Surface Pro 3

[WillysJeepMan]

I think with the introduction of the SP3, Microsoft gained a victory on the hardware side, but a loss on the marketing side. Microsoft took a fragmented and confusing mess known as Surface gen1 and gen2, and made it worse. There are now 2 different "Surface Pens" that are incompatible with different generation of devices and not usable on the Surface itself, a "Surface Pro Type Cover" that is not physically compatible with the Surface Pro or Surface Pro 2. Surface Pro 3 is a different size than the Surface Pro 1 or Pro 2.

It's like the tech version of the Keystone Cops.

It is pretty clear that the Surface Pro 3 is Microsoft's attempt to "reboot" the Surface brand.
"Rebooting" a line in a highly competitive market is the kiss of death. Microsoft did that very thing with the Zune (and with Windows Phone). Each generation of device offered technically superior hardware, but this repeated "wiping the slate clean" breaks any momentum built, and causes additional expense to early adopters. Yeah, I know that the general mindset is, "big deal... what you bought still works so why care about the new stuff being so radically different?"

This wiping the slate clean causes uncertainty in the accessory aftermarket. Accessory makers for the Surface are not dealing with large quantities to begin with and when Microsoft changes things up so drastically, it causes the makers to retool and redesign. In the end, they'll simply not engage in accessories... there's a small market for those accessories and most likely not be compatible with the next gen.

What Apple does "right" (but not from the perspective of spec junkies) is incrementalism. Buy a device and some accessories and except for a rare major shift (like going from 30 pin connector to lightning connector), the accessories continue to work beyond the current generation.

Do we really expect to see aftermarket "blades" (that were introduced last Fall) when 7 months later Microsoft introduces a different form factor? Or how about the 1024 sensors in the new TouchCover2 that promised the ability to use the entire Cover as a touch pad? No software has been produced to take advantage of that... and won't now that the SP3 is out with only a TypeCover option available.

These radical changes between generations is no small issue.

You don't get a second chance to make a good first impression.

[pl001]

I don't know about that. Apple has taken a lot of criticism for not changing enough and Android devices are so fragmented and change so often I can't keep track of them. Yet Android is dominating the phone market and has overtaken the tablet market as well.

This SP3 requires a different keyboard and pen and has a different aspect ratio and screen size, yes, but it's still the same Windows and the look and feel of the hardware is the same. My biggest gripe would not be that it requires a different keyboard but that the keyboard costs so much. A bigger version was going to require different accessories anyway, just as a smaller version will. The S2 and SP2 along with their accessories are still available.

Windows Mobile 6 was badly outdated and Windows 7 was not suitable for tablets. They had to do something. They were perhaps a bit too ambitious and it took a year (8.1) to get to where the original release of 8 should have been at the start. It's still not perfect (what is?) but the Microsoft ecosystem is really starting to come together nicely.

[HarryT]

Originally Posted by pl001

My biggest gripe would not be that it requires a different keyboard but that the keyboard costs so much.

It works perfectly well with a Bluetooth or a USB keyboard, of course; you don't HAVE to buy the Microsoft one.

[WillysJeepMan]

Originally Posted by pl001

but the Microsoft ecosystem is really starting to come together nicely.

I guess... if your definition of "coming together nicely" is "rebooting the product line" and "confusing choices for consumers".

[pl001]

Originally Posted by HarryT

It works perfectly well with a Bluetooth or a USB keyboard, of course; you don't HAVE to buy the Microsoft one.

Right, but Microsoft is marketing it as a laptop replacement. You really need their keyboard for that.

[pl001]

Originally Posted by WillysJeepMan

I guess... if your definition of "coming together nicely" is "rebooting the product line" and "confusing choices for consumers".

By "coming together nicely" I am talking about Windows, Windows Phone, XBOX, OneDrive, Live, Bing, Office, Lync, Skype, Nokia, etc. It's an extensive portfolio of products and services that work together with a common design language and similar interfaces.

