Hi all,
As a new member here I thought I'd have a nose around, but I couldn't see a sticky thread for "new owner". I thought I'd come at this from a different point of view.
Research and Use cases
I work as a network engineer (Cisco), working in datacentres and in customer offices to deliver new networks and phone systems. I used to subscribe to the two device paradigm, where I had a Lenovo X220 (2nd gen i5) laptop with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD for main work duties, and a Surface RT 32GB as my media consumption and general grab-and-go device.
After owning the RT for a couple of months (I purchased when the prices dropped), I loved the form factor and wished that the Lenovo was as compact and as high quality as the Surface RT. The Surface Pro 2 was the right fit for me, knowing that it will last for the next few years as a tough, powerful and compact device. The only downside (Quite a big one actually) was that it only has 8GB RAM. I spend a lot of time using VMWare workstation to lab test Cisco Call manager and other RAM-heavy VM's, so I've really had to come up with other ways of working around this.
Overall though, my use cases were that I needed a tablet device that can work in data centres (Where there isn't typically somewhere to rest a PC); as well as tablet functionality for media/sofa surfing. Otherwise it's a great PC that works great on customer sites as a standard laptop, or at my desk in the office with a large monitor.
I also would use it for studying CCIE Voice, so I have the PC as my OneNote note taker (Pen input is a must), and use a Lenovo LT1421 USB monitor to watch the training videos.
Purchasing
Purchasing the Pro 2 in the UK, was frankly, a nightmare.
There are (To my knowledge) no bricks-and-mortar MS stores, so we rely on 3rd party retailers or the online microsoftstore.com. I had pretty much decided that I was going to go ahead with the Surface Pro 2 so heeded the warnings that stock was running out. I was guaranteed that my device would ship by October 29th from the MS store (Which is poor), and in the end I noticed that John Lewis not only had stock of the 256GB version, but also the Purple Type cover! Purchased on next-day delivery, and cancelled the order with the microsoftstore. I did find the irony that I could purchase the device from a 3rd party retailer faster than Microsoft directly frustrating, and humorous at the same time.
I popped into John Lewis yesterday to see if I could pick up the wireless/Bluetooth dongle that allows you to separate out the keyboard from the Surface. To my surprise there was actually a Microsoft Advisor there! I had to wait in a queue of 3-4 groups of people to speak to the guy; and overhearing what they were saying, the intent to purchase Surface devices was definitely there. All the groups of people left, quite frustrated, that they couldn't buy one because there was no stock. What a waste of that MS employees time! And furthermore, it's the first Saturday after the launch of Surface 2.
The hype around the devices is all completely wasted, if you can't put devices in people's hands!
I eventually got my turn to speak to the guy, and I was informed that they had never received any stock of any accessories (Aside from keyboards). Jesus...
Impressions of the device
I won't bore you with this bit, as there are plenty of reviews out there to watch/read. I simply think that it's stunning.
Pros:
- The inclusion of a USB port on the charger is inspired. I use an external DVD drive sporadically and having the ability to power it from the power cord is ace. The only problem is, that the cable between the Surface and adaptor is too long (So the DVD drive could end up quite far away from the Surface when plugged into both!), and the cable between the wall socket and adaptor is too short. Even spacing would be nice!
- The build quality is fantastic and feels really solid
- Battery life has been awesome so far
- When combined with a cheap USB 3.0 hub (Anker branded I'm using), and some cheap USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet dongle, I have a PC that exceeded my expectations for doing the work that I do.
- Windows 8.1 is brilliant. I also have an iPad and frankly, it's been off since I purchased my RT...
Cons:
- The Surface 2 Pro is frankly, a beast. It really is very heavy (Coming from an RT). I'm persevering as a Tablet but the Surface 3 could really do with being made out of carbon fibre or something....
- I am noticing a little scuffing starting to develop around the USB port, as I use it all the time for dongles and other devices. Need to be careful to not make it look really bad, so must improve my aim
- The free Skype bundle doesn't allow you to call UK mobile phones! People over here use landlines less and less, because mobile coverage and deals are so good. Because of this, the Skype bundle is pretty rubbish for us over here (Not that it was really a factor in buying the device, though I appreciate it's value)
Other stuff / thoughts on Surface 3
- The ARC mouse that I managed to try out was horrible. Buy the Sculpt mouse instead - it's fantastic (And Bluetooth so saves using that single USB port up).
- I could really do with a second USB 3.0 port. Dongle make things a bit easier, but it really would be welcome.
- An option for 16GB RAM would be most appreciated.
- Maybe a reversible Touch/Type cover? I'd like to try out the new gesture support, but can't. The engineering of this would be "interesting", because of figuring out which way up the cover was, but I think it'd be a real innovation. Royalties go straight to my PayPal, thanks
- Not having the opportunity to buy docking stations (I'm likely to buy one for my TV, one for office, and one for home office) at the time of launch, means I'm likely to purchase 3rd party USB 3.0 ones that are significantly cheaper. Well done MS - stock level problems mean lost revenue again... D'oh!
- MS really need to be a bit more confident about stocking in the future. A few bricks-and-mortar stores in the UK would help, but if not, more support for 3rd party retailers such as advisors and better stock levels.
