FlatSurface
Member
Hi guys,
Just registered here. Great to have a place for Surface enthusiasts.
I'm still on the fence about buying a Surface (and if so, which one), hence I'd like to ask for your (honest) opinion.
My situation:
I'm a freelance marketing automation consultant (if you have no clue what marketing automation is, check out my website). This means my job is split up between my home office, various other spots for when I want to escape the house and on-site work with clients.
My work takes place almost entirely in browsers and email clients: I work with Google Docs, Airmail and approach SalesForce (and other marketing tools) through my browsers (usually Chrome and Safari). I suppose the stuff that takes the most power is the occasional graphical work in Pixlr or Canva, when I slap together a pic to accompany blogposts. I've played the occasional game on my Mac, but I'm not into the latest graphical stuff anyway.
You've guessed it: I currently operate from a Mac. It's a 2012 13" Macbook Pro. I bought it when I was just starting out with my business and wasn't sure whether I'd need the processing power of a Pro (I didn't) and whether I'd be gaming on it (as mentioned: I have, but not that much really).
I love my Macbook: it's been four years and it's never let me down since. It still runs as good as day one. OSX was breath of fresh air coming out of Windows 7 (on an admittedly crappy Acer laptop at my old job) in terms of stability and snappy performance during day-to-day tasks.
So if you like your Apple so much, why even consider purchasing a Surface device?
Couple of reasons:
1. I don't own a tablet yet and I really want one. For two reasons: first, I play in a band and my buddies are using iPads instead of paper. It looks sweet, saves a lot of hassle fiddling around with paper and finally you can transpose songs on the fly with a touch of a button.
Secondly, I would love to spend my afternoon or late evening in bed (just the evening in bed, don't read that the wrong way
) with a tablet reading comics, news, etc... right now I do all of that on my phone, since I don't want to lug my Macbook around (I prefer to leave it in the office, hooked up to the monitor). I would really like a proper screen to look at, instead of squinting at that small screen!
2. I was more productive when I used Windows. Well, save for the constant crashing and freezing, of course. But the thing is that I freaking love Outlook (and I hear Windows 10 is a huge step forwards). I'm a big fan of the Getting Things Done method and despite the love that this approach has been getting on the Mac, the combination between email and task management in Outlook is unparalleled for me.
"So get Outlook for Mac," you might say. Not the same thing. The Mac version simply doesn't work the same, in terms of functionality, shortcuts, etc. If it did, I would have been all over it (I have friends who even run Parallels with Windows, just to get to work with proper Outlook or Excel!!).
With these two things in mind, a Surface device seems like a no-brainer. The Surface Pro 4 looks sexy as heck (not unimportant when you're a consultant, let me tell you) and the reviews show it's equally awesome as a tablet as well as a laptop.
However, I have some concerns:
1. First, I'm wondering which one I should actually pick. The SP4 is obviously the most developed, but also the most expensive. But do I really need it for my type of work? Productivity is very important to me, so is portability as a tablet. So maybe I could just get a Surface 3 (or wait for the Surface 4?).
2. Second, battery life is apparently an issue with these devices. Now, for laptop mode, this isn't a huge issue for me: my 4-year old Macbook is hooked up to power whenever I get the chance, anyway. It lasts a few hours, but it's older and I prefer not to have to worry about the battery running out.
As a side note, I wonder if the cable for a Surface is as long as my Macbook cable (and I'd need it to be!!).
However, when using tablet mode (which I would definitely be using to take notes during meetings on the one hand, and watching video or browsing on the other) I don't want to be forced to put it in the charger twice a day.
3. If I get the cheaper Surface 3, how long will it last? My Macbook Pro has an i7 processor and even though it's massive overkill for what I do on it, it does still run super-smooth. I love that and I hated the constant lagging on my old Windows machine. I hate having to wait for stuff to load, even if it's webpages. I worry a cheaper Surface might start to annoy me in a year's time (and I do want to be using it for at least 2 years).
In short, my workflow would be as follows:
1. At home, hook up the Surface to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and use it as a desktop computer.
2. After work is done for the day, I'd detach the tablet part and take it downstairs for casual surfing and maybe a movie or something.
3. When abroad, it works as a regular laptop, preferably for several hours without charge. I can take out the tablet part when I want to make notes. I don't really want to hook it up to power if I have to, until I get home. However, the tablet parts will rarely take the entire day: I will use it in laptop mode more often and if the cable is long enough, I will hook it up.
4. As a tablet, it'd need to last about 5 hours for practice sessions and church services with the band.
With all of that in mind, what would you guys recommend for me? A Surface 3, a Surface Pro 3, a Surface Pro 4... or something else completely?
Thank you so much for your time.
