Hey Microsoft!!! Fix your Surface Book before it dies!

[AbsoluteZerow]

So, now that some of the dust has settled and users have "real life" experiences with their $1,500+ Surface Book's, we need to start complaining. The Surface Book is a very, very expensive product. For it to have SO many issues on release is more than unacceptable. Many products get released with day one patches/updates to resolve issues, but the amount of issues we're having with our Book's is a terrible first impression.

Off the top of my head, here is what I experienced or have seen others experience:

• Delays in cursor or touch response while browsing, with only the browser open.
• Screen discoloration while scrolling or just in general.
• Screen flicker.
• Screen detach mechanism not detaching.
• Screen detach not being recognized at all when initiated.
• Blue screens when detaching or reattaching the screen.
• Blue screens while using Edge.
• Blue screens for no reason.
• Bricked units from faulty firmware updates (wow.)
• Track pad having sluggish response (fixed via update for most)
• Overheating or more than normal heat due to inoperable sleep function.
• Battery drain due to inoperable sleep function.
• Edge browser
  - Randomly becomes unresponsive/slow.
  - Causes issues with the display (the screen flicker problem)
  - Eats a lot of memory for no real reason
• Using Google Chrome provides a terrible scrolling experience, even with smooth scrolling enabled. (Why does the OSX version work without any issues?)
• WiFi is randomly disconnected or unresponsive (this is incredibly annoying)
• Loud popping noise from the speakers
• Laggy/sluggish scrolling with non-native applications; Slack, Chrome, pretty much anything that isn't a Microsoft product.
• The new dock is causing issues as well

Most of these issues can be fixed with patches and updates but nothing has been released.

WHY hasn't Panos said anything about these issues? Some may say, "It JUST got released, give them time!" Well... I say with a firm stance that we spent a LOT of money and we want a product to be working or fixed, days within purchase. There was plenty of time to test this device prior to release, even if they were all packed up already and ready for use, Microsoft should have released updates to resolve these issues as a day one update/patch.

Microsoft has a lot to lose here if they don't get their act together. We all spent at the very least, $1,500. Many of us spent over $2,000. That is an insane amount of money in this day and age. A MacBook Pro is also just as expensive, before I start hearing a bunch of Apple fan boy accusations, let me make this clear. I've bought many Apple and Microsoft products on the week of release, this is the absolute WORST release I've ever seen from either camp. To have THIS many issues on a flagship device is down right embarrassing.

These issues need to be resolved NOW, not later. There are many people who are having buyers remorse and its not due to cost. It's due to a product that simply does not work as advertised. When the number one sales point of your product is tablet and laptop use, aka 2 in 1 operation, only to have it crash or not detach the screen.... that is embarrassing and shameful. How can this slip passed quality control? It's not just us here on WPCentral either. Go over to SurfaceForums and the experience is identical. For the folks who claim to have "flawless" devices... go open Facebook or any video/ad ridden website in Edge, tell me how flawless it is then?

BUT...when things are working properly, it is a fantastic experience. The screen and keyboard are gorgeous. The ability to remove the screen and use it as a tablet is awesome. The battery life IS amazing. We all know the pro's this device has, that is why we bought it. In the end, that is all we want. We do genuinely want this to succeed, we all really do. Otherwise we wouldn't have bought this insanely expensive product.

TLDR: Microsoft, fix the damn Surface Book. Buyers are going to give up before it even had a chance to shine. Release statements and or fixes NOW, not later.

Folks on other forums having similar issues:
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/finally-got-a-blue-screen-of-death-and-other-problems.18020/
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/doc-and-pc-display-properties.18019/
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/surface-book-keeps-hanging.18010/
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/surface-book-fan-running-while-in-sleep.18011/
https://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/top/

Hope on the horizon?
http://www.surfaceforums.net/threads/all-good-with-build-10565-on-surface-book.17998/

Video showing some of the issues:
https://youtu.be/oV0kAOiwKOs

 

[Erik Talbert]

I feel bad because every issue you have listed I either don't have, or can be avoided by turning off hyper-V and using a browser other than EDGE for the time being, or using a 2-button boot to reset the connection to the base. I hope for those of you with problems that they sort this out soon, and look forward to the adjustments made (I would like to try using EDGE one day), but figured it was worth saying that while yes these issues are happening, they are not affecting everyone equally.

