Why Did You Buy Your Surface Pro and How Do You Use It?

[macswitch]

I just got my Surface Pro - I'm mainly a Mac user, and wanted something better than the iPad to read and hand-annotate science ebooks. I also hope to use OneNote to organise some research projects.

I started a blog on my Surface Pro experience. I will link from there to this forum.

Edmund

 

[mitchellvii]

I just got my Surface Pro - I'm mainly a Mac user, and wanted something better than the iPad to read and hand-annotate science ebooks. I also hope to use OneNote to organise some research projects.

I started a blog on my Surface Pro experience. I will link from there to this forum.

Edmund

Why do you find the touch cover "hopeless"? I much prefer it over the type cover. I sure wouldn't want to try typing in a class or meeting with the type cover as it is VERY noisy. I can type very fast with the touch cover as I barely have to touch keys to type a letter. I found with the type cover I had to mash the key very hard or I risked a missing keystroke.

 

[ToluAbisola]

I bought mine because I was looking for a computer device that could do the following:

• Small and compact enough to use on my lap or on the train
• Accepted pressure sensitive stylus input
• Was powerful enough to run "full fat" windows applications
• Is powerfull enough to run Zbrush, PS and Modo or Lightwave

I had to make a few adjustments

Such as lowering the resolution.
Get ArtDock for Surface Pro.
Get the new Wacom WinTab drivers


The last bit about the WinTab drivers is essential, without this there is no point in the above steps. With the WinTab drivers installed the whole thing comes together in a really nice, compact rival to the Wacom Cintiq (that's how highly I rate the Surface Pro)

I'm absolutely loving it and can't wait for the 8.1 update to drop. My iPad is now being used by my 7 year old niece.

 

[zokstar]

I was always looking at getting an ultrabook. something nice & light for travelling, media content, carrying around, bed use etc... It was either going to be SP or the MBA.. Decided to go with SP as my Desktop & phone are both Win8.

 

[lancer_dancer01]

I had a RT and was using it for med school. It was working great for me (although it did run a little slow). Then last week it decided to die on me and I ended up losing a bunch of notes (some of it my fault for not backing things up to my skydrive, but also the RT sucked at using onenote to sync notes up to my skydrive, especially if there were pictures). So with my warranty BB allowed me to upgrade to a Pro by paying the difference of course. So far I can tell a huge difference in the speed of the pro compared to the RT. Also, the stylus is going to be a great addition to note taking. For school this is the perfect device. Light, portable, and not just a tablet.

 

[MJS9]

I got the pro to help improve my productivity, flexibility and efficiency at work. With the Mako Rotatory case and Think Tank Artificial Intelligence 13" bag, I've got a very powerful, portable, robust and light weight toolbox.

I'm using ArcGIS 10.1 to digitize data in the field in real time (river environments), weather permitting. I have a large number of devices installed outdoors which are collecting data which is stored to SD card. I could service/maintain these with my Toughbook/HP Elitebook, but they're both about to go on the team kit share list as the SP has replaced them. Internet sharing over my Nokia Lumia 920, 4g, I'm permanently linked everywhere I go to our exchange server and team sites, Skydrive and Dropbox. I've re-discovered the power of OneNote with having a stylus and touch screen, which is proving much more efficient (and less intrusive) for taking minutes/notes at meetings without disturbing colleagues. I can also call up any reference material on the fly, and with Office 365, create/maintain anywhere. With a VGA and HDMI adapter, I'm ready to go with presentations and hot desks. For the short time I spend in the office, my go to machine is still a Desktop. The Pro was never intended or expected to be a replacement for that, although, I think it could handle it if needed (type keyboard).

I'm hugely hugely impressed with the SP. It's straight up changed the game, and I'm sure there's even more potential to extract. And to boot, it's very nice to use too. Stylish, classy, great build quality. I tip my hat to Microsoft. I'll be upgrading other essential staff to the SP in the coming weeks.

 

[viccles]

Hi everyone. I just bought a pro (well I put a deposit down on one since they didn't have the touch cover in). Am hoping to use it for PhD/work. So excited! Have preordered 64gb but am going to go and change my order today I think to 128gb

 

[ws510]

I bought mine to use as main computer at home and the ability to use as tablet as my ipads have been occupied by the kids.

 

[hogwldfltr]

Hi all,

I bought mine for my birthday last Sunday to replace my garbage netbook and so I don't have to lug my work notebook home all the time. I'm an engineer in semiconductor manufacturing and I need a system that can minimally handle Office. I wanted a tablet for the intimacy and ease of use that they provide. Additionally I am a guitarist and play with recording which also requires use of real programs and not just apps. After looking around at the various offering the Pro just seemed to have the best overall capability of all the tablets. I have an iPhone for work so basically any apps that I need from Apple are applied to that. Also I used to do tech support for Apple during an engineering hiatus (LAYOFF) so I'm pretty familiar with those units and knew the wouldn't cut it from my perspective. I'm still getting familiar with the Pro but so far I really like it. For someone who's used Microsoft products since the beginning, it offers almost everything I need. For the rest there is always my work laptop.

-Lee

 

[vazls1]

Salutations!

I travel extensively for my job and as a result, I live in a hotel half the time. Since some of the kiosks are unreliable and/or unsecured, I went ahead and bought the Surface Pro so I can have consistent access to my data, update my social media websites, and most importantly do work with the Microsoft Office Suites. I'm also finishing up my Masters degree and as such I have to be able to collect data and I'm still playing around with MS One Note to see what the potential is for that. Plus I needed an upgrade.

I also hook the Pro up to the big screens in the hotel to watch Breaking Bad and MLP in 1080 HD resolution and it helps pass the time.

The most impressive aspect is that I have a membership at a "hacker shop" and I run Autodesk Inventor suites on my surface. While I do find the program a bit hard to use with the stylus, its essentially a non issue when I hook it up to the big screen.

 

[CrippsCorner]

I also hook the Pro up to the big screens in the hotel to watch Breaking Bad and MLP in 1080 HD resolution and it helps pass the time.

My Little Pony?

 

[Ricolando]

Hey everyone! I bought my Surface Pro to replace an Asus EP 121 that wasn't cutting it any more as far as battery life and size. I was lucky enough that the company I work for qualified for that sweet Microsoft Partner discount so I was able to get the 128 GB Pro for $399. I also snagged a 64 GB RT w/ Touch Cover for $99 for my girlfriend.

As a tablet pc user for a few years now the battery life and portability of the Pro were huge factors for me (the EP 121 had awful battery life being a first-gen Core i5 and having a 12.1" screen). I was looking for a device that I could use for everything (school, work, recreation), and the Surface Pro fits the bill better than any other device I've owned.