Complaints with the Surface Pro

[J515OP]

How are the stylus complaints 'unfounded?' It's a tablet designed to be used with a stylus. I can guarantee you people are going to have a hard time keeping track of that thing over the long term with no place to store it. Already I often find myself using the Surface and wanting the stylus, but it's been left in another room or at my desk. Dumb, dumb design.

Honestly people have been managing styli without slots and without issue for a very long time. Most devices are capacative these days and virtually none come with a stylus slot. For that matter when was the last time you had a pad of paper that came with a slot for holding a writing utensil? The point is that the mag port is a convenient place to keep it when in use but temporarily setting aside and there are many ways to manage longer term storage and transportation particularly with most bags having dedicated pen/pencil/stylus slots just for holding such things.

 

[polbit]

Every Watcom tablet computer I've used/owned has had a pen slot. While I can appreciate that some trade-offs are necessary to make Pro the size it is, the lack of pen slot IS a trade-off, and I definitely miss easy storage solution for the pen when I take just the tablet with me. My saving grace is that my Note II has a Watcom pen (and a slot for it...) and I can use that one when I forget the big pen.

I certainly hope that Pro 2 has a slot for it, even if the pen is smaller.

 

[J515OP]

Every Watcom tablet computer I've used/owned has had a pen slot. While I can appreciate that some trade-offs are necessary to make Pro the size it is, the lack of pen slot IS a trade-off, and I definitely miss easy storage solution for the pen when I take just the tablet with me. My saving grace is that my Note II has a Watcom pen (and a slot for it...) and I can use that one when I forget the big pen.

I certainly hope that Pro 2 has a slot for it, even if the pen is smaller.

Yes, that is usually true of digitized and resistive devices. It is a convenience issue and it is also a trade off issue. Still how hard is it to manage a pen or pencil though? People have been doing it for hundreds of years. So while it maybe doesn't match up with personal preference it is something that the average 5th grader has already mastered and shouldn't be truly problematic

 

[Uncensored2008]

Honestly the stylus complaints are unfounded. It simply wasn't designed for that kind of thing.

What kind of thing? Attaching the stylus to the magnet?

I have to disagree.

 

[jnjroach]

Very few of the new slates have Pen Storage, those that do typically have a very small stylus (I'm looking at you Samsung). In fact Dell and HP are making their Stylus an optional add on. Those of us who've used TabletPC' s from the beginning have picked up pens we like better than the stock (and silo'ed) stick pens. I personally used the Motion Pen and had to keep track of it.

 

[J515OP]

Or people are even going for options like this which completely negate the whole point about the built in slot. Really it is just a matter of preference.

 

[revmike]

I don't have a surface pro as of yet, but my hp slate 500 has a stylus silo, It's called a pocket.

 

[jnjroach]

Revmike - A fellow member from TabletPCReview checking out the place !!!! Welcome....

 

[zhenya]

Honestly people have been managing styli without slots and without issue for a very long time. Most devices are capacative these days and virtually none come with a stylus slot. For that matter when was the last time you had a pad of paper that came with a slot for holding a writing utensil? The point is that the mag port is a convenient place to keep it when in use but temporarily setting aside and there are many ways to manage longer term storage and transportation particularly with most bags having dedicated pen/pencil/stylus slots just for holding such things.

If I lose my pen or pencil, I'm typically out a dime or so and anyplace in the world will give me a replacement for the asking. A $29 dedicated stylus on a $1000 device deserves a better solution.

 

[ArnoldC]

My personal preference for the pen would have been a clip, much like a traditional pen, and like the Wacom stylus line.

 

[polbit]

Yes, that is usually true of digitized and resistive devices. It is a convenience issue and it is also a trade off issue. Still how hard is it to manage a pen or pencil though? People have been doing it for hundreds of years. So while it maybe doesn't match up with personal preference it is something that the average 5th grader has already mastered and shouldn't be truly problematic

That's like saying to people that complain about limited storage on the Pro, "But you can just bring a 1Tb USB 3.0 drive with you! What are you complaining about?" Anyway, I know what you are saying, but it's still a PITA for me have to remember to grab the pen when I'm running to a meeting or when I'm in my bedroom and I realize I left the pen in my office... It's just another item to have to remember. How about a little pen like Note II style with storage on Pro 2, with a nicer external one available for purchase. Can I get you to vote for that?

 

[J515OP]

If I lose my pen or pencil, I'm typically out a dime or so and anyplace in the world will give me a replacement for the asking. A $29 dedicated stylus on a $1000 device deserves a better solution.

There are pens more expensive than the Surface Pro. Just sayin'. You can also always use your finger or any other capacitive stylus. If a digitizer is critical to the task you will have to make sure you don't lose it or have a back up. I can't imagine any professional who relies on a digitizer not being prepared for this scenario and the only way they can meet the demand is if the device has a slot to keep a digitizer ready for them.

That's like saying to people that complain about limited storage on the Pro, "But you can just bring a 1Tb USB 3.0 drive with you! What are you complaining about?" Anyway, I know what you are saying, but it's still a PITA for me have to remember to grab the pen when I'm running to a meeting or when I'm in my bedroom and I realize I left the pen in my office... It's just another item to have to remember. How about a little pen like Note II style with storage on Pro 2, with a nicer external one available for purchase. Can I get you to vote for that?

Not quite the same thing. Maybe more like a USB thumb drive You can always use your finger or any other capacative stylus. The most sold tablet in the world is probably the one also most used with a stylus (just the odds by sheer volume) and it doesn't include a slot or any other provision for keeping the stylus attached and its designers even poo pooed the idea of a stylus

[video=youtube;4YY3MSaUqMg]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YY3MSaUqMg[/video]

While a slot would be nice it is far from critical or a design flaw. Otherwise let's just take them away entirely then there will be no complaints

(BTW I think Samsung has done a great job and actually would love to see more devices follow their lead.)