As a new member here I thought I'd have a nose around, but I couldn't see a sticky thread for "new owner". I thought I'd come at this from a different point of view.
Research and Use cases
I work as a network engineer (Cisco), working in datacentres and in customer offices to deliver new networks and phone systems. I used to subscribe to the two device paradigm, where I had a Lenovo X220 (2nd gen i5) laptop with 16GB RAM and 256GB SSD for main work duties, and a Surface RT 32GB as my media consumption and general grab-and-go device.
After owning the RT for a couple of months (I purchased when the prices dropped), I loved the form factor and wished that the Lenovo was as compact and as high quality as the Surface RT. The Surface Pro 2 was the right fit for me, knowing that it will last for the next few years as a tough, powerful and compact device. The only downside (Quite a big one actually) was that it only has 8GB RAM. I spend a lot of time using VMWare workstation to lab test Cisco Call manager and other RAM-heavy VM's, so I've really had to come up with other ways of working around this.
Overall though, my use cases were that I needed a tablet device that can work in data centres (Where there isn't typically somewhere to rest a PC); as well as tablet functionality for media/sofa surfing. Otherwise it's a great PC that works great on customer sites as a standard laptop, or at my desk in the office with a large monitor.
I also would use it for studying CCIE Voice, so I have the PC as my OneNote note taker (Pen input is a must), and use a Lenovo LT1421 USB monitor to watch the training videos.
Purchasing
Purchasing the Pro 2 in the UK, was frankly, a nightmare.
There are (To my knowledge) no bricks-and-mortar MS stores, so we rely on 3rd party retailers or the online microsoftstore.com. I had pretty much decided that I was going to go ahead with the Surface Pro 2 so heeded the warnings that stock was running out. I was guaranteed that my device would ship by October 29th from the MS store (Which is poor), and in the end I noticed that John Lewis not only had stock of the 256GB version, but also the Purple Type cover! Purchased on next-day delivery, and cancelled the order with the microsoftstore. I did find the irony that I could purchase the device from a 3rd party retailer faster than Microsoft directly frustrating, and humorous at the same time.
I popped into John Lewis yesterday to see if I could pick up the wireless/Bluetooth dongle that allows you to separate out the keyboard from the Surface. To my surprise there was actually a Microsoft Advisor there! I had to wait in a queue of 3-4 groups of people to speak to the guy; and overhearing what they were saying, the intent to purchase Surface devices was definitely there. All the groups of people left, quite frustrated, that they couldn't buy one because there was no stock. What a waste of that MS employees time! And furthermore, it's the first Saturday after the launch of Surface 2.
The hype around the devices is all completely wasted, if you can't put devices in people's hands!
I eventually got my turn to speak to the guy, and I was informed that they had never received any stock of any accessories (Aside from keyboards). Jesus...
Impressions of the device
I won't bore you with this bit, as there are plenty of reviews out there to watch/read. I simply think that it's stunning.
Pros:
- The inclusion of a USB port on the charger is inspired. I use an external DVD drive sporadically and having the ability to power it from the power cord is ace. The only problem is, that the cable between the Surface and adaptor is too long (So the DVD drive could end up quite far away from the Surface when plugged into both!), and the cable between the wall socket and adaptor is too short. Even spacing would be nice!
- The build quality is fantastic and feels really solid
- Battery life has been awesome so far
- When combined with a cheap USB 3.0 hub (Anker branded I'm using), and some cheap USB 3.0 to Gigabit Ethernet dongle, I have a PC that exceeded my expectations for doing the work that I do.
- Windows 8.1 is brilliant. I also have an iPad and frankly, it's been off since I purchased my RT...
Cons:
- The Surface 2 Pro is frankly, a beast. It really is very heavy (Coming from an RT). I'm persevering as a Tablet but the Surface 3 could really do with being made out of carbon fibre or something....
- I am noticing a little scuffing starting to develop around the USB port, as I use it all the time for dongles and other devices. Need to be careful to not make it look really bad, so must improve my aim
- The free Skype bundle doesn't allow you to call UK mobile phones! People over here use landlines less and less, because mobile coverage and deals are so good. Because of this, the Skype bundle is pretty rubbish for us over here (Not that it was really a factor in buying the device, though I appreciate it's value)
Other stuff / thoughts on Surface 3
- The ARC mouse that I managed to try out was horrible. Buy the Sculpt mouse instead - it's fantastic (And Bluetooth so saves using that single USB port up).
- I could really do with a second USB 3.0 port. Dongle make things a bit easier, but it really would be welcome.
- An option for 16GB RAM would be most appreciated.
- Maybe a reversible Touch/Type cover? I'd like to try out the new gesture support, but can't. The engineering of this would be "interesting", because of figuring out which way up the cover was, but I think it'd be a real innovation. Royalties go straight to my PayPal, thanks
- Not having the opportunity to buy docking stations (I'm likely to buy one for my TV, one for office, and one for home office) at the time of launch, means I'm likely to purchase 3rd party USB 3.0 ones that are significantly cheaper. Well done MS - stock level problems mean lost revenue again... D'oh!
- MS really need to be a bit more confident about stocking in the future. A few bricks-and-mortar stores in the UK would help, but if not, more support for 3rd party retailers such as advisors and better stock levels.
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