Surface RT owners, would you buy it again?

[markhachman]

Update:
ARTICLE POSTED:
Real-world confessions from Surface RT owners: Who loves it and why | PCWorld

Hi all,

My name is Mark Hachman, and I'm a reporter from PCWorld. I'm trying to write a story about the Surface RT, from the perspective of those who have actually bought and used the tablet.

Ideally, I'm looking for a mix of both positive and negative experiences. If there's some hidden value that the Surface RT holds, I'd like to know about it.

Some of the questions that I'm hoping to answer:

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

Feel free to respond here, or email me at mhachman at pcworld dot com. I'm willing to work with aliases, but I'd prefer real names. Deadline's probably early Thursday. Thanks!

Thanks very much,

Mark Hachman for PCWorld

 

[Coreldan]

Yes I would, especially now with the reduced price, but I would even for the full price.

The Surface RT is just about perfect for me, there is no other tablet that could come close in how well the Surface RT suits my needs. Now with the reduced price it doesnt even have to be an absolute match for one's need to be worth getting IMO.

1) I bought mine as soon as it got available in Germany (I'm finnish, though ), I think that would be around october 2012? My netbook broke down I used for "on the go" needs, mostly for university and the 3h worth of traintrips I took 4 times a week. I didn't really consider alternatives, as a purely media consumption device was not enough use for me to justify buying one. Sure, I could've used some Office-esque word processing and some clumsy aftermarket stands and keyboards, but why do that when Surface does that all baseline and properly? Flash-enabled device with full USB port also renders the need for most apps useless, not to mention at home I can use apps by remote desktopping.

2) I love my Surface RT more than ever, it gets a lot better with every upgrade. It's getting some pretty good stuff in the app store too, Halo: Spartan Assault is easily the best mobile game I've ever seen/played and that's with ****** goggles off, as I've never cared much for Halo per se. I feel the software in general has improved a lot in many ways while the hardware design (that cant be upgraded ) was always AMAZING. Naturally I would like more powerful internals, but who wouldn't? However it has enough power to do whatever I need it to do without problems.

3) As I mentioned, I mainly bought it to replace my netbook that died on me for mobile needs, mostly for university. This includes writing assignments, taking notes at classes. Then naturally it doubles as a tablet at school, home and other places (a secondary feature sorta, as I wouldnt have bought a tablet solely for the usual tablet use, but still something that greatly justifies the purchase further). I also used it at work this summer, basically leading the services/masses etc (working for the church) with my Surface as opposed to printing out 20 pages every time. Naturally also just purely entertainment use, browsing web on the couch, playing some Halo: Spartan Assault, watching Netflix on the go. I don't bother taking a laptop with me anywhere anymore, I just grab my Surface and good to go.

4) As mentioned in intro, definitely. If I had steady income I'd likely buy one for my fiancee I'd even buy a new one at the old, full price if my Surface RT would break now. The only reason I'd think twice about buying one if we had a solid date of next-gen Surface.

5) I'm not sure about RT, but I think similar'ish setup with the cheap Atom-like CPUs. I'm sort of a fan of RT though, as it means I don't really have to worry about firewalls and antiviruses, which I would if I was running full Windows 8. My netbook for one was quite chuggy already cos it was a netbook, but it doesn't help that for some basic security I don't want to leave it totally unprotected. Those antiviruses take a lot of resources on devices that don't have much of them to begin with. I don't need legacy apps for my studies or on the go, at home I can access my Win 8 PC any time and do whatever I want on the Surface RT. But as said, I'm not sure if Windows RT has that much future, but I think that the Surface form factor is the best tablet form factor out there and the keyboard solution is outright genious as well. It's a shame that people don't get this and end up buying iPads and Android tablets and have to get some clunky aftermarket stuff on them to do half of what I do on my Surface RT.

EDIT: Forgot to add the strengths and weaknesses to one question so here goes:

Strengths: Amazing HW build, IMO totally unrivaled by any non-Surface tablet. This includes materials, build quality and design (the cover and kickstand etc). Ability to be productive using the "official tools" rather than some meh 3rd party wannabe-Words and whatnot. Flash-enabled browser and full USB2-port goes a LONG way. For me an important strenght also is that it's bascially a Windows 8-ecosystem product, as an Android tablet or iPad would fall much shorter than my Surface when it comes down to integration between my other devices.

Weakness: I guess it would be the apps. It doesn't really concern me as I dont fe. play mobile games much, but I know it's a dealbreaker for many. Slowly some good stuff is coming, but I guess more is needed and apps from different kinds of services..

 

[prlundberg]

Absolutely. It is not a perfect device, but it has effectively replaced my laptop for personal mobile use. No other current tablet could do that.