I don't find their choices confusing at all. Especially compared to Android. If you are finding them confusing compared to Apple, well, yes, just about anything is confusing compared to their "one device fits all" philosophy.

[Shane R]

Originally Posted by pl001

By "coming together nicely" I am talking about Windows, Windows Phone, XBOX, OneDrive, Live, Bing, Office, Lync, Skype, Nokia, etc. It's an extensive portfolio of products and services that work together with a common design language and similar interfaces.

They are doing a nice job of differentiating their services from those of their competitors.

MS can most certainly carve out a profitable niche, just as Apple, Google and Samsung have.

[Penforhire]

I am hoping MS develops a "sheet" battery for the Surface.

I already carry both a 13" MBA and iPad around the world, along with their relatively light charging cords. So the added weight of a second battery would not be a killer for me. My use case puts a priority on battery life (why I chose the MBA over the rMBP). Working most of the day on the MBA (8+ hours away from a power outlet) I can also pull out the iPad and do tablet activities (reading, video, games or whatever) for another 10-odd hours. If the Surface wants to take over that combination from me in a converged device then I need spectacular total battery life.

I know 'USB battery packs' exist. I own a few examples. But battery 'sheet' designs, from Lenovo or Sony for example, are better packaged and sleeker to transport.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

I am hoping MS develops a "sheet" battery for the Surface...

http://www.microsoftstore.com/store/...ctID.298465700

Only Surface (Pro) 2 it seems...
But at least this shows, something like this exists...

I've never seen one "in the wild".
There was a brief mention on some thread here and reviews re. build quality, battery duration and weight had been quite favorable.
Never made it to Microsoft Germany, though, for whatever reason. Else I probably would have bought it...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

...I already carry both a 13" MBA and iPad around the world, along with their relatively light charging cords...If the Surface wants to take over that combination from me in a converged device then I need spectacular total battery life...

I don't think, that's the main target.
And it seems a bit unfair. Pricewise, already the MBA alone is on par with the Surface Pro 3 and way more expensive than the Surface Pro 2.
So, in my opinion, a fair comparison would be, replacing the MBA by Surface Pro 2 or 3 and leaving iPad out of the equation.

And that's exactly, what I've partially done.

In the past, my MBA 11" was my "working horse". I intentionally chose the 11" over the 13" for mobility.
Unfortunately, some of my tasks never worked well on OSX, for example corporate emails.
So I always had a Windows XP virtual machine on my MBA in parallel.
Since the introduction of Surface Pro one year ago, I more and more often leave my MBA at home.
Surface Pro + Type Cover fit perfectly in an MBA 11" sleeve http://www.amazon.de/gp/product/B009...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I bought, so obviously it's about the same size.
For the "lighter stuff", I've got a few options: Sometimes, I take my Dell Venue 8 Pro with me. Another Windows 8 tablet, but smaller and lighter. And doubling the battery duration. Sometimes I still take my iPad mini Retina with me. Sometimes it's just my Kindle Paperwhite.

Meaning:
In the past I (and it seems, you as well) often didn't only take MBA, but an additional unit with me.
Now same sometimes happens with my Surface Pro 2.
But it happens less often than before with MBA.
With MBA, I always had an additional unit with me.
Now, sometimes I only travel with my Dell Venue 8 Pro.
Then I only take a DIN A5 journal with my Livescribe 3 pen and the Dell Venue 8 Pro + keyboard. The size of this all equals about 3 iPad minis...
Or I only take my Surface Pro 2 with me. I've got less apps on it, than I've got on my iPad mini. But sometimes I don't need 300 apps, but can do with 100...

[Kumabjorn]

Do you feel that the the Surface Pro 3 can live up to its marketing hype as a tablet and laptop replacement? Somehow I get the feeling that the tablet is simply too big to be useful as pen and paper replacement despite the hype of OneNote. I do Think they are really Close though, but until we get foldable screens it won't really happen yet.

