My thoughts on the Surface(6 months later) and things i notice

[Surface Dude]

I actually brought this service in Late February to replace my old laptop that crapped out on me. Except I really treated this 600 dollar investment(Keyboard included) as merely a Kindle/Nook. All I did was read books on it and play games and occasionaly browse sites that are easier to read on the surface rt instead of my Lumia.

For some reason I just refused to use my tablet and it made me wonder why I even got it in the first place(Other than for novelty reasons, I like having new and flashy things).

In fact I had been using my original laptop even though it was crappy as hell. The laptop would randomly start typing letters randomly ssssssssss and you have to press another key on the keyboard to get it to stop typing the letters lol. Then the keyboard on the laptop would stop working and I had to USB keyboard and lay it on top of the laptop which is a bit lame when you are in the library haha.

But it wasn't until June I realized why I didn't like my surface rt and it wasn't because of the Surface itself...It was the size. I think the reason I was willing to be annoyed and aggravated with the old laptop and treated my Surface RT as merely a tablet was because I wasn't used to typing with a screen less than 17 or so inches.

Add on the fact the touchpad was a bit of a hard adjustment for me to use but I like it because it is different and I didn't want the type cover. The size of the screen just sort of bothered me when typing.

With that said, since June, my old laptop literally will not work now...it crashes a bit and I have been adjusting to my surface RT more. I am using it now as we speak. Ironically, I am not using it as a tablet anymore as much. I am using it as a laptop.

This tablet has gotten me so much attention and questions asked at my high school when I brought it to school. It's not hard to stand out when everyone in class is using an ipad or Galaxy Tablet or Nexus Tablet....I have my Cyan Touch Pad and my hinge and I am good to go with my tiles.

It's gotten me a lot of awareness....and I am sincerely hoping that Microsoft will do something more with the new gen of devices for schools. Get these tablets in the hands of young pre-teens and teens. Start hyping it up more.

I just started college and I expected to be the only one with the Surface in my classes again...what do you know the guy in my class has a surface Pro and his touchpad is red and we sort of did that knowing Nod and smile as we looked around us and saw a bunch of people with ipads.

I know whatever enhancements Microsoft has made for the new Gen will be good improvements likely but what really needs to improve is their mentality when it comes to marketing because these products can compete with Ipads and Galaxy Tabs and Nexus...you just need to market it and show people WHY!

it's been 6 months of using this and I am still adjusting to the screen size from a full fledged laptop but I honestly don't want another laptop...I may go pro and get a Pro Surface but I love the form factor, I just wish the screen was bigger but I am okay with it now.

The touchpad certainly is cool(more so than the type cover) and even 6 months later I think it is cool..that said I only use the touchpad if I want to show off a bit lol. I have since started using a full USB keyboard and my finger as the mouse.

I love my little RT It is the perfect college companion!

 

[Jglnaz372]

Good luck in college. Have fun, but remember the hard work will pay off in the future.

I myself over the years tried many different tablets, laptops, phones, etc. Some get used until they wear out and break and others end up in the junk drawer. Not because the item is no good, it just did not end up working for me at that time. Like you I still used some of my older stuff mainly because I was just use to it even though I had a new tablet. Then situations change and that little used device gets moved up to spot #1. lol.

I am interested to see what happens with the future form factors of many of the tablets out there. Rumors of 13 inch screen iPads, retina iPad mini, surface 2 with more power and better screen resolution/clarity, the new phablets which are interesting because of the ability to have a big enough screen for an older dude like me to see what is on it and phone, GPS, Internet, all in one easy to carry product. Smart phones are great for when I am on trips or out of town for family business, but I always wished the screen was just a bit bigger since the 7 inch tablet is just too big as a pocket carrying product for myself. But as always what works for one will not for others. I am always thankful we just have choices.

Let us know how the Surface works for you in college.

Take care.

Jeff

 

[oion]

There's a lesson here.

If you had stopped at the point where "the screen is too small," that means you hadn't given time to adjust and/or you had simply bought the wrong device for yourself--and screen size isn't the fault of the device there, as plenty of other people like it fine. ("Cramped" is using Photoshop 4 on an 8" screen. Yes, I've done that.) The same goes for the Win8 "start screen" sans start menu; it takes some getting used to, but actually works fine in the touch environment.

I've reiterated many times that Microsoft did a crap marketing job and should have marketed the Surface RT to students from the very beginning. I just hope whatever marketing folks they hired for the retarded dancing commercials were fired forthwith.

Great to see you "grew into" your device. Now go out there and be the best marketing any company can hope for: actual users in actual use cases.

 

[pallentx]

Yes, I absolutely think its a perfect student companion. But I don't think people should think of it as a limited student niche product. It fits that niche now because of Office. As more software gets developed, it has potential to do way beyond writing papers and surfing the web.

