I have just noticed people tend to do this when I'm on the bus and using my SP 3 to do assignments or review lectures. For the past 6 months that I've been using the same bus, no one had brought out their laptops. But on 2 out of 3 occasions that someone sat next to me while using my SP3, the person next to me also brought out their laptops. Is this some sort 'who's got a bigger dick' game that laptop users practice? lol. I've always made sure to return the gesture by showing off that mine is touch screen or fold it up to show how thin it is and slip it into my bag if they don't get off too soon.
Do people tend to whip out their laptops next to you while you're using your SP3?
- Thread starter Aeron15
- Start date
kristalsoldier
Well-Known Member
Lol! I don't work around people, so moot point in my case. And, when I am working in a public place (like a cafe), then I guess I am too involved in my work to notice. However, it has indeed happened that a few people have come up to me to ask me about the SP3 and I have discussed my impressions and experiences with them.
annabanana
Active Member
I haven't noticed this with the Surface, but I remember before everyone had smartphones if I had my BlackBerry out, several others would get their smartphone out too. Or if I if I saw someone looking at theirs, I was absolutely compelled to get my BlackBerry out. Now everyone is always staring at their phone.
malberttoo
Well-Known Member
Inferiority complex. Some folks are sensitive, go easy with them. 
disambiguous1
New Member
What usually causes the freak in public places is when I snap the type cover on and off. I take notes and jot down thoughts/concepts with the pen, and use a keyboard for emails, so I'm often switching back and forth. Nothing else has the ease and speed of the Surface when it comes to getting the keyboard connected and dis-connected, and my daughter says I use that feature like a wild man. Instead of taking their computers out, most people put them away when they see me do that.
When I bring my SP3 out at meetings, at first the non-techies think it's an iPad. Then they see me plug in a USB dongle, and they're a little credulous. Then they notice the kickstand. Then at the end of the meeting, they ask, "What is that?" -DA1
When I bring my SP3 out at meetings, at first the non-techies think it's an iPad. Then they see me plug in a USB dongle, and they're a little credulous. Then they notice the kickstand. Then at the end of the meeting, they ask, "What is that?" -DA1
and falling in to holes, walking into poles, and the worst; walking on a collision course with me and completely ignoring me. If I have time I just stop, don't move, and stare at them until they either wake up and veer off or run into me. I guess Smartphones aren't smart enough yet to alert their users of such obstacles. In the year 2525 ... some machine will be doin that for you.
It's a human behaviour pattern similar to sneezing and coughing. If someone does it on a bus or public place you are very likely to see or hear someone else within the same area perform the same action, cough or sneeze.
Same behaviour applies to cellphones, laptops, tablets and many other things.
/ Magnus
Same behaviour applies to cellphones, laptops, tablets and many other things.
/ Magnus
Quite surprisingly I am the only person in my tutorial who uses a computer for notes and powerpoint slides etc. But half of them have already stated that an sp3 was the first thing they were going to buy once they'd saved up enough. However in lectures there are plenty of folk who pull out apple laptops (most students seem 19/20 years old in my programme) and have asked plenty of questions about it.
So no, i havn't really seen anyone pull out a laptop in a show of one upmanship, most people take one look at me annotating the lecture as it happens, no printouts and arch lever files and the likes, they're genuinely interested. Even one of my tutors, a self confessed apple addict, every example in class somehow ends up being about steve jobs, and even she was intrigued by it, tried to mock it for being a tablet, until i told her the spec, then she said she would have to talk to her husband, an MS employee.
So no, i havn't really seen anyone pull out a laptop in a show of one upmanship, most people take one look at me annotating the lecture as it happens, no printouts and arch lever files and the likes, they're genuinely interested. Even one of my tutors, a self confessed apple addict, every example in class somehow ends up being about steve jobs, and even she was intrigued by it, tried to mock it for being a tablet, until i told her the spec, then she said she would have to talk to her husband, an MS employee.
In the first year of my course, I was the only student out of 120 doing Physics that used a computer in every lecture. The lecturers have asked me about my devices but not students outside of my friends.
This year, there are more people writing on computers. There is one that has either an SP1 or SP2, though I don't know which, and I've seen a few people out of my classes using some Surface devices, but again I don't know which - I haven't seen any SP3s, and I saw one Surface 2. One of my lecturers thought I was using an iPad until I attached the keyboard and ran MATLAB, but seemed to recognize it as a Surface.
I've seen other people in my classes writing on iPads. They have these capacitive pens, the ones that have some kind of ball on the end. What they're doing seems to work, but in order to write anything, they have to zoom in so far and then they can only see one letter/number at a time as the technology isn't very accurate. It will be quite hard for them doing that with any math work, I've only seen them doing it for quick notes. Needless to say it looks a bit awkward.
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