surface 2 and Ipad 3 and over owners

exkerZ

New member
Nov 21, 2013
235
0
0
Visit site
I love my surface 2 with LTE. The LTE is not necessary to enjoy it (specially because I mostly use WiFi and not the data). So. The battery is not as amazing as they claim it is. It can surely last 10 hours, but only when playing video. You can get maybe 7 hours on WiFi and IE. Using data drains the battery too.

For the actual surface, it is an amazing device. It is great on the go when I forget to type a report or make a PowerPoint. It is very easy to make a new one. Don't underestimate the practice though.. It takes a little while of getting used to it on word or PowerPoint. The track pad of the touch cover 2 sucks as well. It is better to use a USB or Bluetooth mouse.

The touch cover isn't the best typing apparatus either. It works well for what it is though. Um, I haven't had time to change languages on the surface, but it is annoying to try and type in italian or spanish, and have to be auto corrected... It is very hard to best the autocorrect though. Every time you change the word back and press space, the word corrects again... I hate that. But I found out how to turn auto off.

The surface 2 gets really hot when playing halo spartan assault. I can't say much of other games since I haven't played them. I recently came across a weird streak glitch on the surface screen. It looks like when the TV goes out.. But it doesn't last long. It is a split second long. Maybe they will fix it with an update later. I did research, and it used to happen to the surface 2 a lot. I have only seen it twice.

The surface 2 has an amazing kickstand that seems to be durable enough to last most people. I think it depends on use. I'm personally very scared of breaking it, but I try to be very careful.

The speakers aren't amazing. They are good enough at home, but outside in the public, they suffer greatly. It doesn't matter though since I only watch video at home. Otherwise, I have earphones.

I am mostly satisfied with the surface 2. I get mad at the battery life... But I can live with it considering it still does last longer than almost all laptops. It seems to have a weird battery meter glitch too; on some days, the meter says that it is full at 99% charge, and it will stop charging. The device isn't draining, the meter software is just bad.


The most important thing to remember is that this isn't an iPad. The battery won't compare, the apps suffer greatly, but the surface is a productivity war horse. It is the perfect device for a student such as myself. Also, the fact that there aren't millions of apps is a good thing! Nothing distracts you now (At least that is the way it is for me). The less distractions though, the more productive one can be.

If something doesn't make sense or someone wants me to elaborate, just ask ^^
 

geotos

New member
May 2, 2014
16
0
0
Visit site
I have a playbook too! Alright! I have not had a problem one with my playbook. My point is electronics can have problems that's what most people come to forums for. But the majority do not have problems. If you know something is a piece of s*** than you know. The surface is a solid devise. I replaced my laptop with an S2. If it didn't perform well or was only a tablet (limited, you know what I mean) it would have went back. I'm not a fan boy. Get it.

Cheers m8. Yes. I agree. Most times it is the electronics going faulty in very few devices. However the playbook's problem is very common and BB know it's a design fault.
 

geotos

New member
May 2, 2014
16
0
0
Visit site
Which does absolutely nothing in helping the OP in his decision. Because your experience with the beta version on Windows Phone is not a guarantee of how it will perform on the Surface 2. I've used Cortana on 8.1. It is indeed excellent. But it would be foolish to make a decision TODAY about what MIGHT be in the futur



Microsoft has made a public commitment to support Windows RT up to April 2017. As to the quality of that support, well, that is an unknown. The bigger concern, IMO, has to do with the fact that the Surface RT/2 are locked down to Windows RT and cannot be rooted to install another OS (should one be dissatisfied with the level of support for RT Microsoft is delivering).


Well this shows that the life expectancy of the surface is ONLY 3 years. Don't like that at all. The ipads have been around for 4 years and are still going strong. Is there a use by date from apple? This alone will shift me towards the ipad. 3 years is definately short.
 

Ian Too

New member
Jun 19, 2012
350
0
0
Visit site
I'm a little out of your target group, owning a Surface RT and an iPad 2, but I think I can add one or two things which might help.