 

[OldSock]

Sadly, I have to agree. I'm pretty much platform agnostic and use PC's, Macs, Linux, Android, etc. on a regular basis. I have had every version of the Surface Pro and loved the concept since the beginning. I actually got rid of my 15" MacBook Pro Retina for this Surface Book, hoping it could replace both my MacBook and Surface Pro 3.

After having the Book a few days now, I have to say this is one of the worst out of box experiences I've ever had. I understand this is a version 1.0, but I didn't have near the amount of hardware issues with any of the previous Surface Pros. My external monitor is practically useless with the dock, it keeps freaking out every few minutes. The display driver crashes on the unit itself are very annoying, along with the hue shifts, which still happen sometimes outside of Edge. And the trackpad experience isn't quite what was promised. Having owned a MacBook, why do PC manufacturers still deliver such poor trackpad experiences compared to Apple? I mean seriously, the trackpad is not something new, why does Apple have such a superior experience compared to this?

I'm going to hold out another week in hopes of some sort of update to address these things, but it will go back if these things aren't sorted out soon. I'm just glad I didn't part with my Surface Pro 3 yet, that is a great machine!

 

[coasterfreak212]

I have been having many of the same issues. It's a shame, indeed, but I'm hopeful that they will resolve it. When I pickup my Band 2 I will inquire about getting a replacement.

 

[carloscentral]

I have the discoloration issue, book not going to sleep and crushing my battery in the process issue, Edge performance issues, video card crashing issue and explorer crashing (when flipping screen orientation in tablet mode).

On top of that though, I HAVE A DEAD PIXEL! And that's just tough for me because it's a small enough issue that a part of me doesn't want to return/exchange it, but it's also a tough pill to swallow when you just paid north of 2k for a state of the arts product. Still on the fence on what to do since I already spent hours setting this PC up, but I really don't live with a dead pixel (already spent hours trying to fix it though).

And I do agree this is perhaps the worse product launch from Mircrosoft in a while, because I've been buying Microsoft products and following this website for years, and never had I joined the forums (I go way back to windows mobile, have never had android or iphone phones, etc.), but because this thing has so many issues, I just had to join the forum and vent. Heck, windows 8 was easier for me to deal with than some of the stuff going on with this Surface.

If anyone has any opinion on my dead pixel decision please share

 

[AbsoluteZerow]

I'm pretty close to going back to a MacBook after having all these issues with the Surface Book. I don't have confidence that they will fix every issue anytime soon because their track record is tarnished IMO. Bootcamp solves all of my Windows needs so I may just do that and call it a day. The thought of finally having a usable Surface device is what got me to purchase a Book. But to have this many issues with an already shady track record (with the Surface launch history and less than prompt fixes), its really hard to feel confident in Microsoft properly supporting and fixing the Surface Book.

A lot of people who purchased a Surface Book might not be comfortable doing complete OS reinstalls, Command line fixes (to toggle Hyper-V), or maybe... just maybe... they don't have time to deal with a faulty product and will return it without question for a known good working product (MacBook).

Why Microsoft refuses to see the horizon is beyond me. This weird stigma they have, thinking they can price war with Apple only to deliver a incredibly lack luster launch with faulty products out the gate is going to kill the Book before it ever had chance.

 

[Codeworks]

I have to agree with the OP on many of the issues. I am surprised at the number of blue screens I have had just by removing or replacing the tablet. I don't ever remember getting one of those with 8.0 or 8.1 or any of my Surface Pros, but I have had probably 6 since Monday.

