yesterday; and I'm actually fairly pleased, at least for effectively being a new platform. Thoughts, in no particular order: - Love the build. Very solid overall. - 16:9 means it's one long tablet. Oddly, it's actually fairly usable in portrait; can't say the same for my old 16:10 Transformer (maybe just better balanced?) - The touch cover is, like most say, surprisingly usable. Desperately n…

I'm curious about the Surface, I'd appreciate if you can report your experience on some use cases: * Can you comfortably hold it with one hand (e.g. for reading a book)? * Can you comfortably hold it with one hand and type onscreen with the other? * Can you comfortably type onscreen while holding it with both hands? * Can you use the Touch Cover and/or Type Cover with the device on your lap (as if you were sitting in…

If you've used an iPad 3; it feels close to that weight but it's a wider aspect ratio. Can hold it in one hand but not for long; just fine for two-hand use. You can use the cover just fine in your lap, but will probably have better luck with the Type Cover in that scenario.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#192

Post by Zak »

powertower wrote: post #104
nextstep wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Recently, HN is quick to yell "fanboy" at anything critical of a direct competitor to an Apple product. But from the multiple Surface reviews posted here over the past few days, it seems like the consensus (even among those that aren't labeled "fanboys") is that the surface has considerable drawbacks while costing more than an iPad.

> But from the multiple Surface reviews posted here over the past few days You mean all those negative reviews that get upvoted to the front-page. Thats what happens here, the positive reviews usually get ignored, get flagged, or die quickly. Unless it's an Apple product. "Surface RT" is not "Surface for Windows 8 Pro". Windows RT is a stripped down version of Windows designed for lower power CPUs. It's also designed…

I don't have a horse in the iPad vs. Surface race. I don't care for closed ecosystems or walled gardens and have little desire for either device. I'm either a neutral party, or hostile to both camps.

The use-case of an attached keyboard and the fully fledged Office app suite is not what this device is primarly for.

That may be true, but it's a poor excuse. The basic function of a word processor is to easily generate formatted text, historically primarily for printing on letter-type paper, but that's maybe a bit less important today than it once was. Minimal functionality for a word processor is being able to render that text as fast as a human user can type it.

WYSIWYG word processors had this capability well over 20 years ago on CPUs far inferior to a quad-core Cortex A9 with a thousand times[0] less RAM. For a major software company to fail at this in 2012 is inexcusable. If Tesla's new sedan had a top speed of 50 MPH, prospective buyers would say it's not ready no matter how cool its other characteristics are.

Of course, it is a preview edition of Word. Maybe the finished version will have acceptable performance. Until then, "it isn't done" is the only reasonable conclusion. Regardless of any other features, Microsoft has not provided the minimum viable product for a word processor.

[0] Note: not hyperbole. Two megabytes versus two gigabytes.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#193

Post by recoiledsnake »

nextstep wrote: post #33
Anechoic wrote: post #23

"The diagonally-oriented camera is strange. In the one orientation it’s optimized for, it’s slightly annoying. In any other orientation, it’s almost intolerable. " "The built-in front-facing camera for Skype is angled so that it’ll work great when the kickstand is open, but again, only for Danny DeVito, or maybe for people who want to show off their chests in Skype." ------ "The Touch Cover is one of the Surface’s bi…

Recently, HN is quick to yell "fanboy" at anything critical of a direct competitor to an Apple product. But from the multiple Surface reviews posted here over the past few days, it seems like the consensus (even among those that aren't labeled "fanboys") is that the surface has considerable drawbacks while costing more than an iPad.

of course, the qualifier 'posted here' pretty much makes it so that it's a negative review. Are you seriously claiming that the two or three reviews up modded by HN make a consensus? And Marco's article doesn't count as a review. He was playing with one for barely a few mins while trying to psychoanalyse the salesman and find things to pick on.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#194

Post by sirclueless »

Locke1689 wrote: post #68
mtgx wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I installed Windows 8 on one of the first netbooks to appear (eee pc 1000h). The performance difference is not perceivable. If even at that level it's not, it will be even less on higher-end hardware. Even benchmarks show a 5% improvement at most in performance. What Windows 8 does do, though, is trick you into thinking it's running faster, or "smoother". It uses animations to make those 0.5-1-second delays a lot mor…

Nope. I've tested it (like many other people). My 2011 Macbook air boots 4 seconds faster into Windows 8 than Windows 7.

Fresh installations of each? Because my boot tends to slow down over time, and by considerably more than 4 seconds.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#195

Post by tensor »

Moto7451 wrote: post #169
tensor wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think part of the issue with tablets is that there are people who really want something like the windows 8 tablet to work. Speaking for myself, hearing people chime in "but iPad!" in discussions of new tablets I might be interested in is maddening. It's maddening because I don't want an iPad. An iPad doesn't fit my requirements, one of which is side loading. It can't share data between apps easily either. Android h…

You could try a ModBook: http://www.modbook.com/modbookpro They're a bit pricy but I've gotten the chance to see the pre-housing crisis models (the company/management group was insolvent for a time) were very solid. The Wacom digitizer is really good for artists too. if they came out with an Air version I think they'd have a rather hot product..

Agreed. I suppose when Apple announced a tablet, I was hoping it would be something that was dual mode iOS OSX with usb ports and pen input. Instead, we got a big iphone, which while many people obviously love, was massively disappointing to people like me.

Thus I really like the ideas behind Surface, though Windows isn't ideal for working with unix, which I need for my job.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#196

Post by to3m »

hnriot wrote: post #22
mtgx wrote: post #6

You'll probably return that one, too, after you see the poor battery life on it. Also, you may get some tablet usability with Metro on it (not many apps to choose from, though), but after using Windows 8 on a PC, I can say Windows 8 is worse in usability than Windows 7, so you will be definitely taking a step back when you'll be using the desktop mode. After using Windows 8 I just see no good reason for anyone to use…

That's what everyone said about windows 7 and XP and NT ... People always are afraid of change until they get used to it. Metro is really just a replacement start button, if you give it some time so it's familiar you'll be fine. Everyone hated the start button back when too.

Time spent getting used to change is usually time that could have been better spent doing something else. That's particularly true when the end result is that you're back where you were (but it's now 1 week/month/year later).

There's change-as-in-progress, and change-as-in-another-meaningless-revolution-of-the-tech-hamsterwheel. I have no doubt at all that the internals of Windows 8 represent progress. The replacement of the start menu with Metro, on the other hand, smells so far very much like the hamsterwheel.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#197

Post by stcredzero »

Locke1689 wrote: post #68
mtgx wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I installed Windows 8 on one of the first netbooks to appear (eee pc 1000h). The performance difference is not perceivable. If even at that level it's not, it will be even less on higher-end hardware. Even benchmarks show a 5% improvement at most in performance. What Windows 8 does do, though, is trick you into thinking it's running faster, or "smoother". It uses animations to make those 0.5-1-second delays a lot mor…

Nope. I've tested it (like many other people). My 2011 Macbook air boots 4 seconds faster into Windows 8 than Windows 7.

They're probably booting into the desktop even though a few things are still getting initialized.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#198

Post by stcredzero »

sliverstorm wrote: post #186
stcredzero wrote: post #151

From the comments: > I admit, I fully expected a tablet version of my laptop. I wanted it to do everything my laptop could do, but with the added bonus of the touch screen, so I can play my games that make my phone freeze up while I’m sitting at my kids dance or karate classes. If you're technically savvy enough to understand and follow focus of GUI elements, and don't mind a stylus, then there are a number of existi…

Yes, laptop tablets have a touch screen, but they are really just not the same thing. Have you used one much? Unless they've made huge progress in the last few years, a laptop tablet is like a laptop, upon whose screen you can WRITE with a stylus. They are not touch devices like we think of today.

Have you used an early 2000's stylus tablet like a tc1100? I'm talking about those, not touch screen laptops.

http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tr/gallery/hptr1105/Image00021_...

> a laptop tablet is like a laptop, upon whose screen you can WRITE with a stylus. They are not touch devices like we think of today.

Please re-read. I am saying exactly this. The only way they are alike is they are somewhat in the same class of portability. The tc1100 is a beast at 3 pounds, but you can actually watch YouTube and browse the web in bed with one. I know, because I've done it. Doesn't work for the general public because ordinary people can't keep track of GUI item focus.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#199

Post by Metrop0218 »

Welcome to the life of an early adopter. It is a bit buggier than we'd like, but you know we'll receive updates before the year is up that will address a lot of the problems. I do wish that it could've been shipped with higher performance, but Windows on ARM was a big endeavor. Achieving the amount of polish that we see on Intel's chips is going to take a bit of time.

Re: Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

#200

Post by Locke1689 »

stcredzero wrote: post #197
Locke1689 wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Nope. I've tested it (like many other people). My 2011 Macbook air boots 4 seconds faster into Windows 8 than Windows 7.

They're probably booting into the desktop even though a few things are still getting initialized.

My numbers are boot to lock.
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