Henrik
Just registered here. Great to have a place for Surface enthusiasts.
I'm still on the fence about buying a Surface (and if so, which one), hence I'd like to ask for your (honest) opinion.
My situation:
I'm a freelance marketing automation consultant (if you have no clue what marketing automation is, check out my website). This means my job is split up between my home office, various other spots for when I want to escape the house and on-site work with clients.
My work takes place almost entirely in browsers and email clients: I work with Google Docs, Airmail and approach SalesForce (and other marketing tools) through my browsers (usually Chrome and Safari). I suppose the stuff that takes the most power is the occasional graphical work in Pixlr or Canva, when I slap together a pic to accompany blogposts. I've played the occasional game on my Mac, but I'm not into the latest graphical stuff anyway.
You've guessed it: I currently operate from a Mac. It's a 2012 13" Macbook Pro. I bought it when I was just starting out with my business and wasn't sure whether I'd need the processing power of a Pro (I didn't) and whether I'd be gaming on it (as mentioned: I have, but not that much really).
I love my Macbook: it's been four years and it's never let me down since. It still runs as good as day one. OSX was breath of fresh air coming out of Windows 7 (on an admittedly crappy Acer laptop at my old job) in terms of stability and snappy performance during day-to-day tasks.
So if you like your Apple so much, why even consider purchasing a Surface device?
Couple of reasons:
1. I don't own a tablet yet and I really want one. For two reasons: first, I play in a band and my buddies are using iPads instead of paper. It looks sweet, saves a lot of hassle fiddling around with paper and finally you can transpose songs on the fly with a touch of a button.
Secondly, I would love to spend my afternoon or late evening in bed (just the evening in bed, don't read that the wrong way
) with a tablet reading comics, news, etc... right now I do all of that on my phone, since I don't want to lug my Macbook around (I prefer to leave it in the office, hooked up to the monitor). I would really like a proper screen to look at, instead of squinting at that small screen! 2. I was more productive when I used Windows. Well, save for the constant crashing and freezing, of course. But the thing is that I freaking love Outlook (and I hear Windows 10 is a huge step forwards). I'm a big fan of the Getting Things Done method and despite the love that this approach has been getting on the Mac, the combination between email and task management in Outlook is unparalleled for me.
"So get Outlook for Mac," you might say. Not the same thing. The Mac version simply doesn't work the same, in terms of functionality, shortcuts, etc. If it did, I would have been all over it (I have friends who even run Parallels with Windows, just to get to work with proper Outlook or Excel!!).
With these two things in mind, a Surface device seems like a no-brainer. The Surface Pro 4 looks sexy as heck (not unimportant when you're a consultant, let me tell you) and the reviews show it's equally awesome as a tablet as well as a laptop.
However, I have some concerns:
1. First, I'm wondering which one I should actually pick. The SP4 is obviously the most developed, but also the most expensive. But do I really need it for my type of work? Productivity is very important to me, so is portability as a tablet. So maybe I could just get a Surface 3 (or wait for the Surface 4?).
2. Second, battery life is apparently an issue with these devices. Now, for laptop mode, this isn't a huge issue for me: my 4-year old Macbook is hooked up to power whenever I get the chance, anyway. It lasts a few hours, but it's older and I prefer not to have to worry about the battery running out.
As a side note, I wonder if the cable for a Surface is as long as my Macbook cable (and I'd need it to be!!).
However, when using tablet mode (which I would definitely be using to take notes during meetings on the one hand, and watching video or browsing on the other) I don't want to be forced to put it in the charger twice a day.
3. If I get the cheaper Surface 3, how long will it last? My Macbook Pro has an i7 processor and even though it's massive overkill for what I do on it, it does still run super-smooth. I love that and I hated the constant lagging on my old Windows machine. I hate having to wait for stuff to load, even if it's webpages. I worry a cheaper Surface might start to annoy me in a year's time (and I do want to be using it for at least 2 years).
In short, my workflow would be as follows:
1. At home, hook up the Surface to a monitor, mouse and keyboard and use it as a desktop computer.
2. After work is done for the day, I'd detach the tablet part and take it downstairs for casual surfing and maybe a movie or something.
3. When abroad, it works as a regular laptop, preferably for several hours without charge. I can take out the tablet part when I want to make notes. I don't really want to hook it up to power if I have to, until I get home. However, the tablet parts will rarely take the entire day: I will use it in laptop mode more often and if the cable is long enough, I will hook it up.
4. As a tablet, it'd need to last about 5 hours for practice sessions and church services with the band.
With all of that in mind, what would you guys recommend for me? A Surface 3, a Surface Pro 3, a Surface Pro 4... or something else completely?
Thank you so much for your time.
Henrik
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