Surface Pro 3 already at some Microsoft Stores, thoughts

[kevinn206]

....I only had two minor concerns. One, I couldn't get the virtual keyboard to appear in the Modern version of Internet Explorer (and other Modern apps) no matter what I did. Mind you, I have very little experience with Windows 8, so maybe I'm missing some kind of trick to it? Or is this just a bug?

My other concern was that the pen seemed to disconnect on me randomly at one point. I had to hit the top button to trigger OneNote to get it working again - perhaps there's some issue maintaining connectivity that needs patching? I think I've heard of this issue in one of the reviews I've read, so I'd hope that Microsoft is aware of it...

I think it's a bug. The keyboard didn't appear either on the two demo units that I tried. Also, the screen rotation didn't work either on one unit. A restart solved both problems. Those two issues left a poor impression even though the device after the restart was really good. I hope they fix it before releasing to the public.

 

[smoledman]

You know the whole thin & light thing is overrated. Just do a little experiment. Hold out your arm holding nothing and see how long before fatigue sets in. So it doesn't matter how thin & light even an iPad Mini is, nobody holds them out. Everyone holds a tablet in their lap or sits it on a table/bed.

 

[Jas00555]

You know the whole thin & light thing is overrated. Just do a little experiment. Hold out your arm holding nothing and see how long before fatigue sets in. So it doesn't matter how thin & light even an iPad Mini is, nobody holds them out. Everyone holds a tablet in their lap or sits it on a table/bed.

The "sitting on lap" thing would really only mitigate the light argument. Being thin is still a big plus. IMO, the previous Surface tablets were too thick.

 

[MikeSo]

You know the whole thin & light thing is overrated. Just do a little experiment. Hold out your arm holding nothing and see how long before fatigue sets in. So it doesn't matter how thin & light even an iPad Mini is, nobody holds them out. Everyone holds a tablet in their lap or sits it on a table/bed.

Right. Have you ever heard about someone holding their phone, for example? Doesn't matter how thin and light they are, nobody does that!

 

[mozman68]

Right. Have you ever heard about someone holding their phone, for example? Doesn't matter how thin and light they are, nobody does that!

You're comparing a phone to a tablet?

His example is valid...who lays in bed on their back and holds their tablet with an extended arm out to read from it for more than a minute? Even with my iPad mini, it rests on my stomach. Not once have I ever held it out to read or use.

 

[stephen_az]

I went down to the Microsoft Kiosk at the Eaton Centre in Toronto to see if they had their Pro 3s on display. They had 3 display units, all running i5s naturally. After having handled one, I have to say, I really want it. It's screen is stunning. It's amazingly light, and about as thin as a Surface 2. The silver backing looks great, and the kick-stand feels amazing to adjust. You get a sense of confidence that it's not going to move unless you want it to.

I ended up pre-ordering an i5 with 4GB of ram and a type-cover. Looking forward to the 20th.

I must admit I demo'd the Surface Pro 3's in the Scottsdale Microsoft store and other than the screen and weight I couldn't disagree more. Personally, I think the silver looks cheap and unprofessional - makes it look like a Surface 2 on steroids. To me it reinforces this is a consumer device, not a professional one. It also did not feel nearly as tough as a Surface Pro 2 - more like one of the ways they saved weight was sacrificing some of the magnesium alloy. I don't think you will be seeing them convert any into skateboards for silly stage demonstrations. As for the kickstand, it does not have the positive click feel of any pervious Surface. To the contrary, it felt like a variable nylon bearing set up which will probably be drawing complaints within a few months.

 

[mozman68]

So...the complete opposite of every single reviewer out there? Those seemed to be the only two things that universally received the highest praise...

 

[MikeSo]

You're comparing a phone to a tablet?

His example is valid...who lays in bed on their back and holds their tablet with an extended arm out to read from it for more than a minute? Even with my iPad mini, it rests on my stomach. Not once have I ever held it out to read or use.

How come you don't do that? By the way, how about you remove the "extended" qualifier that you added from this argument since nobody holds ANYTHING AT ALL with an extended arm.

 

[mozman68]

How come you don't do that? By the way, how about you remove the "extended" qualifier that you added from this argument since nobody holds ANYTHING AT ALL with an extended arm.

...because that is what the reviewers who have rated it "too heavy" to use as a tablety in bed have shown in their reviews. See the Wall Street Journal review. Even when holding my phone like that, I'm at a minimum, resting my elbow on my body or somewhere else.

....and take my "extended" remark to reference holding ANY object with an "extended" arm be it fully extended or slightly bent. Either wikll be just as uncomfortable.

