Surface RT... should I buy one?

[officially_juju]

I'm a recent BlackBerry 10 to WP8.1 convert (I saw the ship sinking and jumped to the next OS I'd consider). I'm now officially sold on WP8.1 with my Lumia 925; It's the best OS I have used on a phone.
I am in love with my Macbook Pro and you couldn't pry it from my hands but my iPad Mini I recently sold because I am just so bored with Apple's phone/tablet products. Since I have an expensive laptop I don't want to dish out loads of cash so I figure if I bought a Windows tablet it would be a Surface RT.
Question... is it worth it?? How is the experience (with the 8.1 update) along with my phone? I am really wanting something more portable than my laptop that I can take along with me for trips and days I will make long appointments.
Thanks for the feedback! Apps and suggestions are welcome!

 

[anon(7900571)]

Glad you are liking windows phone 8.1 update on your Lumia 925 :smile:
If you don't care for apps , Surface RT is a good tablet. It has full Microsoft office 2013 , Skype , some nice Xbox games and desktop class internet explorer browsing(it also supports flash player).With all this you will get a good battery backup (8-10 hours ? not sure about battery though ) :smile:

 

[onlysublime]

it really depends on what you want from a machine...

I love my Surface RT within the confines of what I need it for. It's not a laptop replacement. It's not the ultimate tablet either. What it offers is a versatile machine that's light, has great battery life, a good screen, a nice kickstand, a great keyboard, and Microsoft Office 2013.

I have a Surface Pro 2, a Surface RT, and an Asus Transformer T100. I love my SP2 to death and it's my go-to machine when I need to do something critical. however, my Surface RT is my daily work machine that I use when I need to be mobile and i need to do my daily work. In fact, during my work hours, I'm on my Surface RT more than my SP2 because during work, my most essential qualities needed from a machine are long battery life, Microsoft Office, and small light form factor.

I can't really use the Asus much. The keyboard is too terrible, the screen isn't bright, the form factor is cumbersome when trying to switch back and forth between laptop mode and tablet mode, etc. The only real use for the Asus is pure tablet mode. In that mode, it's pretty good. But anything I need to really use desktop programs (especially Photoshop and Premiere Pro), i use my Surface Pro 2. My SP2 is my laptop. And everything else, I use my Surface RT because of its versatility. When i just want a tablet in a small light body, I use the Asus.

 

[ACynicalLamp]

Well for me, my Surface 2 is amazing I love it. If you have the cash I'd get the Surface 2.

Now the RT I bought for my nephew and he's 3. He likes it because it has Netflix, YouTube, and Amazon instant video support.

His mother also enjoys using it since it has full office. Plus for cooking it's fantastic if you use an app like allrecipies or whatnot. The kickstand is amazing for that. I'd say if you fly a lot when you travel you'd love the kickstand.

In short, it plays most video files, has all the major applications for streaming or supports their websites, and makes a great cookbook. Plus, with the keyboard you'll actually be able to get work done then use Bluetooth to send an office file to your phone, which then allows you to email it and/or make final tweaks before emailing it (I do this a lot and love my 920 for this).

Final opinion is: I'd say it's worth $200. Think $280 with touch keyboard.

 

[Guytronic]

I would go for the Surface RT 2...

 

[vaultsurvivor]

I got an rt at christmas and really don't regret it! Is it a bit slower than the surface 2? Yes, but you really wont notice it that much. Th huge bonus for me is flash support on th browsers... Thank you ms! Also, the apps situation is getting better, but you have a full browser available (with a keyboard), and you can pin them to the start. Its not a complete solution but it works...

 

[officially_juju]

Thanks for the feedback! Quick question about the app issue. Are many apps available for Surface 2 and on not available for the RT?

 

[onlysublime]

all the apps will run on both Surface 2 and Surface RT. the Surface 2 is a much faster machine though so you'll notice that especially in games. but in terms of just running the software, all apps should run on both.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I was originally one who thought that the performance differences between the RT and 2 were overhyped... that was while I owned an RT. But once I upgraded to the Surface 2 (which was quite a step price-wise after getting the RT at a clearance price) I could see that the difference in performance that everyone had been saying was true. If you plan on making serious use of the device (rather than just tinkering), the Surface 2 is preferable over the RT.

It sounds silly but one of the few games that I played on my Surface tablets was Microsoft's Solitaire Collection. On the RT it was a stuttering lagfest. It's solitaire for crying out loud! But on the Surface 2 it is as smooth as one expects a solitaire game to be.

The greater concern for yourself should be the availability of apps. Depending on how you used your iPad mini, you'll either be fine and not notice the difference in the quality and availability of apps. Or you can find that the Surface is a near total dud.

I suggest taking an inventory of the type of apps you used on your iPad mini and see what is available for Windows RT.