What's new

any hints on lte radio coming?

suave

New Member
Possibly because the surface 3 is ultra portable, the surface book is anything but? I dint know, maybe email Microsoft.

And I dint know what you've done to your device to be talk I g about logging in and trouble shooting. I hit the hotapit button. It works. Every time. Flawlessly. This is 2016, why would I need an additional contract for something my phone does perfectly for free?

The very short answer is that there probably won't be an lte option, because there isn't a market that justifies it. Deal with it. Why can't MS offer every coy with every ram and sad combo? Because they have done a market analysis and it most likely makes no financial sense to have so many SKUs. Microsoft are not Apple, they have learnt the hard way to be cautious with their stock levels.

You could just buy a dongle if it is that important. Question. How many laptops do Apple make that have SIM slots? Why is that?
As I said before, a lot of laptops don't have it because intel hasn't gotten their @#@% together. If it was as easy to do as it is for tablets then more manufacturers would have done it. You're going to be sorely disappointed if you think these devices aren't going to get more mobile and getting more mobile means having a connection builtin, always on and not relying on additional devices to get on the internet, and, furthermore, tethering isn't free for AT&T customers. Don't get what you guys have against progress. If you just love reaching for your phone everytime you need to connect your device to the internet then you can continue to do so. Some people are looking forward to the additional option of an always connected device.
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
You seem to be confusing the capability with the desirability. You talk about Intel, yet the surface is Intel and has lte. But it is rather irrelevant

Most people couldnt care about an always on device. They already have a phone for that, and for the majority of people's internet needs (essentially social media, maps, email etc) a phone is more than sufficient.

There just isn't a demand for yet another monthly bill for something they already have, and are happy with. Notice how the demand for lte in the surface is a minority demand? Everyone else seems fine with tethering. It makes little business sense to design a product for a minority market, especially when you are not the strongest player in the market to start with. The last thing MS want is a few hundred million Sat gathering dust in a warehouse only to become "obsolete" 12 months later.

And btw, there is more to the world than AT&T. They are not going to design a product because of one carriers shortcomings.

Supply and demand. Very simple. No demand, which there really isn't, then no supply.
 

suave

New Member
Let's revisit this post a year from now. If no one wants it, then manufacturers won't be adding the feature in the near future.
 

mcsenerd

Active Member
You guys kill me... If it were up to some around here, we'd still be wringing out laundry by hand and manually pumping well water...

In my opinion it's more along the lines of the fact that they can't even get the dang chipsets working properly that they already have in the thing...why in the heck would they add another to cause more misery?

I know quite a few heavy travelling IT workers that I'm buddies with that don't think that this is the one device to rule them all just for this very missing component...
 
OP
I

Intranetsites

Member
Personally I don't want the extra monthly bill or battery suckage. I just quickly tether it to my existing smartphone on those rare occasions.
In Canada our tablet sim is 10 dollars per month using a shared plan with our cell phone.
This is dramatically more convenient than a wifi connection. I personally have had an Ipad with a data plan since the first day they released iPads about 5 years. and now I carry a connected iPad Lte and my surface lte as the battery only lasts about 6 hours.
 
OP
I

Intranetsites

Member
Every phone I have requires me to log in, bring up that button and click on it verses just being on all the time. If lte wasn't important then Apple wouldn't be making iPads with that feature and selling it at a price premium.
Apple has had g3 iPads from Day one I got the first in Canada and I also got the first surface 3 Lte.
Currently the Apple lte stays connected much better than the Surface LTE. When between cell towers both disconnect and then the ipad reconnects quickly and the surface requires a turn off radio and restart to reconnect. Bottomline the apple radio works better and the surface radio still has bugs
 

GreyFox7

Super Moderator
Staff member
So arguing that MS should include inferior technology on their Pro devices doesn't make any sense.
In summary:
MS LTE sucks
MS battery life sucks
MS should further reduce battery life on the Pros with LTE which would suck more.

If they could do it maybe they would but it would still be awful. Consider yourself blessed to be spared the pain. You should be thankful.
 

MikemanSP4

Super Moderator
Staff member
If you do get an LTE laden machine - will this mean you have to sign up for a service or contract. Is this something you want to commit to? I just use the create a "mobile hotspot" on my phone and BAM! I am up and running with LTE with no extra charges and zero connection time as Microsoft has my hotspot saved already. But - I would definately wanted this option if I didn't have a phone contract already - I carry my phone with me where ever I may roam, so I always have high speed internet with me.
 

flar

Member
One feature of using my cell phone instead of having LTE built-in is that I can control the usage.

Tablets were designed as tablets and software designed for them will usually ask before downloading large data sets, even in the background.

PCs were designed to be hooked up to an unmetered ethernet or wifi connection to broadband and so many programs you install will happily download a gigabyte of data in the background so it is ready when you need it. Yes, most applications have a configuration to turn off background updates, but the design intent of those is not the same as the design space of tablets where getting the answer wrong can cost your user quite a bit of money.

If I had LTE in my SB I would turn it off by default and only turn it on when I need to download something specific (and then turn it off again right after). With my phone I can do just that and it's no slower/faster/more/less convenient than if the LTE were built-in to the SB.
 

mcsenerd

Active Member
Piss and moan all you'd like... but one's always connected and the other... Well, not so much. If you've never had an LTE/4G/Cell Service enabled device other than a phone...maybe you just can't "get" it. And no...if you don't activate the damn thing...you don't have "another" bill, so it's kinda like the TV...if you don't like the programming...don't turn the dang thing (or buy the thing in the first stinkin' place). Different strokes for different folks... I "see" the value in my time and convenience. If you don't, that's fine... But it doesn't mean that it's a "bad" idea or that yours is somehow better...
 

kundas1

Well-Known Member
funny YOU seem to think it's "better" to have LTE when in fact many others DON'T... it comes down to 2 factors, 1) being I don't want to have another "contract" to hassle with when I have enough problems with my current service provider when they already want to charge me an arm and leg for "data" like a hungry wolf over a steak! 2) its just as easy to tether my phone with my device and I and many OTHERS don't see what your complaining about tethering to a phone! to me it's just a gimmick to have LTE and personally a waste on battery resources and more expensive to have....
 

hughlle

Super Moderator
Staff member
The simple answer is that if there was an adequate market for it, they would have made it. MS are not fools, no matter how much you want to sit around believing how you are so superior to them and clearly know how or what they should have done.
 
Top