Dell Venue Pro 11 serious competitor of Surface Pro 2, what do you think?

[demandarin]

Good thread. I found this link helpful too: IDT Review of SP2 vs. Venue

great article. in the End, the Surface wins. There's no doubt, Microsoft is in for a battle. I like and welcome the competition as the consumer, us, wins in the end. more choices are better. id seriously consider the 8in. version. only drawback is I don't think it has a 1080P display. after seeing how beautiful the new nexus7 1080p screen is, I don't want to go back to 720p. but no less resolution than that at most.

quoted from article:

"Final Verdict: While the Dell Venue 11 Pro offers many different options from the Surface, the Venue just feels clunky and big as compared to the Surface. The speed of the Surface Pro 2 also plays major part in the decision as Microsoft put a lot of work into making this generations of tablet as fast as possible with Venue not far behind but behind none the less. The price is a little steep but for the price and what you get, Microsoft Surface Pro 2 is the choice to make.

Winner: Microsoft Surface Pro 2'

 

[jnjroach]

Dell Venue will kill Surface 2 and Dell XPS 11 will kill Surface Pro 2. A comparably equipped (and I use comparable in this case loosely since the XPS 11 is superior in every way) XPS 11 will clock in at about $200 less than a Surface Pro 2. Yes the Surface Pro 2 is a fine machine but it is the wrong form factor to win a broad market, just like the Surface Pro was. Hinged ultra thin convertibles with ultra HD screens, real keyboards and more ports is the future of this market.

Surface Pro 2, great product, wrong product.

The XPS 11 doesn't have a real keyboard, it has on that is like the Gen 1 Touch Cover that isn't removable.

 

[shazada]

Good thread. I found this link helpful too: IDT Review of SP2 vs. Venue

Thanks for the info!

They really didn't compare the weight or the size of both the devices. Those are also very important factors to sell these tablets.

The XPS 11 looks also nice, but that's an ultra-book instead of a tablet. One can't take off the screen and walk without the keyboard. And it doesn't fold 100% like the Lenovo Yogo so one can take notes (like a real tablet).
But even though nice info!

, still nothing serious to reconsider for me, so for the time being I'll stick to the Surface Pro 2.

 

[Dim-Ize]

... "I like and welcome the competition as the consumer, us, wins in the end. More choices are better. "

Agreed, agreed, agreed. That is exactly the way I feel. Instead of one platform "killing" the other - I believe that competition is good for the consumer as it drives innovation, reduces price, and gives us choices. At the end of the day both are great (in terms of spec) for my personal needs. I'm choosing the Surface Pro 2 (256/8) as it is a great combination of tablet, laptop replacement, and note-taking convergence device for my mobile needs.

One point in the fine print I noticed, or at least think I noticed, is that the SP2 will ship with 8.1 Pro while the Venue ships with 8.1. This may be an important point for some restricted IT environments where Domain or certificates are required. Not sure, but that could be an interesting benefit for those of you more technically competent than I to discuss.

 

[dellaster]

Along with the other valid points by others in the thread, this Forbes article gives me pause: Dell Builds Better Tablets But Can't Impress Its Own CEO - Forbes

In short, if/when Michael Dell takes the company private there's a good chance all these consumer devices will get orphaned. He doesn't want marginal profit products in the new Dell.

Warranty support will continue, no doubt, but my thought is that needed tweaks to drivers and bios for things like the very new Synaptic active pen will likely not happen. I come from ownership of the Lenovo Yoga 13 and ThinkPad Tablet 2 devices and I envied Surface owners SO very much as you guys got firmware updates each month while Lenovo did little more than diddly-squat for its products.

Never again.

The fantastic continuing support by Microsoft is one of the big reasons I'm going SP2. Something with inferior update cycles has to have a LOT extra going for it before I'll switch. The Dell Venue Pro 11 doesn't do it, especially with the specter of non-supported orphan status hanging over it.

