Laptop Hinge vs Kickstand Poll for SP4

[markusbeutel]

Recently purchased the Acer Switch 11 after having had too many issues with my SP3's, and the magnetic hinge Acer's employed here is what Microsoft needs to copy for the SP4. The keyboard is still super light, but it's a full keyboard, with an excellent trackpad, and I've really noticed how much space it saves, not having to extend a kickstand which just adds too much to the SP3's footprint imo.

The Switch has virtually the same specs as the i3 SP3, albeit with a lower resolution and an 11.6 inch screen, but if you factor in the cost of the type cover, the Switch 11 is almost $500 cheaper after my student discount...

Anyone else prefer the traditional laptop hinge to the SP3's kickstand?

http://us.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/series/aspireswitch11

 

[jnjroach]

I don't want a laptop-esque, it isn't as flexible as the Surface with kickstand\cover. The docked keyboard is an old paradigm and would make the SP4 no different then the other OEMs and if that is the direction Microsoft goes it should just drop out of the hardware business as it offers nothing that is pushing the envelope....

 

[Grumpy2]

Each to his own and I guess everyone needs to buy and use what suits them. I personally like my Sp3, it's type cover and kick stand. For me the kick stand is one of my favourite features. I also like the fact that the keyboard and device can be separated when needed.

 

[markusbeutel]

I don't want a laptop-esque, it isn't as flexible as the Surface with kickstand\cover. The docked keyboard is an old paradigm and would make the SP4 no different then the other OEMs and if that is the direction Microsoft goes it should just drop out of the hardware business as it offers nothing that is pushing the envelope....

But why wouldn't you want a better keyboard? Like, an actual keyboard that's as light as the current type cover and just as thin? I feel like that's where MS should be going with the SP4. From an buyer's perspective, the type cover just looks like a cheap compromise with its felt material that gets super dirty super quick. It's kind of cheating in a way, to get the weight of the total device down, but if it were possible to accomplish this with an actual keyboard, I don't see the negative there.

If you really want a kickstand, I think it'd be possible for MS to come up with some sort of all-in-one alternative, where the SP4 still has a kickstand, AND has an actual keyboard. That might please everyone if the form factor / weight / size stays the same.

 

[jnjroach]

But why wouldn't you want a better keyboard? Like, an actual keyboard that's as light as the current type cover and just as thin? I feel like that's where MS should be going with the SP4. From an buyer's perspective, the type cover just looks like a cheap compromise with its felt material that gets super dirty super quick. It's kind of cheating in a way, to get the weight of the total device down, but if it were possible to accomplish this with an actual keyboard, I don't see the negative there.

If you really want a kickstand, I think it'd be possible for MS to come up with some sort of all-in-one alternative, where the SP4 still has a kickstand, AND has an actual keyboard. That might please everyone if the form factor / weight / size stays the same.

It has an actual keyboard already that I use all day....I don't think it feels cheap or is a cheat.

I'm sorry, but all of the Intel 2 and 1 designs that I've tested are awful with cheap plastic-y keyboard docks or swivel hinges (Yoga or Twist). And since MS is selling a billion dollars worth of Surfaces a quarter I think the vast majority are choosing the Surface Design over the other OEM's conservative choices.

If MS went that direction with the SP4 I'm done with them....the inconvenient, are top heavy or too heavy and end up being used as laptops. I use mine as a tablet at least 50% of the time and some times up to 80% depending on what my day looks like.

 

[VickiFL]

I like the kick stand because it is unique. I hope they don't change it.

 

[markusbeutel]

It has an actual keyboard already that I use all day....I don't think it feels cheap or is a cheat.

I'm sorry, but all of the Intel 2 and 1 designs that I've tested are awful with cheap plastic-y keyboard docks or swivel hinges (Yoga or Twist). And since MS is selling a billion dollars worth of Surfaces a quarter I think the vast majority are choosing the Surface Design over the other OEM's conservative choices.

If MS went that direction with the SP4 I'm done with them....the inconvenient, are top heavy or too heavy and end up being used as laptops. I use mine as a tablet at least 50% of the time and some times up to 80% depending on what my day looks like.