I have also had the issue where the screen has been unable to be removed. Very embarrassing when you are trying to show off your new toy and the screen latch will not release.

Honestly, I LOVE the device and I can forgive a few shortcomings... Although they need to be fixed quickly for this to become my daily driver.

 

[lonewolfe2015]

Many of those issues are the same problem, just written out a couple different ways. I've experienced the screen flicker on ads in edge (it's worse with f.lux on). Hyper-v getting disabled did seem to cause more issues than solutions (touch responsiveness was down). A quick reboot has resolved every issue I've faced minus the flicker. Occasionally the docking glitches, I've found cycling the attach/detach action can fix that and this was known going into buying the Book (most reporters mentioned it).

Most of the issues seem to be on the iGPU, the battery drain is very likely from that (and/or the always on wi-fi when sleeping) at least that's what my sleep mode analysis looks like. I don't care about chrome and the wi-fi issues are Windows 10 as a whole, not the Book. Really, the only thing that's bothered me has been the lack of support for scaling in older software. GIMP is unusable for me for instance.

 

[ParoleGA]

Hey Microsoft!!! Fix their Surface Books! Just don't break mine in the process!

 

[ALpHa.Q.RoUgH]

I'm pretty close to going back to a MacBook after having all these issues with the Surface Book. I don't have confidence that they will fix every issue anytime soon because their track record is tarnished IMO. Bootcamp solves all of my Windows needs so I may just do that and call it a day. The thought of finally having a usable Surface device is what got me to purchase a Book. But to have this many issues with an already shady track record (with the Surface launch history and less than prompt fixes), its really hard to feel confident in Microsoft properly supporting and fixing the Surface Book.

A lot of people who purchased a Surface Book might not be comfortable doing complete OS reinstalls, Command line fixes (to toggle Hyper-V), or maybe... just maybe... they don't have time to deal with a faulty product and will return it without question for a known good working product (MacBook).

Why Microsoft refuses to see the horizon is beyond me. This weird stigma they have, thinking they can price war with Apple only to deliver a incredibly lack luster launch with faulty products out the gate is going to kill the Book before it ever had chance.

I have to pretty much agree with this. I have my MacBook up for sale thinking I was going to like this SurfaceBook, but with the abysmal battery in using sleep (when you close the lid), trackpad issues and the poor touchscreen integration when I undock the screen is making me think to keep my MacBook and take this back to the store. It is not being as reliable right now as a student and I'm doing half of what people are doing with their SB's. Just taking notes and being a student.

 

[bhatech]

2nd time ... Hope they fix these issues soon since already sold my macbook pro retina

Don't want to regret selling it.

 

[photobriangray]

I feel bad because every issue you have listed I either don't have, or can be avoided by turning off hyper-V and using a browser other than EDGE for the time being, or using a 2-button boot to reset the connection to the base. I hope for those of you with problems that they sort this out soon, and look forward to the adjustments made (I would like to try using EDGE one day), but figured it was worth saying that while yes these issues are happening, they are not affecting everyone equally.

We shouldn't have to do any of those things to have a functioning flagship device. I will likely take mine back if we don't get an update soon.

 

[carloscentral]

I got my first blue screen just an hour or so ago, and got the screen flicker issue for the first time today as well. It keeps getting worse here.

Anyone else having explorer crash when flipping screen orientation? Meaning, your taskbar crashes and can't be used until it's restarted? Happens to me every single time and it's quite frustrating.

 

[Spongers8X]

Oh quit the melodramatic BS. Really man? It has been out 4 days, and you are already upset about them not fixing it fast enough? Seriously? Have you even heard about the Macbook issues Apple had with the last generation? They still haven't even officially acknowledged half of them, let alone fix them. Maybe you shouldn't order the bleeding edge technology and expect it to work flawlessly right out of the box. I have had every generation of Surface Microsoft has released, except the Surface Pro 4. I now have the Surface Book, and like you have a few issues here and there. Do I complain about it? No, I may ask a few questions, and see if others have had a similar problem, in the hopes that Microsoft sees that it is an issue, then acknowledge it, then fix it. But I certainly do not expect them to do that within 4 effing days of them releasing a category busting device that has at least 4 major advances in laptop technology.

