Do you regret buying a Surface 2?

[bdball]

A year later and in retrospect I would say that I do regret purchasing the Surface 2. So much of the hardware I did and do like but with out any decent software it is just annoying to use. Microsoft's inability to keep it stable (for the longest time I had problems when waking from sleep. I would have to do a restart to be able to use it. I finally just completely turned it off after each use. Since the last update this seems to have been corrected....we will see.) What I find even worse however is the god awful quality of the metro apps that are in the app store. Half the available apps are just a step up from a hello world program. Even the biggest name apps generally are lacking from their iOS or Android siblings. Yes, I knew this going in but thought a year later there would be much improvement. Unfortunately there really hasn't been any improvement. To make matters even worse is the fact that the RT platform just seems and feels dead in the water. No road map that I know of at least has been issued from Microsoft as to what I can expect anytime soon for my Surface 2. Is this it? If what I have is all that it will be then I am very disappointed that I wasted so much money purchasing this device.

 

[DJCBS]

I sort of regret buying the Surface RT for some of the same reasons. I got it just to have something to write while travelling and for that the RT suits me perfectly. But when I tried to do anything else, I just wasn't able because of the lack of apps. And there's so much one can take from going to IE for everything.
I was going to replace it with the Nokia L2520 but honestly, with Nokia gone, so are the chances for any useful apps. Furthermore, RT is at a dead end. With Threshold it will end up swallowed by Windows Phone and I'm ready to bet that current hardware will NOT have its software replaced. Even if it's technically possible to change Windows RT to Windows Phone 9 (or Windows Mobile 9 or whatever they'll call the Windows for portable devices) I doubt Microsoft will make it easier for RT users to do it.

 

[dcuk7]

I love my Surface 2, especially the flexibility it gives me. Having that USB port is a godsend and I love using it as a laptop or tablet depending on my requirement. I do not regret buying it at all.

Having said that, I don't think I'll be buying a successor, if indeed that even happens. As you mentioned, the quality of the metro apps is beyond appalling. The fact that the screen times out when watching YouTube or using the Spotify web player is just inexcusable. Come on Microsoft! With no official apps for these services, the least they could do is whitelist some web apps to keep the screen from timing out, especially for video services!

Who knows, maybe this will change with Threshold. The rumour is that 7" tablets will run some variant of Windows Phone as the tablet OS, which makes sense. What's not clear is the future for Windows RT. Will they only keep it for larger screen devices? If that's the case, its such a small segment of the market is it worth the bother when they can realistically just throw Windows 8 on a low cost Intel-based tablet (Intel's next generation low-power processors are looking very good indeed).

 

[tn_friend]

I have to say I really like the Surface 2. I have an iPad as well, and it is awesome to be able to run two apps at the same time with my surface.

 

[onlysublime]

I really like my Surface RT even though web browsing is uber slow on that. still a great machine on all other fronts.

 

[cbreze]

Love my S2. It does what I require of it perfectly. Also the size is just right. With my mouse I never even touch the screen. A great tablet, very glad I decided to pick one up on the day after launch day.

 

[philhachey]

I was seriously considering an RT tablet till I read this thread.

Modern combat 5 is what I want one for. But I want the ability to record the screen and possibly Skype with my teammates at the same time.... I have a feeling that neither of these would be possible now.

 

[pppro]

I have a long history with PPCs, HPCs and windows phones and have learned to expect slow support/updates and short shelf lives.

I bought a refurbished RT knowing its limitations, but it was only after purchase I found the usb ethernet driver I needed had been forced off the web by Microsoft for "stability" reasons. I wanted to troubleshoot wired ports at work & avoid the slow, time limited wifi network there too. I was also wary of ported software and pretty much mothballed the RT because it's easier to pick up one of my netbooks for calls.

I also found the RT too big as a handheld, even though it has fantastic weight distribution and relative lightness and thinness. The long charge hold and good battery life were pleasant surprises. I will likely make it my home computer.

