Apple guy reviews Microsoft Surface ("revisited")

[oion]

TidBITS: Microsoft Surface: A Tale of Two Computers

TL;DR: Hardcore Apple fan admits to not being target audience but still really likes Surface (specifically SPro2) and appreciates the alternative industry entry in pushing consumer tech evolution.

What's nice is that the author revisited the Surface and gave it an honest chance with an exclusive month's usage instead of just dinking around for a week like most reviews. Still don't care for the app comparisons, but he's an Apple guy, after all...

 

[benjitek]

Mirrors my experience in a few ways. Coming from an iPad, I didn't expect to warm up to the SP2. Wound up giving my iPad to a family member -- about all I miss are a couple games, the podcast app I was using, and the ability to record up to 8 hours at a time of TuneIn internet radio broadcasts.

 

[Davidmc99]

Mirrors my experience in a few ways. Coming from an iPad, I didn't expect to warm up to the SP2. Wound up giving my iPad to a family member -- about all I miss are a couple games, the podcast app I was using, and the ability to record up to 8 hours at a time of TuneIn internet radio broadcasts.

I too came from the iPad and love my SP2. I could find a good podcast app to replace Downcast, but iTunes works. It's buggy and is a resource hog, but I can finally put away my iPad. It had 4G, but my Samsung hotspot resolved that issue too.

 

[sharpuser]

I am still on the iPad, and MacBooks too. Which means I have a choice which machines to use many times a day.

I love the versatility of my SP2, and I seek it out first. With the vinyl skin I've added, the grip is much improved, and I like knowing my Surface surface is safe underneath. So my use of the SP2 as a tablet is way up - until I get an important email from work, at which time I kick its stand open, grab a keyboard, and use it as a powerful PC.

My favorite device remains the Kindle PaperWhite, for just what it does. The Surface comes next, surpassing my other very good Apple products.

 

[CrippsCorner]

For some reason that website's blocked at work so I cannot read at the moment. I've never used Apple computers since my school days, but my girlfriend is a big fan.

She has an iMac & iPad... she liked my Surface at first, she was especially impressed with the stylus input. However whenever she uses it she seems to find a bug!

Really annoying and she ends up getting pretty frustrated with the thing, then again, she's like that with everything lol.

 

[benjitek]

...for someone who prefers their tech to 'just-work', the Surface line isn't the best choice, more for those who like to tinker...,

 

[CrippsCorner]

Couldn't that be said about anything made by Microsoft

 

[kristalsoldier]

I just replaced my iPad 4 with the iPad Air. It works wonderfully as a companion device to my Surface 2!!!! Both are extremely well crafted devices and I use them in complementary ways. There are things that the SUrface 2 (with Type 2 cover) can do that the iPad cant. And then there are things that are just better done on the Air than on the Surface 2 (reading books - primarily PDFs and ePUBs - for example).

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I just replaced my iPad 4 with the iPad Air. It works wonderfully as a companion device to my Surface 2!!!! Both are extremely well crafted devices and I use them in complementary ways. There are things that the SUrface 2 (with Type 2 cover) can do that the iPad cant. And then there are things that are just better done on the Air than on the Surface 2 (reading books - primarily PDFs and ePUBs - for example).

That pretty much describes my scenario as well. But it annoys me. Both are so close to being the "be-all" device for me (but approaching it from different angles).

 

[kristalsoldier]

That pretty much describes my scenario as well. But it annoys me. Both are so close to being the "be-all" device for me (but approaching it from different angles).

I would have liked to think of this overlap (in parts) as redundancy (which is not always a bad thing), but, in good faith, I can't. The two devices seem to execute two different set of functions very well and none of the two sets of functions seem to overlap!

 

[pallentx]

I left an iPad for SurfaceRT and haven't looked back. I'm probably not the target audience for an iPad. I mostly used mine for email, remote desktop to Windows servers and desktops, light Office document work and as a media player. My Surface does all that I did on the iPad and does it mostly better. Its a completely no-fuss, "just works" device. It just needs more app support.