Likes:
1) Standardization. My OS on my personal desktop looks like my OS on my SP3 looks (almost) like my desktop on my work laptop. Office is Office. Sorry, but all other Office-like apps feel like knock-offs to me, no matter how great/legitimate they may be.
2) Convenience. I redirected My Documents etc to my OneDrive on desktop and SP3, and now all my files are accessible no matter where I am, without any effort/logging in/downloading/opening a OneDrive/Google Docs/DropBox app. This sort of goes hand-in-hand with #1.
3) Power. I am essentially holding a desktop in my hand. I can browse the internet or run Visual Studio on a tablet. Word.
Dislikes:
1) This is a Windows machine, not a consumer device. iPads etc are stripped down so you can't do much, but in return they operate very consistently. In contrast, I had to uninstall (one of
two!!!!) OneDrive applications to prevent constant syncing from eating up my battery. Unbeknownst to me, installing Visual Studio made Windows run on a hypervisor that alters my hibernation states and makes Wi-Fi mildly annoying. Etc.
2) It is nice to have a desktop in tablet form, but that sometimes things are optimized for touch (or at least touch is feasible), sometimes I
have to use the pen to have enough precision to push tiny buttons. Basically, touch is a new feature that a lot of applications aren't compatible with. Not that I expect them to be, but it just is a reminder that I'm straddling two digital worlds.
3) The form factor. There are a few angles on this:
3a) I use the keyboard 99.7% of the time, which means that every time I open it I have to set it kickstand-side up, open the kickstand, tip it over, and open the keyboard. It's a two-hand operation. In comparison,
I can open my iPad in a Zagg keyboard in one smooth motion with one hand. The multitude of viewing angles isn't worth the tradeoff to me. (And, I'd just like to point out, a similar keyboard could be made for SP3...you just wouldn't open the kickstand at all)
3b) The touchpad on the keyboard means the keyboard takes up about another ~18 square inches of space it doesn't really need to, considering the whole screen is touch! Again, compare to the iPad/Zagg combo, which has a smaller footprint on a desk/table.
3c) Lapability. The whole thing is just a floppy mess. I knew this when I bought it, but it annoys me more than I expected. I have to have a solid surface that extends from the front edge of the keyboard clear to the kickstand to have a good laptop experience. When I pick it up, the keyboard dangles and the kickstand sticks out. One more time, compare to iPad/Zagg, which can be solidly placed on any surface, has a footprint about 4" shallower, can be easily closed to pick up, or can be picked up one-handed without the keyboard flopping down.
Misc Thought
One big draw for me was using the pen to mark up Powerpoint slides. My job (usually) involves lots of meetings with lots of slides. A few years ago I started putting them on my iPad to save paper and be able to carry more info around all the time. The SP3 offered the potential to 1) take notes in split-screen format, and/or more power to use native PPT notes, and 2) the potential to mark up slides with a pen. Life is kind of funny, because I just haven't needed to do that much recently, so I haven't had the chance to test out one of its biggest intended purposes in a real-life setting. I look forward to being able to do this.
