Surface Pro $599....worth it?

[nottechsmart]

Picked up one yesterday at Best Buy, also picked up a Type Cover 2. I'm still putting it through it's paces. Updated it to 8.1 this morning. Only thing I can really complain about right now is the battery life. It's not very good, about 3.5 hours of constant use and it needs to be plugged in. Also still playing with the pen, it seems pretty good so far also, just can't seem to find a lot of apps that support the pen. I was tempted to get the SP2 or the Sony Flip 14 when I was there though lol.

 

[SwimSwim]

Picked up one yesterday at Best Buy, also picked up a Type Cover 2. I'm still putting it through it's paces. Updated it to 8.1 this morning. Only thing I can really complain about right now is the battery life. It's not very good, about 3.5 hours of constant use and it needs to be plugged in. Also still playing with the pen, it seems pretty good so far also, just can't seem to find a lot of apps that support the pen. I was tempted to get the SP2 or the Sony Flip 14 when I was there though lol.

Yeah, battery life was a big complaint for the SP1. I'd recommend grabbing a Power Cover, once they're made available. And yes! The pen is amazing! Too bad so few apps support it properly, what wasted potential...

I also wish Microsoft would streamline how Windows 8 treats styli, right now, it seems like the OS can't make up its mind about whether a stylus should be treated more like a mouse, or more like a dinger, so you get a really awkward hybrid...

 

[Nogitsune Micah]

In all honesty the Surface Pro is still a very respectable device. After being unable to get the Surface 2, due to lack of stock, I winded up getting the surface Pro(OG). Despite slightly average battery life, the surface Pro is honestly the best piece of hardware i own and while the SP2 has a lot of nifty features, it is not enough to warrant spending 300-400 dollars more when i have a still great device for 599

I definitely recommend it. The Surface RT made my senior year of HS perfect and my Surface Pro has made this first year at Yale great!

 

[SwimSwim]

In all honesty the Surface Pro is still a very respectable device. After being unable to get the Surface 2, due to lack of stock, I winded up getting the surface Pro(OG). Despite slightly average battery life, the surface Pro is honestly the best piece of hardware i own and while the SP2 has a lot of nifty features, it is not enough to warrant spending 300-400 dollars more when i have a still great device for 599

I definitely recommend it. The Surface RT made my senior year of HS perfect and my Surface Pro has made this first year at Yale great!

Definetly still a rock solid device for sure! And while the SP2 is (obviously) the superior device, to score an original Pro for such a price is incredible. It'd be lovely for someone looking for a cheap desktop/laptop upgrade: just plus in a monitor and you're good too go! And then it of course has the obvious benefit of being a tablet when you'd like it to be, and that amazing Surface Pro Pen (using it to hand-write this very comment). So congratulations on your purchase! The SP2 is here, but the SP1 is a slouch by no means.

 

[negative1ne]

there are many applications which use the pen, most are drawing, art, and technical releated.

look for tablet PC applications, or go to Tablet PC Forums, Discussion and Support and read all about software, and hardware, etc.

later
-1

l

 

[soulenigma]

Definitely a rock solid device. The pen is also wicked when it comes to drawing. I've been using it with the trail version of Corel Painter Lite and it has definitely replaced my wacom tablet. Also the palm detection makes this very much a cintiq killer for me!

Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk

 

[nottechsmart]

Its only getting 3 hours of battery life with lite use Is there something wrong?

 

[Derausgewanderte]

Its only getting 3 hours of battery life with lite use Is there something wrong?

It sounds like there may be something running in the background at high CPU usage. Open task manager and check. Maybe that process is preventing proper sleep.

 

[TripsG]

I have a Surface pro one and even if I love it, It's hard to recommend it.

There are just still too many flaws and bugs that make the experience very frustrating! Quick pros and cons (personal point of view, of course, your experience may differ)

PROS:
- powerful enough to do your everyday tasks: web, office, lightroom (for me), email and even some games (Diablo 3 for example)
- USB port FTW
- Micro SD
- Full Windows 8
- Easy to connect to a TV or monitor
- Kickstand
- overall size...

CONS:
- ... but still a bit heavy and thick
- build quality is just... unacceptable for the price: The screen at the top, between the front camera and the right edge is creaking, it's driving me nuts. I guess it's due to the heat. Not sure the device will last very long though
- The top edge of the tablet tends to creak as well - not very sturdy
- Battery life could be better (but not a real issue for me)
- I have both type and touch cover... they keep getting disconnected on a regular basis. I have to remove/re-attach the covers for it to work again (or sometimes restart)
- Sometimes it's just the trackpad that is acting up, for no reasons - once again, removing/re-attaching the keyboard does the trick
- On an Ipad, if you fold the cover onto the screen, the tablet goes to sleep, done. On the surface pro (at least mine), not really. The screen goes off and sometimes, it will turn on again but you can't see it because the cover is on it... it actually woke me up at 4am and 3am twice because the vents were blowing like crazy... I grabbed it and it was burning hot. The screen was on... even if I made sure it was off. It went on on its own and got stuck... of course, the tablet started to get hot.