When I bought the iPad and the Surface I was looking for essentially the same thing: a computer I take anywhere on which I could take notes/write. Having previously had a netbook for the same reason, I was highly excited by the iPad until I tried to turn it to task. Oh what a disappointment! Typing on the screen is okay for web surfing, but typing documents requires a keyboard and adding a bluetooth keyboard basically turns the iPad into a netbook, which isn't as versatile as one. You end up with something bulky and with too small a screen. Added to that was the paucity of apps on which to write; I tried Pages but found it unimpressive, given how much it relied on the touchscreen and it didn't even try to be compatible with Word documents, so I had no access to old documents and couldn't view Pages documents on my PC at home. I then went through several word processors which claimed Word file compatibility, but even the best were flakey. Not until Microsoft released Office on the iPad did that machine become viable to me.

The experience with the Surface was completely different. The Surface found, recognised and installed the correct driver for my printer first time and now is my preferred device from which to print. The touch cover is good enough to type on for extended periods and doesn't significantly add to the thickness of the device, so the Surface is small enough to be portable and the handwriting recognition is good enough to take notes using the Surface like a clipboard- cutting out the need to transcribe my notes. I use my Surface out and about, on the sofa or even in bed - to take notes, create documents, read books, surf the web and watch videos.

One thing I really like with the Surface is streaming Youtube videos to my xbox 360 and watching them full screen on my TV. It also works for Flash video and Photos. Add to that USB connectivity for memory sticks, USB mice and countless other peripherals, and you can understand how for me, the Surface has eclipsed the iPad, which now sits in it's cradle quite folorn. I will keep it a while longer, as I have some files on it and I don't want to abandon the iOS ecosystem completely.

Another very important factor in favour of the Surface is the increasing synchronisation between the various windows products, including calendars, documents and a whole lot more. Being able to pick up the Surface and check the calendar while on the phone, rather than have to call your friend back, is a convenience it's difficult to get across.

I can heartily recommend the Surface over the iPad for what you seem to want it for. I don't think obsolescence will be a problem, because Apple have already stopped supporting the original iPad and I'm not convinced the tablet as a form factor is mature enough that most people will want to stay with a device more than two or three years. Plus iOS is still a static UI that doesn't seem to have anywhere to go, whereas the Modern UI can be extended by making live tiles interactive - I think Surface users will see even more improvements in the same way Windows Phone users have, extending the lifespan of their devices.

I have the model Surface everyone says is bad, but it works harder than just about any device I have and has proved up to the tasks I set it. Although the vapour-mag coating has flaked away a bit from the kickstand, the Surface itself has proved rugged enough for normal use and the Surface 2 doesn't have that coating anyway.

Whatever you choose, good luck with it and I hope it serves yo well.
 

anon(5445874)

New member
Dec 6, 2012
673
0
0
Visit site
I'm a little out of your target group, owning a Surface RT and an iPad 2, but I think I can add one or two things which might help.

When I bought the iPad and the Surface I was looking for essentially the same thing: a computer I take anywhere on which I could take notes/write. Having previously had a netbook for the same reason, I was highly excited by the iPad until I tried to turn it to task. Oh what a disappointment! Typing on the screen is okay for web surfing, but typing documents requires a keyboard and adding a bluetooth keyboard basically turns the iPad into a netbook, which isn't as versatile as one. You end up with something bulky and with too small a screen. Added to that was the paucity of apps on which to write; I tried Pages but found it unimpressive, given how much it relied on the touchscreen and it didn't even try to be compatible with Word documents, so I had no access to old documents and couldn't view Pages documents on my PC at home. I then went through several word processors which claimed Word file compatibility, but even the best were flakey. Not until Microsoft released Office on the iPad did that machine become viable to me.

The experience with the Surface was completely different. The Surface found, recognised and installed the correct driver for my printer first time and now is my preferred device from which to print. The touch cover is good enough to type on for extended periods and doesn't significantly add to the thickness of the device, so the Surface is small enough to be portable and the handwriting recognition is good enough to take notes using the Surface like a clipboard- cutting out the need to transcribe my notes. I use my Surface out and about, on the sofa or even in bed - to take notes, create documents, read books, surf the web and watch videos.