Should Microsoft fix these problems? Well yes, of course, and no doubt they will. And if you look at their history with the Surface Pro 2 and 3, they definitely will. But please stop flaming these boards with BS titles and an overly dramatic diatribe just because it doesn't meet your lofty ideals of what a new product should be like. Better yet, please return your Surface Book and go back to a VERY imperfect Macbook, put on your rose colored Apple glasses, and leave us the hell alone. Those in the tech know-how will stay with the very ambitious and trailblazing technology Microsoft has just released, and be happy when they do fix the issues they have now.

Off soap box now.

So, now that some of the dust has settled and users have "real life" experiences with their $1,500+ Surface Book's, we need to start complaining. The Surface Book is a very, very expensive product. For it to have SO many issues on release is more than unacceptable. Many products get released with day one patches/updates to resolve issues, but the amount of issues we're having with our Book's is a terrible first impression.

Off the top of my head, here is what I experienced or have seen others experience:

• Delays in cursor or touch response while browsing, with only the browser open.
• Screen discoloration while scrolling or just in general.
• Screen flicker.
• Screen detach mechanism not detaching.
• Screen detach not being recognized at all when initiated.
• Blue screens when detaching or reattaching the screen.
• Blue screens while using Edge.
• Blue screens for no reason.
• Bricked units from faulty firmware updates (wow.)
• Track pad having sluggish response (fixed via update for most)
• Overheating or more than normal heat due to inoperable sleep function.
• Battery drain due to inoperable sleep function.
• Edge browser
  - Randomly becomes unresponsive/slow.
  - Causes issues with the display (the screen flicker problem)
  - Eats a lot of memory for no real reason
• Using Google Chrome provides a terrible scrolling experience, even with smooth scrolling enabled. (Why does the OSX version work without any issues?)
• WiFi is randomly disconnected or unresponsive (this is incredibly annoying)
• Loud popping noise from the speakers
• Laggy/sluggish scrolling with non-native applications; Slack, Chrome, pretty much anything that isn't a Microsoft product.

Most of these issues can be fixed with patches and updates but nothing has been released.

WHY hasn't Panos said anything about these issues? Some may say, "It JUST got released, give them time!" Well... I say with a firm stance that we spent a LOT of money and we want a product to be working or fixed, days within purchase. There was plenty of time to test this device prior to release, even if they were all packed up already and ready for use, Microsoft should have released updates to resolve these issues as a day one update/patch.

Microsoft has a lot to lose here if they don't get their act together. We all spent at the very least, $1,500. Many of us spent over $2,000. That is an insane amount of money in this day and age. A MacBook Pro is also just as expensive, before I start hearing a bunch of Apple fan boy accusations, let me make this clear. I've bought many Apple and Microsoft products on the week of release, this is the absolute WORST release I've ever seen from either camp. To have THIS many issues on a flagship device is down right embarrassing.

These issues need to be resolved NOW, not later. There are many people who are having buyers remorse and its not due to cost. It's due to a product that simply does not work as advertised. When the number one sales point of your product is tablet and laptop use, aka 2 in 1 operation, only to have it crash or not detach the screen.... that is embarrassing and shameful. How can this slip passed quality control? It's not just us here on WPCentral either. Go over to SurfaceForums and the experience is identical. For the folks who claim to have "flawless" devices... go open Facebook or any video/ad ridden website in Edge, tell me how flawless it is then?

BUT...when things are working properly, it is a fantastic experience. The screen and keyboard are gorgeous. The ability to remove the screen and use it as a tablet is awesome. The battery life IS amazing. We all know the pro's this device has, that is why we bought it. In the end, that is all we want. We do genuinely want this to succeed, we all really do. Otherwise we wouldn't have bought this insanely expensive product.

