Youtube Reviewer Sends Surface Book Back For Refund

[jnjroach]

I'm referring to account lockout policy (lock out the account if an incorrect password is entered too many times), not power management.
I don't understand how an account lockout is relevant to power management.

Sorry, not lock out policy, screen locking time-out

 

[netuser]

That makes more sense, but still sounds like a shortcoming.
So, you are saying screen lock timeout cannot be centrally managed without causing problems on systems like the Surface Book?
Many companies will have security policies that mandate that the screen must lock automatically within some maximum time period.
This makes it much less likely that a laptop can be stolen with a user account still logged in an screen unlocked.

 

[jnjroach]

It should be configured to the same as when the machine enters Connected Standby, depending on the ADM or ADMX file used it can prevent the device from going into S0iX. Using EAS policies are more compatible as is Intune Policies.

 

[netuser]

EAS? Do you mean Exchange ActiveSync? The Surface Books are using Outlook MAPI, not ActiveSync for email.
I don't think we can set screen lock timeouts via EAS except on devices running mobile OSs like Android and iOS.

 

[Niterider4]

It's funny how the Microsoft fanboys on here are now blaming me for not returning my SB, or for not looking at reviews before I bought it. As if that's the problem here.

I bought my SB as soon as they went on sale, so I had limited opportunity to look at reviews. In any event, all the initial reviews were glowing, partially because the reviewers were furnished with different hardware than what would actually be shipped to paying customers, and partially because they did not use the machines for long enough to realize how persistent some of the more serious bugs were.

I did not return my SB because everyone, including Microsoft, kept promising that the bugs would be fixed. When you have replaced your work laptop with a new one, it is not a simple matter to just return it and start again. I am too busy to be returning laptops and setting them up again, just like I am too busy to be reinstalling Windows every time a Microsoft CS guy in India has no idea what the problem is.

I do not take responsibility for buying a buggy piece of hardware from Microsoft. Microsoft advertised this machine as "the ultimate laptop", and put the weight of its reputation behind this product. How in the world was I to know that the marketing claims were bogus and the hardware was nowhere near ready to be sold to actual customers?

Anyways, as I cannot return my SB, I will soldier on and hopefully the problems will be fixed. But I will certainly never buy another piece of hardware from Microsoft without very careful deliberation and research beforehand.

 

[jnjroach]

It's funny how the Microsoft fanboys on here are now blaming me for not returning my SB, or for not looking at reviews before I bought it. As if that's the problem here.

I bought my SB as soon as they went on sale, so I had limited opportunity to look at reviews. In any event, all the initial reviews were glowing, partially because the reviewers were furnished with different hardware than what would actually be shipped to paying customers, and partially because they did not use the machines for long enough to realize how persistent some of the more serious bugs were.

I did not return my SB because everyone, including Microsoft, kept promising that the bugs would be fixed. When you have replaced your work laptop with a new one, it is not a simple matter to just return it and start again. I am too busy to be returning laptops and setting them up again, just like I am too busy to be reinstalling Windows every time a Microsoft CS guy in India has no idea what the problem is.

I do not take responsibility for buying a buggy piece of hardware from Microsoft. Microsoft advertised this machine as "the ultimate laptop", and put the weight of its reputation behind this product. How in the world was I to know that the marketing claims were bogus and the hardware was nowhere near ready to be sold to actual customers?

Anyways, as I cannot return my SB, I will soldier on and hopefully the problems will be fixed. But I will certainly never buy another piece of hardware from Microsoft without very careful deliberation and research beforehand.

It is easy to accuse us of Fan Boy syndrome, there were defective Surface Books, exchange the device and you will most likely have a different experience. Earlier you said all you have installed is Office, so as long as you are using OneDrive and Syncing your settings it will take a couple of hours.

I upgraded my Surface from an i5/8/256 to an i7/16/256 last week, pretty painless.

 

[No_ax_to_grind]

On the contrary, Lon's review is absolutely representative of the utter frustration that many of us have experienced with our Surface Books. His review is also a refreshing change from the multiple fanboy reviews that gloss over all the myriad Surface Book bugs as being either unimportant or sure to be fixed in the future. He also emphasizes perhaps the most important point - this is not a $500 Acer laptop - this is supposed to be, in Microsoft's ridiculous own words, "The ultimate laptop". Rubbish.

