Lot 1428! Perhaps a different angle on this lot number business?
I bought my
new SP3 from
Amazon in August of 2015. It arrived with a label on the lower left side corner that has a bar code and the text "Microsoft Surface Pro 3 (128GB, Intel Core I5) New". This label covers the original Microsoft product label with the lot number and serial number, and is impossible to peel off while leaving the original label intact. The power cord replacement issue raised my concern about build date, as it applies specifically to machines "purchased prior to March 15, 2015" (see
here ), but my power cord, without the additional reinforcement at the brick end, matched the one being replaced. So I carefully peeled back the
Amazon label and found the lot date of 1428.
This manufacture date of the 28th week of 2014 is somewhat suspicious to me, as
Amazon has a reputation for moving product through its distribution sites quickly and this date is over a year earlier than when I bought it, plus leeshor's date of 1641 on page 2 of this thread (impossible in his case if it is year/week #), plus many entries in this thread stating weeks that are right about the date of the thread entries. But the power cord problem somewhat backs up this date, and yes, I did apply to MS for a replacement and it is being shipped, no further questions asked. If it is a mid-2014 machine, I am a bit concerned, as complex hardware products typically get incremental updates (chip hardware levels, component changes, etc.) and normally I would hope for the latest manufacture date, hence the latest (and hopefully) greatest hardware levels. (But then maybe I am better off with an older tablet, as I am not experiencing a lot of the problems noted here!)
So, is the Lot Date really the manufacture date? Or is it a "revision level" date? Or what? Does someone have a definitive statement as to what the lot number means?