I'd argue that they're choosing the surface for everything BUT the keyboard. They're buying it because it's pretty much the only laptop/tablet replacement in the 12' range with the specs it has. Everyone else still mostly has 10 or 13' designs, which feel either too small, or too large when used as a laptop replacement. The keyboard is always the negative in any reviews for the surface as it just bounces around when you type on it and doesn't feel sturdy at all... I grew to like it when I used it, but I still don't understand why you wouldn't want an identical form factor with superior materials and a hinge mechanism, but to each his own I suppose.

Also, you can't seriously think that the vast majority are choosing Surfaces over other devices... It might be the most popular compared to other brands one on one, but overall, sales of OEM devices TRUMP sales of the SP3. Again, no numbers here, but I fail to see how MS sells more Surfaces than all of HP/Lenovo/Asus/Acer/Toshiba/Samsung/Sony etc - that's just wishful thinking imo.

If MS does keep the current type-cover form factor, would you be opposed to them making it out of some sort of plastic/magnesium finish with actual chiclet style keys? That's a compromise I could live with at the very least.

 

[markusbeutel]

I like the kick stand because it is unique. I hope they don't change it.

My preference would moreover be that they retain the kickstand, while at the same time, implement a hinge dock/keyboard in lieu of the typecover - the best of both worlds more or less - not THAT would be unique.

 

[hughlle]

If i wanted a laptop, id just buy a laptop. It was that tablet capability coupled with the kickstand that sold it for me.

Footprint, lapability, however you want to describe it, it has never been an issue in any way, and i love the keyboard that we have at present. Sure its expensive, but it types well, is light, thin, i just pull it off when i dont need it, and snap it on when i do. I couldnt ask for anything else.

Since getting to uni, the majority of my tutor group have expressed a desire to save money and buy one, having seen me pull out a sleek tablet with a stylus and the kickstand. It seems to be what people like the look of. I have no desire to have a bulky akward 2 in 1, and neither do they. There is a reason 2 in 1s have been around so long and sold so poorly. The surface does a great job of being both a tablet and a laptop, near every 2 in 1 ive looked at does a crap job of being both.

 

[Snickers]

Kickstand = tablet angle flexibility on desk for pen+drawing, in bed for reading and on lap for typing/browsing.

For me, the Kickstand makes it the most flexible tablet I've ever used. For me the Kickstand is more important as a tablet feature than a keyboard feature.

 

[markusbeutel]

Kickstand = tablet angle flexibility on desk for pen+drawing, in bed for reading and on lap for typing/browsing.

For me, the Kickstand makes it the most flexible tablet I've ever used. For me the Kickstand is more important as a tablet feature than a keyboard feature.

Similar reason why I prefer the Acer Switch 11 now, you can attach the tablet to the keyboard both forwards and backwards, so you can lean it backwards so it's laying flat, or at any angle in between - just like with the Surface. It feels like one of the first hybrids to get it right - but I'll admit that most of the hinge/yoga mechanisms haven't been designed all that well.

Will be interesting to see if more people start copying the kickstand of the Surface or keep improving the hinge and the thinness of an actual keyboard. HP released the Envy X2 that has a soft, type-cover version keyboard, but it looks like they botched the hardware as the tablet itself looks ghastly. They did make it magnetically attach to the tablet when closed though, I think that's one feature the SP4 is sure to have if they keep going with the type cover.

 

[Snickers]

Similar reason why I prefer the Acer Switch 11 now, you can attach the tablet to the keyboard both forwards and backwards, so you can lean it backwards so it's laying flat, or at any angle in between - just like with the Surface. It feels like one of the first hybrids to get it right - but I'll admit that most of the hinge/yoga mechanisms haven't been designed all that well.

Will be interesting to see if more people start copying the kickstand of the Surface or keep improving the hinge and the thinness of an actual keyboard. HP released the Envy X2 that has a soft, type-cover version keyboard, but it looks like they botched the hardware as the tablet itself looks ghastly. They did make it magnetically attach to the tablet when closed though, I think that's one feature the SP4 is sure to have if they keep going with the type cover.

Yep - you're right it's all about tablet usability. I would add though that I like the fact that I can use the Surface with Kickstand in tablet mode with no keyboard and thus have the advantage of the weight saving. That's the key for me - a tablet I can use flexibly without the flexibility being reliant on the (added weight of a) keyboard.

Some ppl will want their keyboard with them all the time tho - so obviously YMMV