Of course it a great deal at this price but I find it too unreliable, too buggy (despite the updates) and the build quality is just unacceptable for a "high-end" device.

If you don't mind the CONS I have listed above, then the Surface pro is for you!

Don't get me wrong, I still love mine. Just wanted to point out that it's not perfect. Far from it actually.

I'm sorry to hear you've had so many niggly issues with yours. I agree, everyone has a different performance due to mass production of any item, but mine has been rock solid, no creaks, no noises, awesome build quality, and is my daily driver. I use mine upwards of 9 hours a day for work and nary an issue.

I agree the screen popping on has happened to me a couple of times. I found it was due to my wireless mouse. Now, I turn off the mouse and then everything works perfectly.

Battery life is what it is. Mine sucks so I just keep the charger with me if I am travelling. Yes, it could be better, and it will be with each generation, but it's acceptable for what it is.

Never had a problem with the keyboard...other than mine is now a year old and I pound away on it daily so occasionally a key gets wonky. I blow it out once a month.

I wouldn't get the Surface Pro 2 as there wasn't enough "upgrade" to justify it for me, but this thing has been the best tech purchase I've made and I'm very happy...again, sorry you've had issues. That always bums me out when I hear something like that.

 

[TripsG]

Yeah, battery life was a big complaint for the SP1. I'd recommend grabbing a Power Cover, once they're made available. And yes! The pen is amazing! Too bad so few apps support it properly, what wasted potential...

I also wish Microsoft would streamline how Windows 8 treats styli, right now, it seems like the OS can't make up its mind about whether a stylus should be treated more like a mouse, or more like a dinger, so you get a really awkward hybrid...

I've never seen the use for the pen. I'm not a creative in any way so I'm hoping one day to figure out what I could use it for...

 

[Derausgewanderte]

I've never seen the use for the pen. I'm not a creative in any way so I'm hoping one day to figure out what I could use it for...

Not creative either, but I use it a lot in meetings and presentations to scribble ideas, schematics and quick notes and sketches in onenote. I would not want to miss it.

 

[Bill Snyder]

Dropped to $499 for a couple days! Worth it for sure. Microsoft Surface Pro with 128GB Memory 9UR-00001 - Best Buy

Handwriting recognition is crazy good and easy. IMO an overlooked, but killer feature.

 

[MerlotC]

Got mine the last day of the Best Buy sale....woo hoo!

 

[azcruz]

Well, I gave in....

I got a Surface Pro 128GB in Australia for AU$599.

 

[muneshyne21]

Im getting closer and closer to pulling the trigger on this bad boy. Unfortunately I only have the original reviews to go by which aren't all that good because of the major disdain for Windows 8 at the time.
For all you owners that have had the the Surface Pro for a while now (preferably since its introduction):

What gripes/complaints have been remedied since its introduction by the monthly updates and Windows 8.1?
Would the scores on some of the old reviews of the device go up at all? What would they score it now now that enough time has passed to address some of the major OS/software issues?

 

[smoheath]

I loved the surface pro. Literally the only gripe I had was the battery life. I upgraded to the surface pro 2 for the extra battery life, additional kickstand position, and I figured that the resale value of the 1st Gen would decrease significantly.

If you end up getting one I would suggest getting an additional charger. With the first Gen surface pro I would have to carry the battery to school on long days. With two chargers, now I just leave one in my office and one at home and I never worry about it. With the pro 2 I can usually last a full day anyway though.

In regards to people re-reviewing the surface pro, this article is great.

http://m.technobuffalo.com/videos/microsoft-surface-pro-windows-8-follow-up-impressions/

 

[muneshyne21]

I loved the surface pro. Literally the only gripe I had was the battery life. I upgraded to the surface pro 2 for the extra battery life, additional kickstand position, and I figured that the resale value of the 1st Gen would decrease significantly.

If you end up getting one I would suggest getting an additional charger. With the first Gen surface pro I would have to carry the battery to school on long days. With two chargers, now I just leave one in my office and one at home and I never worry about it. With the pro 2 I can usually last a full day anyway though.

In regards to people re-reviewing the surface pro, this article is great.

How I Learned to Love Windows 8 and Microsoft's Surface Pro | TechnoBuffalo

Unfortunately that was article before Windows 8.1 and 5 months of updates. I read 8.1 helped battery life with Surface Pro 2 but did it do anything for the original Surface Pro?

 

[azcruz]

On 8.1 it's the same experience (battery life) for me. Now on 8.1.1 and still the same. I am not complaining though, I know what to expect when I bought my Pro 128. I am happy with it.

 

[muneshyne21]

Does anyone find the 4gb ram limiting? What situations do you get memory shortages? Im not a gamer so I dont care about that.

 

[rdubmu]

The Surface Pro at $599 or cheaper is a great deal. I would jump on it if I didn't already have one. I will most likely have this computer for 3-4 years as I have always done in the past.

I use the Pen on a daily basis. I high recommend this computer for the board room or the class room. I use it both for my schooling at Western Governors University and at my job as a General Manager of a restaurant. Such a great tool for meetings with one note and taking notes for school.

Sent from LG G2 on T-Mobile. come on T-Mobile get a flagship Windows Phone!!!!!