Why Did You Buy Your Surface Pro and How Do You Use It?

[Talldog]

I believe what is hurting PC sales more than Windows 8 or anything else is that at this point, even a 4 year old cpu can run Office and most things average people use "well enough" that they don't need to spring for the latest and greatest. In other words, maybe their PC won't go 150 miles an hour but it drives 65 just fine. And of course you have tablets that do for a large portion of the population what PC's used to do.

I believe MS greatest mistake in marketing the SP was pricing. Not including the keyboard in a system that was already pricey for the segment came across as greedy and arrogant. Is there any doubt that MS would have had a much more successful launch on their hands if you could own the SP and keyboard for $899? The typical consumer goes to the store and sees the SP and thinks, wow that's nice but $899, I don't know, seems expensive. But then they learn you don't even get the keyboard for that price and they are like no way, that's a ripoff.

Sometimes I think MS believes that they can overprice simply because they are MS. As a headhunter I have clients like that. They think they can offer less just because they are so and so. Then they are shocked when they lose the candidate to a better offer. Right now MS is losing consumers to a better offer. The SP is a fine device despite its faults but it is more device than most people need and costs more than most are willing to pay.

WIN FORMULA:
1) Include the keyboard in the price.
2) Fix the one size fits all kickstand angle.
3) Find a better cooling solution.
4) Offer free year of Office 365.
5) Increase screen size to 11.6".

As far as PC sales, I think you're spot on. I was reading an article today that argued that PCs have become so good that people treat them like TVs. They buy the best one they can afford and they keep it until it breaks or the next big thing comes along. That may very well be true.

Can't buy the MS greed thing. It's a very high quality device, and I'd bet Apple's margins are higher on everything they sell.

As far as screen size, I'd love 11.6, but I'm a geezer. The young folks seem to like the smaller devices. I bet a 7" Surface would do better with them.

 

[J515OP]

As far as PC sales, I think you're spot on. I was reading an article today that argued that PCs have become so good that people treat them like TVs. They buy the best one they can afford and they keep it until it breaks or the next big thing comes along. That may very well be true.

Can't buy the MS greed thing. It's a very high quality device, and I'd bet Apple's margins are higher on everything they sell.

As far as screen size, I'd love 11.6, but I'm a geezer. The young folks seem to like the smaller devices. I bet a 7" Surface would do better with them.

Totally agree with both of you on the new PC point.

 

[mitchellvii]

Can't buy the MS greed thing. It's a very high quality device, and I'd bet Apple's margins are higher on everything they sell.

Perhaps not greed but arrogance. MS still believes they can call the tune and we will dance. They design for THEIR vision not OURS. They believe that through marketing they can bend US to THEIR will. It doesn't matter that we say we still want the Start Button because we are just the common folk and don't see THE VISION. Once they push it onto us we will have an epiphany and cry "Eureka!, MS was right all along!"

This kind of myopia worked when MS was the only non-Apple game in town and PC's were the only computing choice. But for the fist time in the past 20 years people have had the freedom to say "No!" to MS and still be able to get their daily computing needs met.

MS needs to have a Come to Jesus moment. They need to put back the Start Button and give non-touch and Enterprise users the ability to opt out of Modern UI completely. What they would find is that if not forced upon them users would dabble in Modern UI and maybe even grow to like parts if it. But I don't believe this will happen because I do not believe MS is capable of seeing themselves as wrong. Instead of a strategic retreat and rebuild MS is far more likely to press on in the current direction even harder, perhaps further hamstringing the Desktop experience until the uneducated Proletariat is FORCED to see the light.

MS can still survive and thrive but they must listen.

 

[kristalsoldier]

MS needs to have a Come to Jesus moment.

I think they already did and that is the Start Screen! :LOL:

 

[Nuspieds]

MS needs to have a Come to Jesus moment. They need to put back the Start Button and give non-touch and Enterprise users the ability to opt out of Modern UI completely. What they would find is that if not forced upon them users would dabble in Modern UI and maybe even grow to like parts if it.

Seriously, you don't believe that the inclusion/exclusion of the Start button makes/breaks Windows 8, do you?

The weekend I set aside to upgrade my laptop from Win 7 Ultimate to Win 8 Pro, you know what my priority was? To start Monday morning with all my apps up and running! I couldn't care less about touch or the Modern UI or the Start screen; I just wanted to have my apps up and running.

Okay, so the Start button was removed, but that didn't break any of my apps. A lot were already on my Taskbar and others I had to add to get around the missing Start button, but the most important thing was that my apps were running. Not only that, the environment was much more stable and it was a faster and more responsive OS.