One thing I really like with the Surface is streaming Youtube videos to my xbox 360 and watching them full screen on my TV. It also works for Flash video and Photos. Add to that USB connectivity for memory sticks, USB mice and countless other peripherals, and you can understand how for me, the Surface has eclipsed the iPad, which now sits in it's cradle quite folorn. I will keep it a while longer, as I have some files on it and I don't want to abandon the iOS ecosystem completely.

Another very important factor in favour of the Surface is the increasing synchronisation between the various windows products, including calendars, documents and a whole lot more. Being able to pick up the Surface and check the calendar while on the phone, rather than have to call your friend back, is a convenience it's difficult to get across.

I can heartily recommend the Surface over the iPad for what you seem to want it for. I don't think obsolescence will be a problem, because Apple have already stopped supporting the original iPad and I'm not convinced the tablet as a form factor is mature enough that most people will want to stay with a device more than two or three years. Plus iOS is still a static UI that doesn't seem to have anywhere to go, whereas the Modern UI can be extended by making live tiles interactive - I think Surface users will see even more improvements in the same way Windows Phone users have, extending the lifespan of their devices.

I have the model Surface everyone says is bad, but it works harder than just about any device I have and has proved up to the tasks I set it. Although the vapour-mag coating has flaked away a bit from the kickstand, the Surface itself has proved rugged enough for normal use and the Surface 2 doesn't have that coating anyway.

Whatever you choose, good luck with it and I hope it serves yo well.

I'd agree 100% I also have the unpopular surface, and it's pretty much my best friend (next to my WP of course).
 

christenmartin

New member
Jan 31, 2013
398
0
0
Visit site
Totally disagree with kev up there ( can't seem to qoute his whole post). Battery life is awesome. I would say at least 10 hours and that is web, email, and videos. I don't even think about plugging it in daily. When I see a the battery is low I plug it in and inside an hour fully charged.
 

geotos

New member
May 2, 2014
16
0
0
Visit site
From my research and from what you helpful chaps have written, I do prefer the surface over the ipad for what it can do. I like that I'd be able to watch 16:9 movies without black bars, the hdmi out, watching on my TV in 1080p, (depending on content), the tile look, full websites with flash, extra storage with sd card, to be able to add any usb device, the option to use an xbox controller, having 3 apps open and to view on the one screen, office, the kickstand, the type cover 2. These things have swayed me towards the surface 2. They are not available on the ipad. However, having once made the mistake of buying the playbook and not getting the chance to enjoy it due to the battery being unable to charge, I certainly don't want to make the same mistake and have another tablet go on me in two years time. This is where I know the ipad will last. I know they work "forever". However, having quickly browsed google and from what IanToo says, I see see that after 4 years the original ipad is not supported any more so I guess that's how it's going to be for IT devices. So I'm in favour of the surface 2 again.

I have to mention that I respect WillysJeepMan's advice because although he states he loves the product, he says he is disappointed with it. From what I've read, he too liked the surface, he risked it and bought it, but became disappointed with the reliability of the product especially when he had to make presentations and he'd cop SoDs. At least I know what I may need to expect with the surface if i decide on it, but since I don't have to make work presentations, I suppose I could live with the odd SoD. Then there are others that don't seem to have problems. So I think I'll give it a risk and go for the surface 2 because it does have more capabilities and has more of the things I like than what the ipad offers.

I have till Friday to fully decide as my sis wants to go out this Saturday to buy me my present which I'll have brought to me from Australia on June 17. So far it's surface 2.
 

anon(5445874)

New member
Dec 6, 2012
673
0
0
Visit site
Totally disagree with kev up there ( can't seem to qoute his whole post). Battery life is awesome. I would say at least 10 hours and that is web, email, and videos. I don't even think about plugging it in daily. When I see a the battery is low I plug it in and inside an hour fully charged.
On the first Surface Pro? really? maybe if your screen is set to very dim and you're just web browsing. But video editing and such things,.. 2 hours!
 

