Surface 3... what do you want!?

[ChemCat]

I already have an iPad, and I never once said I want the device to be thinner, I was responding to another user. Moreover, desire for thinness alone isn't an implication that the iPad is the best tablet to buy.

No, but from the sound of your previous post you didn't care much for the usb port. This is perhaps the single most useful feature that makes this tablet a work tablet instead of a toy like everything else. Apple users always try to give you a lecture on this supposed paradigm shift away from transfering data via usb. And yet I have not seen a single one that has made their ipad beyond an email device. Android users ain't much better.

Yesterday I field tested my surface while doing inspection. People later commented that they saw me playing games out there. I just rolled my eyes and pressed the print button to print out my data from the surface while those poor bastards had to do all their calculations by hand... with their ipads right next to them.

Like I said, there are plenty of gaming devices already. Take your pick. Don't try to make this one a gaming device only tablet also.

 

[slvrdrgn123]

Didn't know my post would start such a heated debate. I was just going with the topic of the thread which is "what do you want in the surface 3". I'm sure we can all agree that no one here will complain if they can make the next version lighter and thinner. Like someone else said, even if not thinner, at least lighter would make a world of difference for usage as a tablet. And as difficult as it is to do, it is their job to innovate this new market they've created for a different class of tablets. We all want the power of the Pro in the size and weight of an Air. If not in version 3, then maybe version 4 or whenever the technology allows it. I'm just saying I hope it's sooner rather than later.

 

[ChemCat]

I'm sorry if my words appeared heated. What I'm saying is if you want an air then get the ipad air.

The single most useful part of the surface is the usb port. Last week I visited another engineering firm's office. When I was there I noticed everyone had an ipad. Their company bought everyone an ipad. But they only use it for email. When they needed to pull up the plan pdf file, they scrambled back to their laptops. I later asked why not pull it up in their ipads and they said they didn't know how to put the pdf in there.

And yet if you tell an ipad user about the lack of ports you get a lecture on paradigm shift away from usb ports.

Sacrificing usability for thinness and lightness will make the surface into just another toy. We already got plenty email devices selling at $499.99. By all means make the surface lighter. But I swear if they decide to make the surface into another ipad toy, they won't get my support or money.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I take it you've all heard about the new USB coming soon this shall eventually be implemented into future Surface models and will of course allow the devices to get thinner!

The next USB plug will finally be reversible | The Verge

 

[ChemCat]

I take it you've all heard about the new USB coming soon this shall eventually be implemented into future Surface models and will of course allow the devices to get thinner!

The next USB plug will finally be reversible | The Verge

As long as I can transfer stuff in and out without having to fumble around trying to find an adapter.

Anyone who has ever done some real work knows how important it is to be able to easily put stuff in and take stuff out of it. Only gamers and students think otherwise.

 

[CrippsCorner]

That made me laugh, and cry at the same time... I work in the NHS where all USB ports are blocked! We also can't send or receive any emails above 20Mb, or upload/download to any service like Dropbox or SkyDrive. Sometimes I wanna throttle the damn IT section.

 

[ChemCat]

That made me laugh, and cry at the same time... I work in the NHS where all USB ports are blocked! We also can't send or receive any emails above 20Mb, or upload/download to any service like Dropbox or SkyDrive. Sometimes I wanna throttle the damn IT section.

I'm an engineer now, but I used to work in IT. A lot of them are a bunch of dumbasses with really big egos.

As an engineer, I regularly have to get and share important files with others. And sometimes, we have to do it out at a construction site. Most of the time when I see people with a tablet, it's an ipad. And they always use them for email. They don't even use them to pull up specs. They use their laptops for that.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I'm a technician working on radiotherapy equipment and actually our team recently put in a case for iPad's... mainly to store all our workshop PDF's (there's 20+ for each machine!) but I've of course, mentioned the Surface would do a better job. We shall have to see what happens! Mind you the manager is really anti-Apple, so Microsoft equipment could swing it!

 

[ChemCat]

I'm a technician working on radiotherapy equipment and actually our team recently put in a case for iPad's... mainly to store all our workshop PDF's (there's 20+ for each machine!) but I've of course, mentioned the Surface would do a better job. We shall have to see what happens! Mind you the manager is really anti-Apple, so Microsoft equipment could swing it!

Make sure you remind everyone that without a USB port the iPad will eventually turn into an email-only device. Those of us who work in professional settings have seen this trend over and over. My boyfriend's aunt works for Verizon. Their company got everyone an iPad, and she just told me she knows of no one in the company that uses it for anything more than email. Again, the problem is most people don't know how to transfer files into the iPad despite this supposed "paradigm shift" away from USB jump drives.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I hope that the current hardware footprint of the Surface remains. Don't give me lighter and thinner....yet. If the components become lighter and smaller, then increase the battery capacity and storage capacity. I'd much rather have a Surface 3 that is the same weight and size as the Surface RT/2 but gets 20 hours of battery life. But then again, I'm odd that way.

 

[kristalsoldier]

I would like to be able to connect my Surface 2 (and the RT) to my desktop computer via a USB cable! Apparently, it can't be done as of now.

 

[CrippsCorner]

Make sure you remind everyone that without a USB port the iPad will eventually turn into an email-only device. Those of us who work in professional settings have seen this trend over and over. My boyfriend's aunt works for Verizon. Their company got everyone an iPad, and she just told me she knows of no one in the company that uses it for anything more than email. Again, the problem is most people don't know how to transfer files into the iPad despite this supposed "paradigm shift" away from USB jump drives.

Well we have two needs for it really, as I mentioned a PDF reader, and also to log in to a hospital portal for job logging and emails... we're all technical guys, we understand the limitations.

You know how it is though, people will ask for an iPad before even using the word 'tablet'