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

Do you feel that the the Surface Pro 3 can live up to its marketing hype as a tablet and laptop replacement? Somehow I get the feeling that the tablet is simply too big to be useful as pen and paper replacement despite the hype of OneNote. I do Think they are really Close though, but until we get foldable screens it won't really happen yet.

I wish, Microsoft would be as good in marketing as Apple.
In my opinion, Surface Pro (1/2/3) deserves way more recognition, than it often gets.
But I consider the "one does it all" the wrong approach.
As I wrote in my reply a few minutes ago:
Surface Pro + Type Cover has more or less identical measurements to MBA 11".
And it definitely can compete re. processor, display quality, weight and such. MBA didn't go for "Ultra High Retina resolution", but favored battery life. This was totally fine for me and the tasks I did/do on MBA.
I can do the same and in some areas even more on Surface Pro.
So, in my opinion, most of all Surface is an ultraportable and powerful ultra book.
Using it as a tablet is a nice add-on.
But it doesn't have to be perfect as a tablet.
And it doesn't need as many apps as iOS or Android.
If we compare to the apps for MBA, Surface Pro does well enough.

And as I wrote in my response before:
In the past I took MBA and another unit (Kindle, iPad, ...) with me on a trip. I still can do the same (with Surface Pro 2), if I need more apps or an outdoor display or something like that...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

...Somehow I get the feeling that the tablet is simply too big to be useful as pen and paper replacement despite the hype of OneNote...

I'm not writing many notes (anymore).
But even for the few ones I take, I've switched to a rather simple solution:
I've bought the Livescribe 3 pen http://www.livescribe.com/en-us/smartpen/ls3/.
Via Bluetooth ("on the fly" or later on) I send the notes to iOS (no PC app yet, unfortunately). Here I can send to OneNote or Evernote and so on or convert to readable text.
It works surprisingly well.
And I write on a "normal" journal (using special dot paper, but looking and feeling "real").
No Windows app. But iOS is okay. You don't have to take iPad/iPhone with you, of course the pen can save hundreds of pages in its internal memory.

I've drafted a few presentations on Surface Pro 2 in OneNote.
Feedback was great, some even asked about my "special font".
For a presentation, it's fine. You spend more time thinking and planning, than actually writing.
But I'd never jot down endless pages of protocols or something like that.
I still find pen and paper more convenient for that (or try to avoid too many notes anyway).
It's probably just me: But I can put my paper journal without any thoughts on a dirty desk or the tray on a train. With my tablets, I'm very picky where to put them. I can put my DIN A5 paper journal in my suit pocket. With my tablet, I'd always worry about someone bumping into me or scratching the back of the tablet with my keys and so on...

[mgmueller]

Originally Posted by Kumabjorn

...Somehow I get the feeling that the tablet is simply too big to be useful as pen and paper replacement despite the hype of OneNote...

I guess, the main reason for the stylus had been to operate the desktop.
You can do so much more in Office on Surface Pro, than you can do on iPad or Android. But you need tons of menus for that and those are hard to operate without a pen.
To make the stylus appear more useful than a mere necessity, OneNote was (one of many) logical choice(s).
But whether I use Surface Pro 2 or the 8" Dell Venue 8 Pro: Personally, I can't imagine taking lots of notes on any of those.
I bought the highly mobile keyboard for Dell Venue 8 Pro, if I have to write lengthy emails on the train for example. I'd never do this with a pen.
For the same reason, I bought the Logitech Ultrathin keyboard for iPad mini Retina.
If I have to jot a note, it's still more convenient and faster and more flexible, to do so on my DIN A5 paper journal for the Livescribe pen. I don't have to worry about spilled coffee or leaving my journal unattended in a meeting room...

[HarryT]

I've never seen the attraction of "pen and paper" type apps. I can type far, far faster than I can write by hand. I never use the stylus on my Surface Pro.