I wish I could have read Lon's article before I plunked down my hard earned money on this overblown overhyped box of bugs.

That verbiage will get you nowhere up here.

That being said, reading up here and elsewhere, quite pleased that I passed on the SB and am very happy with my SP4 Pro.

 

[No_ax_to_grind]

It's funny how the Microsoft fanboys on here are now blaming me for not returning my SB, or for not looking at reviews before I bought it. As if that's the problem here.
[snip]
How in the world was I to know that the marketing claims were bogus and the hardware was nowhere near ready to be sold to actual customers?

Anyways, as I cannot return my SB, I will soldier on and hopefully the problems will be fixed. But I will certainly never buy another piece of hardware from Microsoft without very careful deliberation and research beforehand.

Uhhh... it's Microsoft?

 

[No_ax_to_grind]

It is easy to accuse us of Fan Boy syndrome, there were defective Surface Books, exchange the device and you will most likely have a different experience. Earlier you said all you have installed is Office, so as long as you are using OneDrive and Syncing your settings it will take a couple of hours.

I upgraded my Surface from an i5/8/256 to an i7/16/256 last week, pretty painless.

I liken it more to Microsquish Apologetics, particularly the mods' responses.

 

[hughlle]

But I will certainly never buy another piece of hardware from Microsoft without very careful deliberation and research beforehand.

Why didn't you do this for the surface book out of curiosity?

 

[No_ax_to_grind]

Lon, I feel it's relevant to review your review and in doing so I'll use an "Apprentice" metaphor.

Lon you're fired! This is not the professional standard I was looking for, nothing about your video would compel me to view any of your other videos or ever consider your opinion of value. Show yourself out.

Why? Quantify and qualify for me please as to why it doesn't comprise the professional standard you are looking for? I watched it. Certainly wasn't about functionality or technical specifications (that was his first review), it was about build quality and customer support when things go wrong.

I would submit empirically that "things have gone wrong" with MS' $1800 unit far more than other manufacturers like price-ranged units.

 

[Malloric]

It's funny how the Microsoft fanboys on here are now blaming me for not returning my SB, or for not looking at reviews before I bought it. As if that's the problem here.

I bought my SB as soon as they went on sale, so I had limited opportunity to look at reviews. In any event, all the initial reviews were glowing, partially because the reviewers were furnished with different hardware than what would actually be shipped to paying customers, and partially because they did not use the machines for long enough to realize how persistent some of the more serious bugs were.

I did not return my SB because everyone, including Microsoft, kept promising that the bugs would be fixed. When you have replaced your work laptop with a new one, it is not a simple matter to just return it and start again. I am too busy to be returning laptops and setting them up again, just like I am too busy to be reinstalling Windows every time a Microsoft CS guy in India has no idea what the problem is.

I do not take responsibility for buying a buggy piece of hardware from Microsoft. Microsoft advertised this machine as "the ultimate laptop", and put the weight of its reputation behind this product. How in the world was I to know that the marketing claims were bogus and the hardware was nowhere near ready to be sold to actual customers?

Anyways, as I cannot return my SB, I will soldier on and hopefully the problems will be fixed. But I will certainly never buy another piece of hardware from Microsoft without very careful deliberation and research beforehand.

Same boat. That said, after the Feb updates and then doing the fix in the sticky on the Surface subreddit posted a few days ago... it's mostly working. My issue now is really the CPU utilization and subsequent battery life and occasional fan noise issues. They've drastically improved. I've gone from 3-4 hours and constantly playing whack-a-mole to kill whatever process was hanging sending the CPU utilization to 70+% to 6-7 hours of battery life and the fan turning on infrequently at low speeds rather than racing at full blast. I can actually take it to a meeting now. It won't die halfway through and it's no more obnoxious than the average clunker laptop with five pounds of dust clogging the exhaust vent. The fix on Subreddit addressed the black screen, hard reset to startup, long delay in keyboard detaching, and the screen not rotating, and Hello never working after sleep... which, hey, I considered those to be just minor annoyances. I haven't had any of the more major issues since the February firmware update. I'm still not enamored but I've been using it since February, and it really is a nice piece of hardware. Before that it was really an expensive paperweight that mostly sat at home.