Moreover, for the longest while after I successfully completed the upgrade, the only time I'd see the Modern UI/Start screen was briefly at boot or shutdown, because 99.999% of my time was spent in Desktop mode with my Desktop apps. The Desktop apps that were in my Win 7 Startup were also in my Win 8 Startup. As a result, I would boot into Desktop mode automatically. Regardless, the max it would take is one click to get back to the traditional Windows desktop but, as I'm sure is the case with a lot of pre-Win 8 setups, with certain Desktop apps in the Startup, there is no need for the click because you will get automatically booted into Desktop mode. Consequently, I fail to see how that can be considered as Microsoft forcing the Modern UI onto us.

I think Microsoft did a remarkable job implementing the Desktop personality into Windows 8. Once you're in it, with the exception of the missing Start button, it looks, feels and acts just like pre-Windows 8 and you need not continuously or frequently toggle back and forth between Desktop mode and the Modern UI.

Because I was able to fully concentrate on getting my Desktop apps up and running in Windows 8, I was able to leave any "playing around" and learning of the Modern UI to a later point in time. With previous Windows upgrades, after the upgrade, I spent a lot of my immediate time learning about the new OS. When I was fully settled in Desktop mode, that is when I took the time to start to play and learn the Modern UI. Without being forced into the new Windows UI as I was in the past with previous OS upgrades, I was able to start learning Windows 8 and the Modern UI on my own time.

 

[mitchellvii]

Well we are getting off track with this thread. Probably my fault but I'm the OP so I guess I'm permitted a little license

Don't judge Windows 8 as a technology savvy person. Judge it as your typical user from an SNL Compute Guy sketch. One of the appeals of Apple is that despite its limitations and complete lack of flexibility, any idiot can use it out of the box with almost no instruction. Windows 8 requires effort to learn and your typical tablet user doesn't want to exert effort they want to have fun. If the average person picks it up for the first time and says, "I don't get this" in the first 5 minutes MS is in serious trouble - and apparently they are. MS dumping the Start Button is like McDonald's serving spaghetti and meatballs.

Anyway, let's get back on topic talking about why you bought your Surface Pro and how you use it. My bad for the digression.

 

[T3Jn]

I bought mine, impatiently as I am in the UK, so paid a premium to import, to replace my portable desktop (Dell Prescision M6700) when in the office/on the road. Been holding off buying a new iPad (have the original) for a while, hoping for this device... I though it was designed for me, and have been proven correct.

I loved OneNote 10 years ago on my Toshiba Portege Tablet, so it's lived up to expectations, the metro version better than the Office 2013 version IMO. I had hoped to be able to use the Pro as a development environment so on holiday I don't need to take a laptop - I think with an external monitor that it may be viable, but not for long term work without.

Thought that the novelty would wear off - but it's not, I am loving the Metro interface (hate it on the desktop) and am surprised how much I use it as a tablet, rarely use the keyboard. Now it's never far from me... Love It!

Just needs a bit more space, sort out the font sizing on external monitors and give it an i7 option and the laptop will be gone!

 

[kristalsoldier]

Well we are getting off track with this thread. Probably my fault but I'm the OP so I guess I'm permitted a little license


Anyway, let's get back on topic talking about why you bought your Surface and how you use it. My bad for the digression.

Since you are referring to the Pro, what can I say?

 

[apoc_reg]

Mine replaced my netbook and my iPad, I am also using my work and home desktops a lot less as I have full office 365.

Its also my main study aid!!!! Multitasking is so good on it, using the stylus to annotate my pdf file sin onenote while having my lectures play at the bottom of the screen (as below!)



I just love the flexibility!

 

[swanlee]

I had a win7 tablet before the surface, had one since 2009 right after win7 came out and knew the Surface would be a great upgrade to my old windows tablet. I use it mainly for couch surfing but need a full pc experience, I use it as my portable audio player, stream dlna using media monkey directly from my pc. The audio quality of the headhpone output is really good. I also use it to remote into work from the couch instead of going to the large pc which pretty much just acts like a server now.

I like that it is flawless in playing back high quality media like 1080P video or 24bit 96K lossless audio, it has flash so the web browsing is uncompromising and I have full deskptop pc built in if i need it. I use Metro 90% of the time on the surface and am one of the few who actually liked Win8.

 

[mitchellvii]

Yes, I think the one thing that makes the SP high price worth it. One thing that (sorta) makes up for its inexcusable flaws. One word describes it.

Flexibility. It's an ultrabook +. It's a tablet +.

** You folks that go caseless on your very fragile $1000+ investment are brave souls.

 

[apoc_reg]

My view with iPads, Surface's, iPhones etc has always been if I'm buying something that I like the design of I want to see it, not keep it in perfect condition for the next owner