College laptop or tablet.

[Euan Tan]

Hi! First, this is my first post in this place. Have always been a die hard Android user but my computer uses windows 8 and In a couple of months I'll be in a market for a laptop or maybe a tablet as I am being sent of to college~
and I have some questions regarding The Surface Pro 2

What's the difference between the Pro 2 vs a windows laptop of similar price? would you recommend it as a replacement for a laptop, mainly for college stuff purposes? Does it run programs like photoshop, sony vegas, spotify etc? and sorry but I'm new to the whole windows tablets but whats with all the RT, Surface and the Surface pro (as in the difference between them)? and if not what Laptop would you recommended if you can..

 

[fwaits]

RT can only run Windows Store apps. That would include devices like the Surface 2 (Not Pro), and Nokia 2520. The Surface 2 Pro and most Laptop/Ultrabook/Convertables run Windows 8 (Sometimes Windows 8 Pro) which is essentially the full Windows you've always known with the new UI. So you can run Windows Store apps, but also traditional PC apps/games downloaded or installed from Disc media.

Ultimately what device will fit you depends on a lot of things. What are your priorities for a device? Screen size, Touch screen or not, battery life, pen input, form factor (tablet, laptop style, or a bit of both (convertible like a Lenovo Yoga 2 Pro, or Sony Flip for example)), etc. etc... Figure out what are the most important factors first, then find the devices that fit those best and compare. There are many great Win 8.x devices out there now and lots of good choices depending on your wants and needs.

 

[PandaSPUR]

I'm gonna quote my own post from the thread "I still don't get the purpose of tablets?" as I think it'll help answer your question, especially about the Pro 2.

Last year I used my Nexus 7 (2012) in combination with the $20 Chinese/Ebay bluetooth keyboard/cover thing.
I brought it to my classes to takes notes with.
It was lighter than my laptop and didnt need a charge at any point during the day (and if I stuck to note taking and web browsing only, it'd last a second day).
It doesnt do everything my laptop could do, but I didnt need it to do anything it couldn't do.

This semester I had to go back to my Thinkpad T410 because two of my classes had actual lab time during the lecture hours, so I needed to use several x86 applications including development tools and VMs.
My T410 was aging and it was starting to show. The screen would half blank out and a column on the keyboard was dying.

So now I have a Surface Pro 2 and its exactly what I need ...
... as a laptop:

• it runs the x86 applications that I need
• it can run the VMs that I need (and has the RAM for it all)
• I can dual boot linux if a VM doesnt suffice.
• I can multitask like I would normally.

... as a tablet:

• Its light (enough)
• Battery could still be better but I manage 5-7 hours of normal usage.
• I can carry it in my hand just to do reading in tight spaces.
• its fun (although Win8 Apps are seriously lacking)

 

[husslord]

I'm with ya! In grad school and my 8 yr old MacBook took a crap on me this past yr! Honestly what will you be using it for? Office? Please avoid google drive! My one Prof has us use it and I loath it!!! Just my personal opinion I actually really enjoy the new office and the student version is well worth the price! The pro is great!! I played around with one at Best buy! Pricey but nice!! Do you need that much memory the detachable screen? If so there other options less pricey....not as solid as the pro but hey in a few yrs with tech everything changes.....I started off with an Asus 11" touch screen i3....not the most powerful, but gets the job done with ease! I have a huuuge iTunes library but keep it on match and download when needed....i have a decent amount of apps and and files and docs and still runs great! Just get a high end security software....forgot what I got....bitdefender....but if you can afford a pro and are familiar with windows 8 go for it! Part of me makes me wonder how much you are paying for the name sorta like apple but look around and don't rush.....made that mistake before ugh lol

 

[elyod]

I'm an engineering student and my laptop died last year, so I chose to purchase a tablet instead of repair my three year old laptop. The reason for this is that the tablet, running full windows not rt, does everything that my laptop did and the battery lasts 10-11 hours. For anything school related, which for me involved using solid modeling programs or coding, or both at the same time, I use the school computers which have two monitors and all of the expensive software. Honestly, I don't see myself using a laptop ever again. Anything I do when I'm not at a powerful desktop can easily be done on a tablet that weighs 1.5 pounds and has the form factor of a magazine (Asus vivotab smart).

 

[Euan Tan]

Thank you! You've all helped me decide to buy the PRO 2 when the time comes!
I checked it out at a mall near me. I really like the form factor but the keyboard is so expensive... worth the cost i guess