 

[beman39]

good write up bud, I have the RT and am quite happy with it, but I'm leaning on getting the Surface 2 when it comes out so I can play some good games on there, since ALOT of people are very satisfied of the performance the Pro is dishing out! Dunno since my RT is performing so well I just can't justify buying the Pro... lol

 

[oion]

If you have a decent desktop rig capable of gaming, getting the Pro for gaming is redundant and pointless, besides which a tower rig will always have much longer total lifespan when you can easily upgrade individual parts for cheaper than a proprietary locked-in mobile unit. Buying a Pro for gaming is an even worse reason if you plan on using the Surface for school. So RT for students is great--agreed with pallentx that the RT isn't limited to the student niche, but for targeted marketing, that (was and is) the best place to start.

 

[beman39]

well I'm not in school anymore but I am on the road a lot so, being able to game on the road will be fun (not while driving obviously) since I cant bring my gaming rig with me, right? that would be the fun, kool factor of the PRO...

 

[Lolvo]

My RT and setup impresses classmates daily, and professors are astounded at a college student using a device so efficiently.

For example, I was showing my E-Engineering professor a theoretical situation today, and navigated between the Modern UI and Desktop, and eventually used an RDC app to remote into my University's server host to access a certain program - I had to explain my project again because all he could think about was my tablet...which ended with a 15-minute crash course about the Surface lineup for him.

It blows all other tablet devices (besides the Pro) out of the water.

Not to mention my textbooks are eTextbooks and are able to be accessed 24/7 on my device - at 1/5th the weight, and $350 cheaper.

Great device, and I plan on keeping it until the upgrade to SP II.

 

[demandarin]

My RT and setup impresses classmates daily, and professors are astounded at a college student using a device so efficiently.

For example, I was showing my E-Eng professor a theoretical situation today, and navigated between the Modern UI and Desktop, and eventually using an RDC app to remote into my University's server host to access a certain program - I had to explain my project again because all he could think about was my tablet...which ended with a 15-minute crash course about the Surface lineup for him.

It blows all other tablet devices (besides the Pro) out of the water.

Not to mention my textbooks are eTextbooks and are able to be accessed 24/7 on my device - at 1/5th the weight.

Great device, and I plan on keeping it until the upgrade to SP II.

A great case and point on how useful the RT is. Its just that I don't think most people know the RT is capable of so much more than just web browsing and such. Its compared to much to iPad when in fact this is alot more capable device.

 

[oion]

My RT and setup impresses classmates daily, and professors are astounded at a college student using a device so efficiently.

For example, I was showing my E-Engineering professor a theoretical situation today, and navigated between the Modern UI and Desktop, and eventually used an RDC app to remote into my University's server host to access a certain program - I had to explain my project again because all he could think about was my tablet...which ended with a 15-minute crash course about the Surface lineup for him.

It blows all other tablet devices (besides the Pro) out of the water.

Not to mention my textbooks are eTextbooks and are able to be accessed 24/7 on my device - at 1/5th the weight, and $350 cheaper.

Great device, and I plan on keeping it until the upgrade to SP II.

See, a 30-second spot showing a college student trying to show his/her work to classmates/professor but being interrupted by distracted people would've been a great ad. Stupid MS.

 

[Lolvo]

A great case and point on how useful the RT is. Its just that I don't think most people know the RT is capable of so much more than just web browsing and such. Its compared to much to iPad when in fact this is alot more capable device.

The Surface RT is my first tablet; I've fooled around with iPad's and knew what to expect from the RT. Although, I also expected the RT would disappoint me with its limitations - and yet it has not. Now I find myself asking "why?" when friends say they use an iPad. Lol

The functionality truly is on a different level.

See, a 30-second spot showing a college student trying to show his/her work to classmates/professor but being interrupted by distracted people would've been a great ad. Stupid MS.

Funny that you say that, my professor mentioned that as well, because he was nearly convinced to purchase an SP for his work and ditch the laptop.


We should work for M$.. New Marketing team?
I bet we could get hands on an SPII if you "asked nicely"

 

[oion]

Funny that you say that, my professor mentioned that as well, because he was nearly convinced to purchase an SP for his work and ditch the laptop.

We should work for M$.. New Marketing team?
I bet we could get hands on an SPII if you "asked nicely"

Well, I don't like the idea of actually working for a product brand. I already work for one, to which I have zero loyalty, and a friend offered me a job with McAfee's marketing dept, but I declined because I honestly can't stand their products.

The problem is credibility.

If a product reviewer worked for the brand, that person's credibility is shot. No one would take you seriously because, well, convincing people becomes your job.

Then if a product reviewer received any benefits besides the testing unit from the brand, that also harms credibility. It's a sort of "kick-back." Heck, some people dismiss opinions of reviewers if they even received the unit for free, which is a bit extreme to me.

By that count, the most authentic opinions are thus from users who spent the cash themselves. ("Authentic" doesn't necessarily mean good-quality opinion, though, as plenty of users have stupid opinions like "RT should allow legacy desktop software.")

From that hierarchy of credibility, then, how could MS compensate actual users for this sort of ground-trooper advertising? Perhaps an eternal warranty and tech support for as long as the informal user-advertiser owns the device, or a non-expiring offer for a trade-up? Or a referral program if you get others to purchase, and then you get something in return (accessories, other discounts, whatever).