Screen wobbling is a REAL issue!

[john_ferrier]

I went to a Microsoft store yesterday and tried the new surface book. It looked good though not as shining as in the ADs. I also experienced that the screen was not able to be detached from the base and I had to reboot the machine to make that work.

I think most of the issues mentioned in this forum are software related and is relatively easy to be fixed by software updates. The real big issue is the hinge that makes the screen wobbling: I tried other 2-in-1 laptops in the store and found the wobbling of the new surface book were the worst!

I think this is the mechanical nature of the new hinge and I am afraid of unless MS adopts a new design it remains a problem.

 

[John M Beauchemin]

Maybe it only happens on units where someone tried to forcibly remove the screen without activating the unhinge button first?

 

[worwig]

I found the wobble on the store unit, and the one I got, to be a non-issue. And I felt it was less of an issue then most 2 in 1s I tried. I only notice it, then only slight, when I use the touch screen without bracing it with my other hand. And I expected that for something this light.

 

[Stocklone]

I was worried about wobble after playing with one in the store. Hasn't been an issue at all when using it in my day to day work. I honestly forgot wobble was even an issue because it mattered so little after I got one.

Want to see wobble? Check out LG's new 2 lb ultrabook in the Store. That is ridiculous wobble.

 

[ytrewq]

If someone tells you that you have a very round head, suddenly you're going to fixate on how round your head is, and it will bother you.

If some moron tech reviewer hadn't mentioned it, no one would have noticed it. I've been using my SB now for a week and I never even think about wobble unless I'm reading a review or forum in which someone decides to mention it.

 

[erzhik]

There is a wobble, when compared to actual laptops. But the wobble doesn't really reduce productivity or anything.

 

[Garf Leonard]

For me, its a non-issue. I almost walked out of the store after seeing it. But then I walked around the store, touching all other laptops, and they too wobble, including the fancy MacBook airs.

 

[john_ferrier]

I don't have a Macbook air, but my 13" macbook pro has no wobble AT ALL.

 

[john_ferrier]

The thing is, if you want to touch the screen in the laptop mode, it does reduce productivity (image that you touch the screen once and it begins to wobble, you have to wait until it goes back still for the second touch).

 

[Phillymonsterful]

I have to say that I was certain this would be a huge issue. It's not--at all. The only weird thing is the top of the laptop feeling so much heavier than the bottom.

 

[hasasimo]

Went into the MS Store today and played with both the SP4 and SB extensively as I'm still deciding between the two.

I found the wobble on the SB to be no different than most other laptops. It's the added dimension of the Surface Pen that's making it more noticeable to the reviewing public.

If you're going to be using the Surface Pen extensively for things like Photoshop WHILE the base is connected, the SP4 will definitely give you the more steady experience from my testing.

However, if you're not going to be using the pen much for things that require pin-point accuracy while the keyboard/base is connected, it's a non-issue. And if you will be using the pen extensively, the Surface Book is still a viable choice vs the SP4, but you'll be better off either detaching the screen or folding it over.

 

[taymur]

The Surfacebook is a really nice device, but as always Microsoft engineers make slight design mistakes, that honestly I don't understand how they happen.

In its normal position, its fine.

But if you are want to use it in (tent mode setup) like a surface pro, and you flipped the screen and kept it straight up, then using the screen will be in the direction of rotation, meaning if you touch it, it will try to close. That's of course not a good design.

So you think ok I will detached the screen, and I don't want to use the keyboard as a kickstand, then you have no kickstand, and we surface owners are used to the convenience of the kickstand, its a very important feature to me in tablet mode, that I don't know how I can use a tablet without, they taught us to use it :S

Honestly I can't buy this gen 1. I will even be skeptical at gen 2, as historically 3 is the charm at Microsoft.

 

[AbsoluteZerow]

There is wobble, but nothing too crazy. It isn't enough to me for it to be an issue when typing on my lap. I barely even notice it on mine. However, when typing on a desk, it doesn't wobble at all.

Posted via the Windows Central App for Android

 

[astondg]

I see a few people mentioning that this is a mistake or design/manufacture problem with the Surface Book and that they'll wait for it to be fixed in the next generation but to me it looks more like a trade off that had to be made based on the way MS wanted it to work and the technology & engineering they had to make it happen. Meaning that they may not be able to 'fix' it. I'm sure they can refine it over time or replace it with a different design (that has it's own, different, trade offs) but I don't know if it can be fixed to work exactly the same without the wobble.

Like the kickstand on the SP1 that had 2 fixed positions. This issue was 'fixed' in the SP3 with a new hinge that gave a variable kickstand BUT that has different trade offs, namely the kickstand is no longer as 'solid' and can slip back over time or if you put enough pressure on the screen (e.g. if using the pen to draw). Most people (including me) prefer this trade off but my point is that the SP1 kickstand wasn't faulty or designed poorly but rather built with a slightly different goal and within the technical constraints of the time.

 

[afcor]

The thing is, if you want to touch the screen in the laptop mode, it does reduce productivity (image that you touch the screen once and it begins to wobble, you have to wait until it goes back still for the second touch).

How hard are you poking that screen that you have to wait for it to stop wobbling to touch it again?!? I've literally never touched and then though to myself, "Oh, man... That screen is moving so much that I'd better wait for a second to poke the next link..."

 

[elindalyne]

My bet is they expect people to flip the top around if they're going to be doing extensive inking on the screen. Flipped around and closed, the Surfacebook has an angle similar to a drafting board.

 

[Yonic Boom]

e: nevermind filters are ruining my joke post. sigh.

 

[Jazmac]

Won' be long before the haters begin to call this Wobble-Gate.

 

[enixon]

I don't have a Macbook air, but my 13" macbook pro has no wobble AT ALL.

I know, it's super stable when using the touch screen! I can't believe how amazing the hinge is on my MacBook Pro, no wobble at all when I touch my screen......

 

[hasasimo]

I know, it's super stable when using the touch screen! I can't believe how amazing the hinge is on my MacBook Pro, no wobble at all when I touch my screen......

:grin: