jericho

So, has anyone purchased one yet? If so, what are your thoughts.
I'm interested in getting one, and the online reviews seem pretty positive.

I've been in to Best Buy/Future Shop etc recently to have a play with one, only to find out that Microsoft are only selling them through their own stores (apparently only 40 in North America) or through their website.
Who in their right mind is gonna spend $600 on a product they cant try out first?

Seems a little short sighted with the Christmas season on the horizon.

Howefamily

I wouldnt (buy it without trying first)

Alan2005

I quite like the look of it, but reports are that it's buggy and possibly underpowered (although this might be cos of the bugs). If they fix that I'd think about getting one as it seems a lot more useful than an iPad cos it's got office on it.

james.mc

Not trying to emulate Apple's success at all are they?

I'm guessing (but no supporting evidence) they'll possibly be a bit buggy as many MS OS's have been in the past when they rush something to market. That's one of the reasons I switched to Apple and have never looked back as far as OS stability goes.

Mind you, even then I didn't dive right in into the first iPad or Macbook Air and waited until the 2nd generation units came out. I always feel that when you buy 1st gen kit you are covering the manufacturers development costs and the 2nd gen is when you get better value for money, normally not realised too long after the 1st gen units. 3rd gen is often just tweaks to help eke sales along before they supersede the unit completely.

Don't get me wrong, I was a Windows guy for years (after all only geeks used Apple Macs didn't they?)... since the days of Windows 3.0, but a constant battle with OS updates, virus's, trojans and blue screens of death finally forced me into trying another option.

Even so, I'd be interested to see what you think about the Microsoft Surface tablet, so I hope you get to try one at least... Something apple are not afraid to let you do with their products.

MarkG

I don't really see the point. I have an Asus Transformer, which is a similar design, and it's a pretty good tablet but a poor excuse for a laptop. The Surface doesn't even have the extra battery in the keyboard dock that the Transformer uses to increase battery life when it's attached.

The Intel-CPU version might be more useful as it could run existing Windows software, but you could probably buy a more capable laptop for half the price.

pdarwin

Wait for the second version, which runs the Windows 8 operating system, and will be released in January. It will be a lot more useful than the currently released 'RT' version.
Saying that, most folks can get more or less the same from a netbook anyway.

MarkG

Yeah, that's my thought. If the idea of a keyboard or running Windows is enough to make you want this tablet over an Android or iPad, you should probably be buying a netbook instead.

Alan2005

Marketing:

Tablets = cool new tech
Netbooks = underpowered and slow pieces of crap

Still, I can see the attraction of the surface myself. It good looking and it would suit my usage - mainly as a tablet, but with the occasional doc. I could leave the laptop at home on the occasions I travel for work - especially if remote desktop works well on it.

jericho

Not really, no.
I have an iMac, an iPad and two laptops (1 x personal, 1 x business).
I love the iMac, but it's 6 years old now and the motherboard is a bit faulty so I dont use it too much anymore. I don't really like the iPad, although my wife does for facebook, pinterest, etc. (I cant really use it for work either (compatibility and connectivity issues).

The laptops are bulky and heavy to carry around, so I like the idea of a tablet that can double as a laptop.

Atlantic Xpat

Wouldn't an ultrabook - thin, light laptop, be a better solution then?

I travel enough to get fed up with lugging around my 14" HP work laptop. I have a small tablet - Nexus 7 - for personal use and the Mrs has an Ipad from school. They are neat pieces of kit and serve a purpose but I can't see either replacing the work laptop. I'm a little skeptical over the Slate for the same reason.

It is interesting that both Google and Microsoft are following Apple into the hardware world though.

jericho

Not unless it doubles as a tablet, no. The Surface, from what I've read, is the first tablet to crossover between the laptop and a tablet. It seems like, at this stage, no one on here has one. I'm in Toronto next month so will try and visit the microsoft store and give it a whirl.

biddyk8

My hubby was playing with the surface on Friday and he loved it, said its a really good tablet (hes an IT head) but he didn't think it was worth the price. But we are currently broke so thats not a good indication. He did say he'd buy it over an ipad though.

james.mc

The MS Surface Tablet may turn out to be a good bit of kit eventually (second gen maybe). I'd steer well clear of 1st Gen though.

MS Surface tablet V Apple solutions
(No! I don't work for apple or sell apple products, but it's always worth throwing in an option or two into the debate )

I've got an iPad (2) and a Macbbook Air (2nd Gen) I can't think of a more satisfactory (for me) sync compatible highly portable private/work combination. I also have an iPhone (2)

The iPad is great for doing stuff on the go. Good battery life, Instant on! Bluetooth, Wi'Fi (all the usual inbuilt gadgets we are used to these days) I fly a lot internationally, so it's great for watching moves, listening to music, checking mail in between flights, skype/facetime, posting on BE Also good for grabbing instant video/pics should the need arise. I use the last element a lot in my work.
If I need to make a call I use my iPhone with an option to grab a video/photo if the need arises.

When I need more than that, bigger screen for example, I turn to the Macbook Air. It's not touchscreen though for those that don't know the product.
The Macbook Air is a solid (Aluminium case) lightweight (It doesn't feel that much heavier than my iPad) laptop, with solid state memory/storage and has been as reliable as hell. Quick to boot up and great battery life. I also have Office for Mac installed, which runs under the Apple OS, so no cross platform file issues between MS OS users as a rule.

I've found in the past that, with MS OS products, trying to connect/sync cross different products/manufacturers often caused problems for me. If you do have issued one manufacturer will pass you off to another, or the software provider.

For example, in the early days trying to sync my iPhone with a Laptop running MS OS would on a number of occasions cause me problems. They'd get out of sync and threaten to wipe one or the other unit clean! I'm not saying that will never happen with a sync between apple products, however,based on my experience its a rare event indeed, not so with MS OS devices.

MarkG

That'll be news to Asus, who've been making tablets with attachable keyboards for years. I'm pretty sure I've seen reviews of laptops with detachable keyboards in the past, too.

jericho

I dont know, I'm no particular expert in these things. I am however not interested in an Asus, and you've even said yourself that yours is a poor excuse for a laptop. Nor am I interested in a laptop with a detachable keyboard. I have 2 laptops already- I dont want/need another.

Now, if anyone has any experiences to share with the Surface, I'd be glad to hear