 

[Dim-Ize]

The fantastic continuing support by Microsoft is one of the big reasons I'm going SP2. Something with inferior update cycles has to have a LOT extra going for it before I'll switch. The Dell Venue Pro 11 doesn't do it, especially with the specter of non-supported orphan status hanging over it.

Wow. I have no point of reference related to these devices - but that's a pretty compelling and important point. If these other companies don't have the bandwidth (or resource funding) to offer fluid and frequent updates - then the users are left a little frustrated watching other platforms moving ahead.

Candidly, this is in fact the way I feel with BlackBerry's Q10. A great piece of technology and sinking resources at BlackBerry are not brining the must needed updates and optimizations to that platform. They (BB) have many big problems, granted, but I can see your point.

 

[demandarin]

Agreed, agreed, agreed. That is exactly the way I feel. Instead of one platform "killing" the other - I believe that competition is good for the consumer as it drives innovation, reduces price, and gives us choices. At the end of the day both are great (in terms of spec) for my personal needs. I'm choosing the Surface Pro 2 (256/8) as it is a great combination of tablet, laptop replacement, and note-taking convergence device for my mobile needs.

One point in the fine print I noticed, or at least think I noticed, is that the SP2 will ship with 8.1 Pro while the Venue ships with 8.1. This may be an important point for some restricted IT environments where Domain or certificates are required. Not sure, but that could be an interesting benefit for those of you more technically competent than I to discuss.

very well stated. you brought up a great point I didn't notice. the pro does ship with the more capable/business oriented pro version. versus the others having regular windows. they could always upgrade but I believe thatll at least cost them $100 extra or so. a built in perk going with MS that many seem to overlook.

like stated before, im all for competition. but you'd never catch me in the dell forums bashing their device and recommending another or saying the Pro will kill their device..haha

 

[demandarin]

Along with the other valid points by others in the thread, this Forbes article gives me pause: Dell Builds Better Tablets But Can't Impress Its Own CEO - Forbes

In short, if/when Michael Dell takes the company private there's a good chance all these consumer devices will get orphaned. He doesn't want marginal profit products in the new Dell.

Warranty support will continue, no doubt, but my thought is that needed tweaks to drivers and bios for things like the very new Synaptic active pen will likely not happen. I come from ownership of the Lenovo Yoga 13 and ThinkPad Tablet 2 devices and I envied Surface owners SO very much as you guys got firmware updates each month while Lenovo did little more than diddly-squat for its products.

Never again.

The fantastic continuing support by Microsoft is one of the big reasons I'm going SP2. Something with inferior update cycles has to have a LOT extra going for it before I'll switch. The Dell Venue Pro 11 doesn't do it, especially with the specter of non-supported orphan status hanging over it.

ive heard this about Lenovo also and didn't realize the direction Dell wants to take. like you said, MS pro or rt recives updates on just about a daily basis. whether just for windows defender or system updates. MS definitely makes sure to keep the updates rolling. I hate companies that just make a product then hardly support it afterwards. as far as updates and bug fixes go.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Dell Venue will kill Surface 2 and Dell XPS 11 will kill Surface Pro 2

 

[shazada]

A better head to head article: Head-To-Head: Dell Venue 11 Pro Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 2

 

[mitchellvii]

The one Surface Pro 2 needs to worry about is Dell XPS 11. It will cost only $1000 and sadly blows SP2 away on features. MS simply has got to get their heads out of their butts on pricing. $200 for a damned battery cover? Seriously? I can buy a whole tablet for less.

 

[deldalton]

A better head to head article: Head-To-Head: Dell Venue 11 Pro Vs. Microsoft Surface Pro 2

Thanks for the review.

The one Surface Pro 2 needs to worry about is Dell XPS 11. It will cost only $1000 and sadly blows SP2 away on features. MS simply has got to get their heads out of their butts on pricing. $200 for a damned battery cover? Seriously? I can buy a whole tablet for less.

I can't agree with you. Yes, the Dell is cheaper. But, the graphics and processor are slightly better in the SP2. And it looks better ... You're paying more because it's the better product.