Cleavitt76

New member
Jan 10, 2013
360
0
0
Visit site
What scares me is that with updates, will the surface 2 need upgrading in two or three years, like pc's do because they slow right down?

...

Still don't know which to pick though. If the surface 2 won't need upgrading in the near future and will "work", i'd probably lean towards surface 2. If not, then the ipad.

Both of these are common concerns, but in my opinion neither is an issue with Windows RT.

The truth is that Windows has not had the "slow down" problem since the Windows 95/98/ME days. PCs in the past slowed down for a few reasons...


1) Much older consumer versions of Windows would get junked up over time. That pretty much ended with XP though. However, PCs continued to slow down for years after XP for the next two reasons.

2) Software complexity was still growing rapidly up until about 5 years ago. Operating systems and software were constantly adding major functionality. Think about what a typical PC was used for in 2000 compared to 2010. You had to upgrade hardware to keep up with the software during those years. That problem was not unique to Windows. Imagine Installing the latest version of OSX and current software on a Mac from 2005. It would run like crap just like a PC from 2005 is now obsolete. Fortunately, software complexity started to level off several years ago while hardware has continued to move forward. Windows 7 has lower hardware requirements than Windows Vista did and Windows 8 has lower requirements than Windows 7. So actually in the past 5 years this trend has reversed.

3) People willingly install malware, toolbars, and useless garbage on their computers. This is not really an issue on "light OSs" like Windows RT and iOS where you install apps from a store. However, on a full OS that requires flexibility and full user control this is hard to prevent. Again, it's not really a Windows issue, but there are a lot of very clueless Windows users out there compared to say, Linux, as well as a lot more garbage software targeted at Windows compared to other desktop OSs.

As far as the Windows updates, this is less of an issue with Windows RT since it is a "light OS" and doesn't have all of the additional complexity of a full general purpose OS like Windows 7/8. Windows RT is more similar to iOS in this regard. It's meant to be simple and "just work" compared to a full OS that is meant to do anything and everything.

Also, once you get the initial updates installed you can always turn off the Windows update option and just keep it as-is, or pick and choose updates like many people do with mobile devices. I wouldn't recommend this on a full desktop OS, but on a mobile OS like Windows RT it is certainly an option.
 

Cleavitt76

New member
Jan 10, 2013
360
0
0
Visit site
On the first Surface Pro? really? maybe if your screen is set to very dim and you're just web browsing. But video editing and such things,.. 2 hours!

Yes, but the OP is asking about the 2nd gen Surface (RT) not the first gen Surface Pro. You are correct that is was possible to drain the battery on the original Surface Pro in a couple of hours if you threw a constant intense workload at it, but that isn't the case with the Surface RT, Surface 2, or Surface Pro 2. The Surface 2 should go for several hours in a worse case scenario.
 

anon(5445874)

New member
Dec 6, 2012
673
0
0
Visit site
Yes, but the OP is asking about the 2nd gen Surface (RT) not the first gen Surface Pro. You are correct that is was possible to drain the battery on the original Surface Pro in a couple of hours if you threw a constant intense workload at it, but that isn't the case with the Surface RT, Surface 2, or Surface Pro 2. The Surface 2 should go for several hours in a worse case scenario.
There must be a communication error, because we are actually on the same page.
 

Cleavitt76

New member
Jan 10, 2013
360
0
0
Visit site
Well this shows that the life expectancy of the surface is ONLY 3 years. Don't like that at all. The ipads have been around for 4 years and are still going strong. Is there a use by date from apple? This alone will shift me towards the ipad. 3 years is definately short.

That is very misleading in my opinion. First, MS committed to support Windows RT with operating system updates until *at least* April 2017. Second, that date is based on the Surface RT (original) which was released in 2012. So MS was committing to support it with updates for ~5 years at the time they made that announcement in 2012.

