Surface 2 or Bay Trail Tablet?

[geisslingen]

I am sure the Sony Vaio will be an expensive tablet and I also noted the flimsy keyboard covering due to using magnets, but I am sure Sony will fix that. Tablets IMHO will get really interesting next year when Intel begin releasing their new Broadwell SOC product line which will lead to the availability x86 fanless tablets as the new 14nm architecture will have even better power management than the current Haswell product line and the result will be longer battery operation.

 

[demandarin]

The new pro is a beast but I know pro with broadwell will be a game changer. This makes me 2nd guess getting a new pro. I could just get new powercover amd extend the battery life of my existing pro. Although broadwell will be fanless, I hope it'll care the same performance or better as my current pro. No tradeoffs on performance. We can expect pro3 with broadwell to be just as thin and light as Surface 2.

 

[geisslingen]

If I had a Surface Pro I would definitely hold on upgrading till Surface Pro 3 becomes available with the Broadwell processor and maybe LTE capability. But that's just my personal choice, of course the new keyboard is worth upgrading to. I am interested to know what was your experience with the Surface Pro (1) type cover, was it accurate and easy to use?

 

[mitchellvii]

THE DEVICE MICROSOFT SHOULD HAVE MADE:

Surface 2 should have been Bay Trail with a pen and all other specs the same except for one more usb port and an 11.6" screen. They should have scrapped the Surface Pro 2 altogether. While SP2 seems like a fine device, I do not believe it will find a large target audience as it's form factor is too limited compared to other hybrids.

Bay Trail Surface 2 would have been a WIN but MS is committed to ARM as they wish to merge Windows Phone and Windows RT Apps Marketplace. By protecting their sunk costs they are missing a real opportunity. More tunnel vision from MS.

Too bad. Surface 2 coulda been a contender.

 

[demandarin]

If I had a Surface Pro I would definitely hold on upgrading till Surface Pro 3 becomes available with the Broadwell processor and maybe LTE capability. But that's just my personal choice, of course the new keyboard is worth upgrading to. I am interested to know what was your experience with the Surface Pro (1) type cover, was it accurate and easy to use?

the type cover I have with my pro works great. haven't had any issues so far. I have a moko rotary case. it allows various angles. so the majority of the time I use my type cover, its in my lap. it feels sturdy enough and is very accurate. the key travel is good also for speedy and accurate typing. I highly recommend the type cover or even the new one since its backlit and has the trackpad like the touch cover. that allows better/more gesture support. plus the new type cover is thinner. said to be just as thin as the original touch cover. so unless you can find an original type cover on a great deal, id recommend the new one over the old one. like with my type cover, I got it as an open box item at bestbuy. it was like over $30 dollars cheaper than original price. still has warranty on it and everything.

all in all, I love the slim form factor of the type/touch keyboard covers. it works well for me. whenever im not using it, I just easily detach it. when im ready to use it again I just quickly let it snap back in place. I feel that's one of the coolest aspects of it. the simple and fast way it attaches.

also to add, I have big hands and I have no issues typing on it. trackpad works well also.

 

[mitchellvii]

The new bay trail and Haswell tablets coming from Dell are a stake through the heart of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2. Cheaper, better. A fully equipped Surface Pro2 128 GB will cost you about $1200. The new amazing Dell XPS 11 with a bigger screen, higher resolution, more ports, unlimited viewing angles and longer battery life will sell for $1000.

How does Surface 2 stand a chance? And why would I buy an RT tablet for more than I would pay for a Bay Trail tablet that runs full windows?

MS says they sold out their pre-order but conveniently refused to mention how many units that was. Of course you will always get your rush of upgraders and early adopters but the competition will just keep getting better and better and able to offer their product for less and less.

MS stuck with ARM for Surface 2 because they want to unify Windows Phone and Windows RT. Dumb.

 

[demandarin]

" And why would I buy an RT tablet for more than I would pay for a Bay Trail tablet that runs full windows?"

simple, for the same reasons people buy more ipads over everything. some people like the simplicity of it. there are people scared away from more technical aspects of the full blown OS. plus the RT line is more secure. You should be asking Delta airlines this question then.. as they see the Surface2 line more than fit. I think they were originally considering Dell but MS beat them out.

 

[jnjroach]

Some people will buy the Dell, but they are plastic and Intel's track record with Atom SoC is suspect.

The Surface 2 is the thinnest, highest quality tablet being released. The Surface Pro is using Wacom Digitizer and Dell is using a Synaptics First Generation Digitizer which s touch first and pen second, questions remain on the Digitizer's effectiveness for daily inking.

 

[oion]

" And why would I buy an RT tablet for more than I would pay for a Bay Trail tablet that runs full windows?"

simple, for the same reasons people buy more ipads over everything. some people like the simplicity of it. there are people scared away from more technical aspects of the full blown OS. plus the RT line is more secure. You should be asking Delta airlines this question then.. as they see the Surface2 line more than fit. I think they were originally considering Dell but MS beat them out.

Don't forget "value added." Windows RT comes with Office 2013 RT, and that's a pretty big value added. For a fair comparison on base device spec without extra software, you'd have to subtract $$$ from the Surface RT devices or add $$$ to the Win8 devices (for consumer use). Corporate accounts are going to add the devices under umbrella licensing, but that's neither here nor there if we're talking about individual choice anyway.

For non-commercial use, the separate Office 2013 applications are officially $290, add $100 for Outlook. Around $200 for the box. If you're a student, you can luck out with a $80 Office 365 subscription, but I hate the idea of being forced to "call home" every 30 days, and I like to keep my software for a long time if it's working for me. 365 is $99 a year otherwise, so if you plan on keeping your device three years, subtract/add $300 from the WinRT/8 devices for comparison.

Some people will buy the Dell, but they are plastic and Intel's track record with Atom SoC is suspect.

The Surface 2 is the thinnest, highest quality tablet being released. The Surface Pro is using Wacom Digitizer and Dell is using a Synaptics First Generation Digitizer which s touch first and pen second, questions remain on the Digitizer's effectiveness for daily inking.

Honestly, when I first opened the box for my Acer Iconia-whatever, I was immediately disappointed by the plastic. Very cheap. It has flex. My very first subnotebook was in full magnesium alloy casing, and then its replacement was mostly plastic, but even that plastic was "higher quality" (I think the IBM thinkpads were also plastic, but you can tell the quality difference).

 

[jnjroach]

To be fare, the Dell Venue Pro 8 will come with Office 2013 Home and Student as all under 10" systems get free Office now, but the 11" won't but neither does the SP2.

 

[demandarin]

ill admit the Dell 8in. is catching my interest. but I want to wait to see if MS actually releases a mini surface and how they will compare spec wise. if they don't, then I might look into a smaller 8in. but ill be going into it knowing its limitations and such. but to have a full blown OS in that small form factor would be cool. but id likely use Metro UI more than anything with something that small.