1. I bought in January. I also considered an Asus Transformer Infinity. I did not consider Apple because I don't care for their proprietary ecosystem. I chose the Surface because it was more like a PC and I figured I needed to familiarize myself with Windows 8 because whether I like it or not, sooner or later I'll need to know it. Also Asus's quality seems to be hit and miss. I saw two Asus RT tablets in person, both were broken. The Surface RT was much better built.

2. It has improved. Windows 8 takes a bit of time to adjust to. Updates have fixed a lot of the issues. 8.1 has helped a lot. It's much more fluid and stable than any Android device I've used.

3. I use it most like any tablet, for web based stuff. Facebook, news, sports, etc. It's great having a full PC-level browser. To a lesser extent I use a apps and Office. Even though I don't use those as much, having the capability means I rarely use a PC anymore. It's greatest strength is the design of the hardware. The kickstand and type keyboard really transform it into more than a tablet. The USB and HDMI ports just work with no special apps needed. It's greatest weakness is the lack of quality apps, but having a fully functioning browser mostly negates that for me. For example, it does Facebook on IE better than any mobile Facebook app I've ever used. As the web becomes more and more touch optimized I suspect there won't be a need for millions of apps across multiple platforms. But still, for example, there are no good car racing games for it like you'll find on every other platform, including Windows Phone. Advanced configuration can also be very frustrating going between Modern and Desktop and figuring out which does what. But once it is all set up it runs great.

4. If I needed another tablet, yes. With every family member having a profile on this though, I really don't need another right now.

5. Yes, for the simple fact that x86 hasn't proven to be the equal of ARM yet in mobile devices. ARM is so pervasive in phones and tablets that Microsoft needs to stay in the market even if it overlaps full Windows to some extent. It was already a huge mistake to stay out as long as they did.

Bottom line is that I probably complain more than most around here, but all in all I still like my RT and don't regret buying it one bit.

 

[inteller]

well well well....Mark Hackman...pretty bold coming in here ....And I have to wonder what a journalism content site like WPcentral feels about another tech blogging site doing research on their dime.


You'll be getting no info from me.

 

[jaimeastin]

Yes. And I did buy a 64GB RT after my launch 32GB RT was taken.

I have all I wanted out of a tablet... This is what I wanted the iPad to be... I sold my iPad2 and would not buy again... Shoot, I still have an ipad1 that just sits collecting dust...

My surface rt is work, yet I still get enjoyment. They can improve it, but for me it is all I wanted and need in a tablet. Long battery and no hardware limitations. Oh yeah, it has a real desktop operating system in it...

I wanted a tablet for input, not just consumption. Everyone notices what i can do with it in and out of the office. I love my rt.

 

[stmav]

well well well....Mark Hackman...pretty bold coming in here ....And I have to wonder what a journalism content site like WPcentral feels about another tech blogging site doing research on their dime.


You'll be getting no info from me.

It's ok with WPC. If you wish to contribute, feel free to.

 

[HeyCori]

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

I purchased my Surface in Feb. 2013, full retail price. I bought it because I wanted a mobile productivity tablet that I could handle my work documents and personal writing projects. Neither the iPad or Android could offer me Office 2013 and OneNote. Plus I can continue to use my Zune pass/Xbox Music subscription.

2.) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

If anything I've grown to appreciate Windows 8/RT even more. Here's why. I use iPads at work and must admit that the amount of apps in impressive. You can get a lot of versatility from an iPad thanks to Apple's expansive app store. However, the productivity capabilities of the iPad is a major problem. No USB, no Office, no HDMI, no Flash, proprietary ports, etc... All those things start to add up. Plus I don't play games. Even on my Surface I'm constantly installing games only to uninstall shortly after. The Surface gives me superior multitasking, Flash, Office and a host of other things that allow me to treat my Surface more like a real laptop. Returning to the iPad reminds me of all the things I can't do.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

I mostly use my Surface for writing, videos and internet browsing. I'm running the beta 8.1 which is buggy but, IMO, still superior to Windows 8/RT. However, it's a beta and prone to annoyances like apps crashing and WiFi randomly disconnecting. I can't give a more thorough answer until Microsoft finalizes 8.1.

IMO, the Surface's biggest strength is its flexibility. The amount of peripherals that you can use is quite impressive, then there's Office, Xbox integration, real multitasking and easy to use. It's major weakness is that the app marketplace has a long way to go before it's respectable. The other major weakness is the incredibly outdated Tegra 3. While it gets the job done a more powerful chip would have been appreciated.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

I wouldn't buy another but I wouldn't hesitate to buy it again.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

The future of RT lies in whether Microsoft can get the price of tablets down to $200-$300 bucks. Price was supposed to be RT's selling point and that hasn't happened yet.