I recently considered a Lumia 1520 and Galaxy Mega 6.3 to use as a pda. I ultimately settled on a 64gb Asus Vivotab Note 8 since the two phones aren't much larger than my Galaxy Note1.

Full office, regular Windows, otg usb and stylus support makes this an easy to carry, full featured tab. I'm hoping the late build dates mean I avoid reported digitizer problems. :sweaty:

I'll check out the announced Toshiba Encore 7 if it actually releases, but I plan to use the Asus for at least a year. My next big adventure will be creating a cable arrangement to charge the tab while using usb devices.

 

[exkerZ]

I'm not sure how i feel about it. Every update MSFT releases always makes things worse...

I love my surface 2. I love its LTE. I love word on it, but only when im in school.

Lately.. The video app in it has been overheating and draining the device. I have had to use a different app to watch my movies.. So annoying.

During school.. My surface is a Beedril. But now that it is summer and there is nothing to do.. I'm afraid i have Kakuna

Posted via Windows Phone Central App

 

[boliveira]

No, absolutely not. Surface 2 is fantastic for what I need. Microsoft just need to fix the problem with the display driver and I am all set! The browser is the best of the mobile platforms, and having a kickstand, a usb port and able to view two apps simultaneously is amazing! To people who says apps are bad on winrt, take a look at adobe reader for android, what a piece of garbage that is!

 

[etphoto]

My wife and I use my Surface 2 daily and I have zero complaints. I'm not an app junkie and maybe that is why I don't have complaints. The few apps I use work fine. I never considered a Surface 3 (if one is ever released) because my 2 works fine.

Sent from my DX4860 using Tapatalk

 

[exkerZ]

No, absolutely not. Surface 2 is fantastic for what I need. Microsoft just need to fix the problem with the display driver and I am all set! The browser is the best of the mobile platforms, and having a kickstand, a usb port and able to view two apps simultaneously is amazing! To people who says apps are bad on winrt, take a look at adobe reader for android, what a piece of garbage that is!

Okay. You named one app on android that is of terrible quality. What does that have to do with the terrible quality of apps on the rt market?

Posted via Windows Phone Central App

 

[WillysJeepMan]

A year later and in retrospect I would say that I do regret purchasing the Surface 2. So much of the hardware I did and do like but with out any decent software it is just annoying to use. Microsoft's inability to keep it stable (for the longest time I had problems when waking from sleep. I would have to do a restart to be able to use it. I finally just completely turned it off after each use. Since the last update this seems to have been corrected....we will see.) What I find even worse however is the god awful quality of the metro apps that are in the app store. Half the available apps are just a step up from a hello world program. Even the biggest name apps generally are lacking from their iOS or Android siblings. Yes, I knew this going in but thought a year later there would be much improvement. Unfortunately there really hasn't been any improvement. To make matters even worse is the fact that the RT platform just seems and feels dead in the water. No road map that I know of at least has been issued from Microsoft as to what I can expect anytime soon for my Surface 2. Is this it? If what I have is all that it will be then I am very disappointed that I wasted so much money purchasing this device.

Nope, I don't regret my purchase of a firesale Surface RT and then trading it in for a Surface 2... and trading THAT in for a 11" Macbook Air.

I saw the Surface RT as the Zune tablet that us Zune fans were hoping for. And initially, it looked like it was going to live up to that. But Microsoft's inability to provide a stable ownership experience (monthly updates broke as many things as it fixed) added to the frustration of a lack of quality Modern UI apps.

I wanted to give the RT-platform a fair-shake so I traded the RT in for the lighter, faster Surface 2. Performance was snappy and a pleasure to use. But the stability issue raised its ugly head again, and the app situation remained virtually unchanged.

