SP3 Dock - payment to MS is pending on CC

[daveyp]

Agreed, it is so much more. I spent a semester of school coming home each night and hooking up my SP1 to a usb hub, my monitors and speakers, and plugging it in with its power cable. Granted, I only spent about 45 dollars for the usb/ethernet hub and dvi cable, but the inconvenience of daily hooking and unhooking cables, hooking up the power cable and then having to disconnect it all to go back into my backpack, really got to be a pain and hindered me from unhooking once hooked up for casual use. After using the cheaper alternative, I am very excited to have the opportunity to use the new dock. As I'm writing this I DO realize how petty having to hook/unhook cables may be for some and in that case I recommend you go with the cheaper alternative as I have tried. This was definitely a WANT and not a NEED, but am looking forward to the ease of it very much.

why would it all go back into your backpack? if we're doing apples to apples, you still need to disconnect the dock, all the cables and put it in all your backpack. i'd rather carry a hub then a bulky dock?

after a USB hub is initially set up, there's only three cables to connect to have speakers, two monitors, ethernet, keyboard, mouse all hooked up. they are audio, one usb port and one video out. when you;re done, you disconnect and leave them there just as you would the dock. but the advantage of the hub, is the you have the option of taking it with you and using it on the go.

i dont dislike the dock, its a nice accessory, if it were priced around $100. it is just overpriced for what it is in my opinion. I can get the same functionality for $40 and that's what I will be getting.

 

[mcsenerd]

I said I think it is little more than a usb hub. There's only a couple things the dock can accomplish that a $40 usb/ethernet hub cannot. If the charger for the dock was compatible with the surface that would mean something, but it's not.

It's a dock...not a portable port expander. Why must it come with another adapter to fit the SP3 directly? It's meant to be a convenience item...get to work/office plop the SP3 in and get to work. Is it for everyone? Maybe not...but it's not anything like a USB hub. (like the SP3 needs any more CPU sucking functions going on to heat it up like a USB Dock will)

 

[mcsenerd]

It's a dock...not a portable port expander. Why must it come with another adapter to fit the SP3 directly? It's meant to be a convenience item...get to work/office plop the SP3 in and get to work. Is it for everyone? Maybe not...but it's not anything like a USB hub. (like the SP3 needs any more CPU sucking functions going on to heat it up like a USB Dock will)

I come into the office today and connect: 1) MiniDisplay port to DVI adapter 2) the SP3 power adapter 3) A 3-port USB/Ethernet hub. So, I guess using your logic all docks are pointless and irrelevant? I can't today use both of my office monitors (DVI only), but I'll be able to with the dock I'm pretty sure. Is it pricey? I dunno, but I'm thinking just about everything, including the SP3 itself is pretty damn pricey.

 

[daveyp]

It's a dock...not a portable port expander. Why must it come with another adapter to fit the SP3 directly? It's meant to be a convenience item...get to work/office plop the SP3 in and get to work. Is it for everyone? Maybe not...but it's not anything like a USB hub. (like the SP3 needs any more CPU sucking functions going on to heat it up like a USB Dock will)

I get that. I'm complaining about the price, not the accessory. Though I'm wondering why there isnt more functionality included at that price point. I have a dock for my thinkpad tablet. but it offers a lot more than the surface pro's dock does and cost about half as much. The dock will go down in price just as the SP1/2 docks did and I'll probably grab it then.

 

[Zog1971]

why would it all go back into your backpack? if we're doing apples to apples, you still need to disconnect the dock, all the cables and put it in all your backpack. i'd rather carry a hub then a bulky dock?

after a USB hub is initially set up, there's only three cables to connect to have speakers, two monitors, ethernet, keyboard, mouse all hooked up. they are audio, one usb port and one video out. when you;re done, you disconnect and leave them there just as you would the dock. but the advantage of the hub, is the you have the option of taking it with you and using it on the go.

i dont dislike the dock, its a nice accessory, if it were priced around $100. it is just overpriced for what it is in my opinion. I can get the same functionality for $40 and that's what I will be getting.

Just the power cable and sp3 back into the backback. No, I was not taking the usb hub with me to school. It is going to be nice to not have to take the power cable out each night and hook it into the wall along with the usb hub, mini dvi, and speaker cable to my SP3. I can leave it in the backpack as my portable power supply and simply put the SP3 into the dock as it has its own power. Look, it is obviously not for you and I FULLY understand as I balked at the SP1 dock price and didn't go for it. But I have lived with the cheaper option and can 100% tell you from real life experience, this dock will make my life much more enjoyable and timely. (Admitted, a good portion of my frustration with having to hook and unhook the power cable each night for my SP1 had more to do with how difficult the connection could sometimes be to connect. The new SP3 connector is SOOOO much better.) Plus, I know that I will undock it at home more for casual use. I found that even though I wanted to use it, I would just use other devices and leave it plugged in. I wanna just use it and give my netbook and HP touchpad to my family.

 

[daveyp]

Just the power cable and sp3 back into the backback. No, I was not taking the usb hub with me to school. It is going to be nice to not have to take the power cable out each night and hook it into the wall along with the usb hub, mini dvi, and speaker cable to my SP3. I can leave it in the backpack as my portable power supply and simply put the SP3 into the dock as it has its own power. Look, it is obviously not for you and I FULLY understand as I balked at the SP1 dock price and didn't go for it. But I have lived with the cheaper option and can 100% tell you from real life experience, this dock will make my life much more enjoyable and timely. (Admitted, a good portion of my frustration with having to hook and unhook the power cable each night for my SP1 had more to do with how difficult the connection could sometimes be to connect. The new SP3 connector is SOOOO much better.) Plus, I know that I will undock it at home more for casual use. I found that even though I wanted to use it, I would just use other devices and leave it plugged in. I wanna just use it and give my netbook and HP touchpad to my family.

i can tell it offers some convenience (I use a dock as previously stated with my thinkpad and I like it), but I also dont have the needs of some people here. my sp3 was purchased for a different reason than probably most people on these boards. if i were using it as my main computer or regularly in a pseudo desktop-mode then I might be able to justify the price. i just cant help but feel MS is making a big profit on these. best of luck, hope it works out for you

 

[Knuck]

Label created but not yet arrived at UPS, therefore not yet shipped.

 

[Zog1971]

Label created but not yet arrived at UPS, therefore not yet shipped.

Hmmm. When did you order? I wonder if they are getting shipped out in some schedule. I've been able to track the delivery since this morning and it will be here tomorrow (Friday). Although, I have also seen things ship out late in the evening before and still get there next day, so cross your fingers.

 

[Zog1971]

i can tell it offers some convenience (I use a dock as previously stated with my thinkpad and I like it), but I also dont have the needs of some people here. my sp3 was purchased for a different reason than probably most people on these boards. if i were using it as my main computer or regularly in a pseudo desktop-mode then I might be able to justify the price. i just cant help but feel MS is making a big profit on these. best of luck, hope it works out for you

Ahhhh, gotcha. That totally makes a difference. The Surface Pro 1 was my main laptop/PC/tablet. I would take it to school everyday and then hook it back up at home to my setup there that made it a true desktop replacement that is amazing. The SP3 will be the same.

 

[Knuck]

Hmmm. When did you order? I wonder if they are getting shipped out in some schedule. I've been able to track the delivery since this morning and it will be here tomorrow (Friday). Although, I have also seen things ship out late in the evening before and still get there next day, so cross your fingers.

Ordered about 3 weeks ago. Just got notification order has shipped and is scheduled for delivery by the end of today. Fingers crossed.

 

[Traveling_Consultant]

Just got the dock by UPS. Microsoft sent it next day air free of charge for some reason.

It is everything the SP2 dock was - solid, smooth and efficient mechanism, good viewing angle.

The SP3 is better in a few ways:
1. there is a magnet on the left side of the dock that allows you to attach your pen in an upright position
2. The video and USB ports on the SP3 are above the dock and this gives you access to more ports to use while docked.
3. There are more USB 3 ports vs. the surface (3 in the dock, 1 available on the SP3). There are also 2 USB 2 ports.

The mechanism is even smoother, because there is only one thing to be inserted into the right side of the SP3. The SP2 dock required that the USB and the display por

t be inserted into the SP2 by the dock.

I'm very glad I have it and will use it every day for work.

Also, FYI, the cover keyboard will work both flat and at an angle since the magnets in the keyboard will still fold up and attach to the surface.

 

[bluegrass]

Wow! I didn't expect a firestorm debate as to the merits of the SP3 dock. I installed 4 Lenovo docks where I work for users that got a new Lenovo T440 laptop. The price for the docks were right at $200. Most docks provide about the same as what the new SP3 dock but not quite. I can't think what more you would want in a dock than all the USB 3 ports, Usb2 ports, graphics port, audio, & Ethernet.

Port replicators like what was being discussed as good as a dock is a bit off. Port replicators try and push all of the Ethernet, Video, Audio, & extra USB ports through one port, which is typically a USB 2 connection to the laptop. I haven't found one client that used the video from the port replicator happy with it. The SP3 dock as well as the Lenovo docks I mentioned above are connected directly to the backplane of the computer instead of typically a USB port. This makes a huge difference.

I'll be picking mine up at my local MS store on my lunch hour today. I called yesterday and they sat one aside for me.