Here is a screen grab from the WSJ video review where she is complaining how tired her arm is getting from holding the SP3. Try and find a single picture of anyone holding a tablet (any tablet) like this with one hand and NOT complaining. Google is full of images (simply type "tablet bed") of people reading tablets in bed and NONE look like this. They even show fancy gadgets to hold the "light" Apple tablets and other readers.

 

[Yonic Boom]

That is pretty comical. And about what I expect from tech journalists these days.

 

[MikeSo]

...because that is what the reviewers who have rated it "too heavy" to use as a tablety in bed have shown in their reviews. See the Wall Street Journal review. Even when holding my phone like that, I'm at a minimum, resting my elbow on my body or somewhere else.

....and take my "extended" remark to reference holding ANY object with an "extended" arm be it fully extended or slightly bent. Either wikll be just as uncomfortable.

Here is a screen grab from the WSJ video review where she is complaining how tired her arm is getting from holding the SP3. Try and find a single picture of anyone holding a tablet (any tablet) like this with one hand and NOT complaining. Google is full of images (simply type "tablet bed") of people reading tablets in bed and NONE look like this. They even show fancy gadgets to hold the "light" Apple tablets and other readers.

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You're misunderstanding my point, and the post I responded to. He said that it doesn't matter how light ANY tablet is, because even if you hold nothing you get fatigue. Or, presumably, any phone, because even holding NOTHING is too hard. So the argument isn't that the SP3 is too heavy - it's that the simple act of holding, even holding nothing, is too hard.

Is your argument that the SP3 is too heavy? That's an entirely different argument. Presumably, there's a fix for that (make it lighter and easier to hold). For the poster I replied to, there IS no fix because nothing is light and small enough, ever. Not even a phone.

But yes, in bed you're not going to hold something above your head. That would be asinine. Why are we debating this, again?

 

[WillysJeepMan]

I must admit I demo'd the Surface Pro 3's in the Scottsdale Microsoft store and must admit other than the screen and weight I couldn't disagree more. Personally, I think the silver looks cheap and unprofessional - makes it look like a Surface 2 on steroids.

I'll be at the Scottsdale store in 2 weeks... looking forward to it.

To me it reinforces this is a consumer device, not a professional one. It also did not feel nearly as tough as a Surface Pro 2 - more like one of the ways they saved weight was sacrificing some of the magnesium alloy. I don't think you will be seeing them convert any into skateboards for silly stage demonstrations. As for the kickstand, it does not have the positive click feel of any pervious Surface. To the contrary, it felt like a variable nylon bearing set up which will probably be drawing complaints within a few months.

I really liked the black of my Surface RT. My Surface 2 doesn't look as "sharp" but the I think that the magnesium color goes better with color keyboards. I like the combination of magnesium with the purple TypeCover. But with black, the only color that looks good (IMO) is a black keyboard.

I too have a concern about the kickstand. I don't think it will take long before the hinge loosens. In much the same way they showed folding the keyboard backwards (to use the device in tablet mode without removing the keyboard) caused premature failure of the signal wires in the hinge. (I remove my TypeCover2, flip it around and reattach it so it continues to fold in the same direction)

 

[david90531]

I just went. im not impressed. it still looks small, the pen was alright. I didn't get to test it on other apps, but it was superb on OneNote. However, the lightness of it and its thinness was impressive. Software wise, I think it just felt boring because it wasn't my metro desktop, but hopefully that will change once I get my own. I pre-ordered on the spot.

You weren't impressed, but you pre-ordered one anyway...?

 

[mozman68]

You're misunderstanding my point, and the post I responded to. He said that it doesn't matter how light ANY tablet is, because even if you hold nothing you get fatigue. Or, presumably, any phone, because even holding NOTHING is too hard. So the argument isn't that the SP3 is too heavy - it's that the simple act of holding, even holding nothing, is too hard.

Is your argument that the SP3 is too heavy? That's an entirely different argument. Presumably, there's a fix for that (make it lighter and easier to hold). For the poster I replied to, there IS no fix because nothing is light and small enough, ever. Not even a phone.

But yes, in bed you're not going to hold something above your head. That would be asinine. Why are we debating this, again?

So basically, you agree with me...which means I'm right....I'm good with that...:evil:

 

[mister2d]

I too have a concern about the kickstand. I don't think it will take long before the hinge loosens. In much the same way they showed folding the keyboard backwards (to use the device in tablet mode without removing the keyboard) caused premature failure of the signal wires in the hinge. (I remove my TypeCover2, flip it around and reattach it so it continues to fold in the same direction)

That hinge was mechanically tested to open and close tens of thousands of times. There was a video on it for the Surface Pro. I'd bet that you will not have that device in your possession long before that hinge loosens.