While Apple may seem to support their old products well, I would argue that they don't in many ways compared to Microsoft's committment. For example, the iPad 2 was released about three years ago. Several months ago iOS7 was released and it is supported on the iPad 2, but the version of "iOS7" for the iPad 2 is limited compared to the versions that run on the iPad 3+. It's clever version naming, but any other tech company would call it "iOS 6.5" since it is missing functionality supported in iOS7. I mean it's the same version or it's not, right? So after only 2.5 years, Apple is limiting their update support for that device. Furthermore, iOS 8 is not expected to be supported for the iPad 2 so more than likely it has received it's last update. This is the case with the rest of the iPad and iPhone line as well. The iPad 1 was even worse. It only supports iOS 5 which was released only 18 months after the hardware. When you compare that track record to Microsoft's 5 year commitment to RT, the MS support is pretty impressive.

To be honest though, it doesn't matter as much on a device like this. After a few years most of the software kinks have already been worked out anyway and the hardware is limited in what it can do compared to the latest software. These kind of devices are designed to "just work" and you can only expect so much from updates a few years down the road. The mobile devices of today are very much like the desktop/laptop computers of several years ago. The software on mobile devices is still maturing and it will outpace the current mobile hardware along the way.
 

Cleavitt76

New member
Jan 10, 2013
360
0
0
Visit site
There must be a communication error, because we are actually on the same page.

Probably, yes. I thought you were talking about battery time, but maybe you were talking about charging time.

The person you were responding to didn't quote you so I lost track of who was saying what. I think he might have been talking about exkerZ's post anyway, because I don't see where you mentioned battery life at all.

Anyway, I wasn't disagreeing with you so much as trying to clarify the product that is being discussed so the OP doesn't get the wrong idea.
 

geotos

New member
May 2, 2014
16
0
0
Visit site
Cleavitt76, Thanks for clearing those issues for me. Top info there in your 2 long posts!

And as for the battery, I'm aware it can last around the 10 hour mark, and 6 or 7 surfing the web due to flash.

Ok. It's going to be the Surface 2. :grin: I'll put the order in to my sis on Friday and will report back here when I receive it on around june 17/18 with 1st impressions.
 

SeeVuPlay

Member
Apr 3, 2011
340
0
16
Visit site
Am leaning towards it as I defo like it for what it does better than the ipad, but I'm a little afraid because it hasn't been out for very long. What am I afraid of? Well 2 years ago I bought a Blackberry Playbook. The battery died suddenly 2 years later and it's now useless. Apparently they have a fault with their charging system, a design fault which is showing up on playbooks all the time. Blackberry acknowledge the problem. I just hope these surfaces will last and will be supported by microsoft as blackberry have given up on their playbooks. Don't want the surface dead in a few years. I know the ipads are built like bricks and last but I'm a bit iffy on the surface 2. Are there any reports on bricked surfaces? Might still be early for this question.

Hey i know that issue....and i know how to deal with it. The playbook was nice, but was very limited. For the charging issue, the battery got down so low that once you plug it in, the playbook goes through a startup cycle that requires more juice, and so everytime you plug it in, the startup drains it again and shuts down....then u have to unplug and plug up again....and then it stick in that cycle. But there was a trick to sort of give it little sips of enerjon until it could sustain the startup
 

geotos

New member
May 2, 2014
16
0
0
Visit site
Hey i know that issue....and i know how to deal with it. The playbook was nice, but was very limited. For the charging issue, the battery got down so low that once you plug it in, the playbook goes through a startup cycle that requires more juice, and so everytime you plug it in, the startup drains it again and shuts down....then u have to unplug and plug up again....and then it stick in that cycle. But there was a trick to sort of give it little sips of enerjon until it could sustain the startup

I went through all that. But like others, mine, when plugged in, would light up the red, then the charging symbol would show up, then after a while do the yellow light blink once only, then go to the boot up screen with the playbook logo and different colours for a few minutes then switch off. That's as far as it gets. Tried plugging it in and out over 100 times with all the different methods, but nothing. When others contacted bb with similar symptoms to mine, they were told the charging circuit is gone. I have found replacement batteries on a web site for 54 euros, but having seen some vids on youtube on how to replace it seems very delicate. And when they say the charging circuit is faulty, does this mean a new battery won't charge?
 

Members online

Forum statistics

Threads
322,915
Messages
2,242,889
Members
428,004
Latest member
hetb