Surface Pro 3 for university student

[Semenick96]

Hey! I'm new to this forum, and I am considering getting a surface pro 3 (or 4) for my second year of university starting this coming fall. Originally I was planning on buying a MacBook just because I use an iPhone and iPad so I thought it made sense, but a recent visit to best buy is now pulling me more to the surface pro. The docking station is something that really stood out to me as something I thought I'd benefit from, I could bring the tablet(and type cover) to class and anywhere else, then I could dock it back in my room with another monitor or two, sound system, printer etc. sorry for the long story, just curious is anyone else is using the surface pro 3 for school and / or has an opinion on the dock and / or thinks I should wait for the 4 or get the 3. Thanks

 

[sharpuser]

Welcome, @Semenick96

I am a Mac guy, and love the Surface Pro 3. I like apples and oranges.

You could say that my work as an earth scientist is sort of like school. I take notes, manage my calendars, attack a very heavy office workload (email, documents, spreadsheets), travel amongst the offices of my colleagues, have conferences and meetings, and bring work home. I have the dock at home.

At work, the kickstand is brilliant, along with the fold-back keyboard cover, and the stylus.

I used to do all this on my MacBook Pro Retina 15. I've been using a Surface Pro 3 for months now.

I would keep a mouse in your bag, and purchase one spare stylus in case you lose one.

I also use the SP3 for reading (Kindle, Zinio), music (iTunes, iPhone sync), and video (Netflix, Hulu Plus). I'm not much into gaming, since my work is sort of exciting enough.

Windows 10 will be coming out in August, just in time for your new school year. I highly recommend the SP3, and do not think you would benefit much by waiting for the SP4. You might want to buy early, so you can be ready by Fall.

 

[Semenick96]

Welcome, @Semenick96

I am a Mac guy, and love the Surface Pro 3. I like apples and oranges.

You could say that my work as an earth scientist is sort of like school. I take notes, manage my calendars, attack a very heavy office workload (email, documents, spreadsheets), and bring work home. I have the dock at home. At work, the kickstand is brilliant, along with the fold-back keyboard cover, and the stylus.

I used to do all this on my MacBook Pro Retina 15. I've been using a Surface Pro 3 for months now.

I would keep a mouse in your bag, and purchase one spare stylus in case you lose one.

Windows 10 will be coming out in August, just in time for your new school year. I highly recommend the SP3, and do not think you would benefit much by waiting for the SP4. You might want to buy early, so you can be ready by Fall.

My local best buy (transitioning from future shop) is trying to rid stock so yesterday I was offered the dock and type cover free if I bought the surface pro 3 with insurance ($13/month for at least two years) since I didn't have th money right there and then I wasn't able to take the offer, but it was tempting.

 

[sharpuser]

Well the insurance will cost you over $300, more than the type cover and dock. Might want to do the deal without those.
Find a friend with a SP3 and see if it captures you. And remember, Windows 10 is a great improvement over Windows 8.1.

 

[ScottyS]

Hi @Semenick96 and welcome. The dock is certainly convenient, but not a requirement. When I come home from work I connect a mini Display port cable, USB3 cable and the power charger. I have a 27" 2560X1140 monitor, and wireless keyboard and mouse and several 1-2TB hard drive on the USB3 hub. So my SP3 is my desktop. Carrying it around as a tablet at work, it took me months to stop thinking "Oh, I have that file on my computer at home" and realize I was holding my computer from home in my hand.

I got Office 365 subscription which came with 1TB storage on OneDrive, so I got all my files copied there as well as backed up on the HDs at home.

I'm also a big fan of OneNote. I think it is perfect for school since it's paradigm is that of a multi-section note book. It comes in 2 versions (which can be confusing) both a desktop and modern UI (MUI aka Metro) version both of which are free. The files it creates are all auto-save to OneDrive so whatever you add or edit on one device is in sync with all others.

Finally as to which SP to get, it all depends. Obviously waiting for the SP4 would give you the latest hardware, but once the SP4 is out, SP3 price will likely drop. So if $ is an issue . . . so if you can wait (rumor is MS will announce the SP4 release date later this month) . . .

 

[Semenick96]

Hi @Semenick96 and welcome. The dock is certainly convenient, but not a requirement. When I come home from work I connect a mini Display port cable, USB3 cable and the power charger. I have a 27" 2560X1140 monitor, and wireless keyboard and mouse and several 1-2TB hard drive on the USB3 hub. So my SP3 is my desktop. Carrying it around as a tablet at work, it took me months to stop thinking "Oh, I have that file on my computer at home" and realize I was holding my computer from home in my hand.

I got Office 365 subscription which came with 1TB storage on OneDrive, so I got all my files copied there as well as backed up on the HDs at home.

I'm also a big fan of OneNote. I think it is perfect for school since it's paradigm is that of a multi-section note book. It comes in 2 versions (which can be confusing) both a desktop and modern UI (MUI aka Metro) version both of which are free. The files it creates are all auto-save to OneDrive so whatever you add or edit on one device is in sync with all others.

Finally as to which SP to get, it all depends. Obviously waiting for the SP4 would give you the latest hardware, but once the SP4 is out, SP3 price will likely drop. So if $ is an issue . . . so if you can wait (rumor is MS will announce the SP4 release date later this month) . . .

Money isn't a huge concern, I'm aiming for the i5 256gb model. And since school isn't until September I think I'll wait until I know more about when the SP4 will come out. I do have a school provided laptop, which I forgot to mention, but it's pretty big and heavy and kinda slow.

 

[Semenick96]

Well the insurance will cost you over $300, more than the type cover and dock. Might want to do the deal without those.
Find a friend with a SP3 and see if it captures you. And remember, Windows 10 is a great improvement over Windows 8.1.

Yeah, it would add up to more but it also covers a lot, like 4 accidental damage fixes and one replacement

 

[sharpuser]

Yeah, it would add up to more but it also covers a lot, like 4 accidental damage fixes and one replacement

Okay, that is a good deal, then!

 

[Semenick96]

Okay, that is a good deal, then!

It really is! I'm just the kind of person who would really regret buying the SP3 if the 4 came out this summer and had some crazy new feature that I'd like to have, you know?

 

[leyvzilla]

I use it for school and takes notes on my sp3 daily. I use the onenote app (saves battery) and the onenote program when I need more options. I color code my notes and being organized with the sp3 is really simple. I use to carry many notebooks, now I carry the sp3.

I don't use the dock and don't see myself owning one. I have a tri-fold flap case installed that I use to prop up the sp3 and write my notes.

The downside can be the battery. I use to have a bunch of stuff installed and my battery was draining fast. Now, I keep everything minimum, and battery is much better. You need to find a balance with your battery or carry your charger.

 

[Semenick96]

I use it for school and takes notes on my sp3 daily. I use the onenote app (saves battery) and the onenote program when I need more options. I color code my notes and being organized with the sp3 is really simple. I use to carry many notebooks, now I carry the sp3.

I don't use the dock and don't see myself owning one. I have a tri-fold flap case installed that I use to prop up the sp3 and write my notes.

The downside can be the battery. I use to have a bunch of stuff installed and my battery was draining fast. Now, I keep everything minimum, and battery is much better. You need to find a balance with your battery or carry your charger.

Thanks! The school I go to is an institute of technology so there's plug ins at every desk and around every corner. But I am hoping they will address this with the SP4

 

[leyvzilla]

Yeah, most classrooms have plugs now. Lecture halls, labs, and even restrooms. lol. I think the world is addicted to technology.