TLDR: Microsoft, fix the damn Surface Book. Buyers are going to give up before it even had a chance to shine. Release statements and or fixes NOW, not later.

 

[explosive0]

Oh quit the melodramatic BS. Really man? It has been out 4 days, and you are already upset about them not fixing it fast enough? Seriously? Have you even heard about the Macbook issues Apple had with the last generation? They still haven't even officially acknowledged half of them, let alone fix them. Maybe you shouldn't order the bleeding edge technology and expect it to work flawlessly right out of the box. I have had every generation of Surface Microsoft has released, except the Surface Pro 4. I now have the Surface Book, and like you have a few issues here and there. Do I complain about it? No, I may ask a few questions, and see if others have had a similar problem, in the hopes that Microsoft sees that it is an issue, then acknowledge it, then fix it. But I certainly do not expect them to do that within 4 effing days of them releasing a category busting device that has at least 4 major advances in laptop technology.

Should Microsoft fix these problems? Well yes, of course, and no doubt they will. And if you look at their history with the Surface Pro 2 and 3, they definitely will. But please stop flaming these boards with BS titles and an overly dramatic diatribe just because it doesn't meet your lofty ideals of what a new product should be like. Better yet, please return your Surface Book and go back to a VERY imperfect Macbook, put on your rose colored Apple glasses, and leave us the hell alone. Those in the tech know-how will stay with the very ambitious and trailblazing technology Microsoft has just released, and be happy when they do fix the issues they have now.

Off soap box now.

What a useless response. Just go online and see the number of people having issues with their new devices. I convinced a friend of mine to get a SP4 after using MacBook for years. First unit - insane amount of light bleed. Second unit -flickering display even after OS refresh. Third unit - dead pixel + dead stylus. He gave up and just asked for his money back. Microsoft's QC is sucking really bad.

 

[Spongers8X]

Again, I go back to, obviously you haven't seen, or probably more accurately, haven't cared about, the problems Apple has had with almost every major release of Macbook and/or OSX. They have a very long and sordid history of QC problems (hardware and software BTW), that sometimes go unfixed for years, if not forever. And yet they get away with it unharmed? Microsoft hasn't responded to some issues within the first 4 days of releasing two very major products, and suddenly the world is ending, and Microsoft better fix this ASAP or they are going out of business. Grow up man. This stuff takes time. Is it painful as a consumer during this waiting period? Yes, but you bought into a brand new product, with untested technologies, shame on you for not expecting a few problems.

What a useless response. Just go online and see the number of people having issues with their new devices. I convinced a friend of mine to get a SP4 after using MacBook for years. First unit - insane amount of light bleed. Second unit -flickering display even after OS refresh. Third unit - dead pixel + dead stylus. He gave up and just asked for his money back. Microsoft's QC is sucking really bad.

 

[njdev1k]

My surface book has been more stable as each day has passed. First day some freezes, BSOD's, detach issues, etc. Yesterday two BSOD'S and a freeze. Perfect all day today attached and detached. Without a doubt firmware and driver updates are needed, but I am feeling more confident in the machine. Have a USB prepped to reinstall if the issues reappear but hoping we get some updates before that happens.

 

[ParoleGA]

Hmm...got an update just now. Not sure what it does.


Edit: Looks like it addresses ease of upgrading to Windows 10. I'm already on Windows 10! Lol.

"This update makes improvements to ease the upgrade experience to Windows 10."

 

[anon(5383410)]

I'm starting to feel better about ordering the 1tb model. Everything should be worked out by January

 

[fatclue_98]

New device. New OS. There's going to be teething pains. I understand some people's frustration, a new device should function correctly considering the amount of money being charged. But that's why warranties exist. No company's immune to defective product releases.

As a point of WC etiquette, keep things civil and let's let those who are upset vent in a meaningful way. The issues they're having may be something that one of us has seen and may have a simple solution for. That's why we're here, to HELP.