The frustration was magnified by the potential that the Surface had (with full USB, display port, etc.) but remained untapped due to the lack of apps.

all in all, I'm probably out a net of $300 for 9+ months ownership of Surface RT-based devices. A fair price to pay to experiment with some unique devices. That experience has equipped me to be able to better discern between Microsoft's marketing hype and reality when looking at future Surface devices.

This has been my experiences with the Surface RT/2...and it does not invalidate user experiences that were more positive.

 

[bdball]

Actually I traded in my iPad 3 when I got the Surface 2... at this point I wish I could trade back. Where were you able to trade in the Surface 2 for a Macbook Air? I would consider this as well.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Actually I traded in my iPad 3 when I got the Surface 2... at this point I wish I could trade back. Where were you able to trade in the Surface 2 for a Macbook Air? I would consider this as well.

Best Buy. They have a trade-in program for a wide variety of devices. Keep in mind, as with any trade-in service, you're making a trade-off of convenience for trade-in value. And their trade-in values vary greatly from device to device.... some trade-in values are generous, others are laughable.

Simply check their website to see if they accept trades for the device. They'll tell you what they'll give. If you like the price, take the device in (with the AC adapter) and they'll give you a BB gift card for the value of the device. It takes only a few minutes.

When I traded in my Surface 2 in June, Best Buy gave me $217. (It was $250 in May) I just checked now... they're only offering $110 for a Surface 2 32GB. But I've seen prices fluctuate.

 

[Grodelj]

I recently switched from ipad3 to surface 2. Never been happier, this actually is an usable tablet for me (full MS Office, offline sync with OneDrive, multitasking,...). iPad now looks like a toy if I compare it to surface 2

 

[Coreldan]

I have a first gen RT and I don't regret it. That said, I've always been quite anti-app, why would I want an app for every single thing when I can just use the browser to do those things?

I personally knew very well what my own needs and preferences were and my Surface RT has served me very well for almost 2 years. I will be upgrading to Surface Pro 3 at the end of this month. If there would've been a Surface 3 with proper pen support I might've just gotten that, but since there aint, I decided to go for the i3 SP3.

 

[NJ1193]

Absolutely not! Love my Surface 2 w/ LTE. A fantastic upgrade from my original RT. I have quite a few apps downloaded, and they work just fine. But, I prefer to use IE for most things (Facebook, etc...). Like the poster above mentioned, why use an app when the browser beats the app in every way? I honestly don't believe even the Facebook app on iPad/iPhone is as good as using the full browser version, but that's just me.

 

[Coreldan]

For Facebook I quite often use the app though, it's one of the few exceptions. Reason for this is largely in more touch optimized controls (on website they get awfully tiny at least for touching) as well as the site being quite heavy so at least the Surface RT kind of runs out of juice there easily, but probably less of a problem on Surface 2.

 

[WillysJeepMan]

Absolutely not! Love my Surface 2 w/ LTE. A fantastic upgrade from my original RT. I have quite a few apps downloaded, and they work just fine. But, I prefer to use IE for most things (Facebook, etc...). Like the poster above mentioned, why use an app when the browser beats the app in every way? I honestly don't believe even the Facebook app on iPad/iPhone is as good as using the full browser version, but that's just me.

This is often repeated as reason why apps aren't needed and it makes me wonder what people who say this use their tablets for.

Not all apps in the app store are simply front-ends to a website. There are apps that provide functionality for content consumption and creation that don't rely on a website.

And for those apps that ARE simply front-ends to a website, having an app allows for a customized experience that is optimized for touch. A well designed "appified website" will provide a better user experience than simply loading a website in a browser. Of course you can point out apps that have been written/designed poorly for touch but that is a result of the developer not an indictment of apps.

Using tabs in a browser rather than separate apps causes a disconnect between various tasks being done on a tablet. When working on my Surface 2, I had a few different apps open and then I had multiple tabs in a browser... I couldn't easily switch between an app and a particular browser tab... I had to first switch from the app to the browser, and then to the tab within the browser.

​