CNET: The Future of the Tablet is the PC

[Yolina]

Originally Posted by Josieb1

I'm very wary of damaging the keyboard and it's quite expensive so I only attach it when I need it, I keep it in a sleeve the rest of the time. My Surface is is a folio cover just like any tablet would have

I leave mine on permanently, flip it keys down so it forms the base of triangle thus providing a stable flat surface for the kick stand when on my lap; if I want to hold it like a tablet or lay it flat to write on, I fold the kickstand and fold the keyboard flat against the back.

I do have a sleeve-type thing for when I'm travelling (with a handy external pocket to chuck in the charger and few other bits pieces), otherwise the SP3 + its keyboard cover just go in my bag as is.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Yolina

I have a Surface Pro 3 and I'm really happy with it. It's portable like a tablet and can do most things like a laptop - the combination of the touchscreen, keyboard cover, and to a certain extent the pen, make all the difference to versatility.

Exactly.

I have been searching for the combination of functionality and convenience literally for years now, everything from a smart pen (actually two) to a netbook to a Galaxy Note (two of these also); and I have finally found it in a Surface Pro 3.

I'll give you that it's a bit spendy, but it does everything I need and does it very well. And my search has easily eclipsed the cost of my Surface.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by Yolina

I agree, I'm so used to the combination of keyboard and touchscreen on the SP3 that I keep poking at the screen on my (non-touch) laptop when I use it

Yup! Me too.

[wodin]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Let's put it this way, UI tests have shown that most users do not like moving from keyboard to screen and back. Most users don't like having a touch screen configured such that you have to reach up. There will always be exceptions. My niece likes her touch screen laptop just fine. But if you are looking for market share rather than just niche status, then you want something that most users like.

Do these "most users" actually have a convertible? Or do they just think they'd probably not like it?

Try it, you might like it. I do!

[pl001]

I recently got a Surface 3 and although it isn't perfect I really like it. It's all the PC I need for personal use. Windows 10 isn't quite as good as 8.1 in tablet mode and there are still a few bugs, but overall it's a much more cohesive and pleasant experience.

I really despise my heavy and clunky work laptop these days. The day I can stop lugging a backpack around can't come soon enough.

[tubemonkey]

All I really need for my mobile needs is an 11.6" chromebook and two tablets (4.7" and 7").

[TimW]

Originally Posted by tubemonkey

All I really need for my mobile needs is an 11.6" chromebook and two tablets (4.7" and 7").

Chromebook in your right hand, tablet in your left, and iPod in your right foot? Then you can still be mobile by hopping on your left foot. Very clever, Monkey.

[tubemonkey]

Originally Posted by TimW

Chromebook in your right hand, tablet in your left, and iPod in your right foot? Then you can still be mobile by hopping on your left foot. Very clever, Monkey.

Not my foot, but my tail. Then no hopping.

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by wodin

Do these "most users" actually have a convertible? Or do they just think they'd probably not like it?

Try it, you might like it. I do!

I've tried it and I know I don't like it.

I would be fine with the functionality existing, but it is important that the PC be usable without using the touchscreen.

Windows 8 was fun. Fortunately, Windows 10 seems a lot more usable.

[murg]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

Let's put it this way, UI tests have shown that most users do not like moving from keyboard to screen and back. Most users don't like having a touch screen configured such that you have to reach up. There will always be exceptions. My niece likes her touch screen laptop just fine. But if you are looking for market share rather than just niche status, then you want something that most users like.

What's the criteria in the UI tests you mention?

Are the subjects used to using both, or are they keyboard/mouse people who are being presented with touch for the first time?

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by shalym

Since you ignored my last post, I'm going to ask again. Why do you think that the touchscreen HAS to be used? Both Windows 8 and Windows 10 work just fine without a touchscreen, so it absolutely does not *have* to be used. I agree that it can be awkward sometimes to use the touchscreen if in laptop or desktop mode (although for some things it works great and feels natural) That's where the convertibles come in. Pop the keyboard off (or fold it back on some models) and you have an excellent tablet. I use my HP Split as a laptop if I'm working, and doing a lot of typing and mousing, and as a tablet at night on the couch when I'm relaxing.

Shari

I wasn't ignoring, just two people said more or less the same thing. Obvious the touch screen doesn't have to be used. Heck, I think there is a way to do everything from the keyboard. Of course, I will point out there was a reason that Microsoft release an updated version Windows 8 that was similar to Windows 7 and there is a reason that Windows 8 was an absolute bomb.

[pwalker8]

Originally Posted by murg

What's the criteria in the UI tests you mention?

Are the subjects used to using both, or are they keyboard/mouse people who are being presented with touch for the first time?

I have no interest in getting into a flame war. If you truly interested, then I would suggest doing the research. It's really not all that hard to find.

[fjtorres]

Originally Posted by murg

What's the criteria in the UI tests you mention?

Are the subjects used to using both, or are they keyboard/mouse people who are being presented with touch for the first time?

More. When were the tests done and by whom?
Things change over time.
Once upon a time modal UI's were supposed to be a bad thing. Then things changed and now modality is seen as a way to save screen real estate on mobile devices.

When it comes to human factors engineering there is no single, eternal, one-size-fits-all answer. People are adaptable, technology changes, markets evolve.

[Cinisajoy]

Originally Posted by pwalker8

I have no interest in getting into a flame war. If you truly interested, then I would suggest doing the research. It's really not all that hard to find.

If it is so easy to find, why not just give us a link?
Wait did you say the UL lab?

[shalym]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

I've tried it and I know I don't like it.

I would be fine with the functionality existing, but it is important that the PC be usable without using the touchscreen.

Windows 8 was fun. Fortunately, Windows 10 seems a lot more usable.

I'm actually using Windows 8 right now without a touchscreen, and have been for a couple of years. I also have a convertible HP Split that I upgraded to Windows 10. I don't *need* to use the touchscreen with either of them.

Shari