 

[Derausgewanderte]

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?
Purchased November 2012. Bought because it has MS Office and a USB port. Did consider other Windows RT alternatives, never an iPad or Android. I have colleagues that tested iPads in our work environment and can say that it is a major pain in the neck to transfer files, work with MS Office on main PC and device, simply plug in USB devices. I used to have an HP Touchpad but none of the Office solutions were compatible/transparent enough with MS Office. Other devices may work as entertainment devices for me, however are not sufficient for work related tasks.

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?
It has improved. I am personally impressed with the hardware (as in how it's built, the shape of it, the kickstand and the Vapor Mg surface) and the ease to use it at work and home without using extra layers of hardware.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?
I use the RT for writing publications, reading publications in pdf format, working on and giving presentations (microHDMI adapter and powerpoint worked with any projector so far, presenter view and all), doing budget analysis using Excel and very often for using OneNote taking notes in meetings, conferences and taking lab notes. Couples directly to my work OneNote database. What irritates me once in a while is that I miss plugins for Word that are not available yet for RT (e.g. Endnote reference database), or when I double click an embedded plot in a powerpoint file created in an x86 application that doesn't run on the RT (after I totally forgot that I can't do that). One other small thing that sometimes irritates me is that the mousepad on my type cover is not very responsive. I use an MS Wedge Bluetooth mouse often instead.
Greatest strength is MS Office and the USB port. I can plug in my Common Access Card reader and access my gov exchange mail. Impossible with an iPad. I can plug in my external hdd to transfer files between PC and RT. I can plug in my USB2Ethernet adapter to plug into my HomeLan for streaming movies. After a while it's easy to forget how cool the typecover actually is. I tried the touchcover but even though it worked OK, I was never able to get used to the "non-tactile" response of the touchcover.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?
I am considering buying another for my kids at the reduced price.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?
Yes, I see a future for RT even without the smaller form factor, as long as processing power is increased with improved hardware and developers start recognizing that there is a market here to publish software that was previously only available on X86 Windows systems. That is in part largely in the hands of Microsoft, which in itself is scary seeing what they've done with other great hardware in the past that they just left in the dust.

Hilmar Koerner

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

Hi all,

My name is Mark Hachman, and I'm a reporter from PCWorld. I'm trying to write a story about the Surface RT, from the perspective of those who have actually bought and used the tablet.

Ideally, I'm looking for a mix of both positive and negative experiences. If there's some hidden value that the Surface RT holds, I'd like to know about it.

Some of the questions that I'm hoping to answer:

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

Feel free to respond here, or email me at mhachman at pcworld dot com. I'm willing to work with aliases, but I'd prefer real names. Deadline's probably early Thursday. Thanks!

Thanks very much,

Mark Hachman for PCWorld

My name is Michael Goff.

1) About a week and a half ago or so from Staples. I bought it because I wanted to know what the RT thing was all about, it wasn't 500$ anymore, I had the money, and I needed Office. I considered everything, but I needed Office. An Office-like tool sometimes isn't good enough.
2) It's improved, given how good 8.1 has been.
3) I use it for just about all of my tasks. I surf the web, play some games, type up some stories, and so some schoolwork.
4) If I had the money? Probably not, I only need one.
5) Yes. They're finally just about to remove the last need for the desktop next year, with Office going to the Modern UI. That makes it to where this can have the last vestiges of the desktop removed and it can be the perfect iPad competitor.

 

[Brett Jackson]

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

I purchased my Surface RT when I was still in college last November. I bought it mainly because I didn't have a laptop, and wanted something portable to write on as well as a tablet to use when i was lounging in my apartment. I have used the IPad and a few Android tablets, but I already have Windows 8, Windows Phone 8, and an Xbox, and I use all of those on a daily basis. I wanted a tablet to complement my other devices.

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

I wasn't sure how impressed I would be when I bought it, simply because of the lack of apps and it being a first gen device and all. However, I love it, and use it daily. My opinion has definately improved, simply because of the quality of the device, and the experience of Windows 8 on a touch screen device.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

I am out of college now, but I was using it to do most of my school papers on, and bring to class to take notes and things. Now, I use it for Xbox games, which I love, as it is a way to still be connected to that ecosystem and find something to play even when I don't want to put on my headset and pick up a controller. I also use it for movies, primarily Plex and Netflix a lot of nights when I'm just laying in bed and want to watch something. Greatest strength would have to be Windows 8 combined with a very pristine and quality device, also I love the built in kickstand. Biggest weakness for me is probably the Tegra 3 in it is starting to show its age, and it does take awhile sometimes to open apps, and lags every once in awhile depending on what you are running.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

I already bought another one for my fiance. She was always stealing mine in the evenings, and absolutely loves her new Surface RT.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

I would hope so, and think there will be in some fasion. I really just want a Surface RT 2, just with some upgraded specs inside. I love Windows RT, but I also knew exactly what I needed and what I was getting when I bought it. I know some people have been confused with Windows RT, but I wasn't looking for full Windows 8 on my tablet to begin with.

 

[Fade_z]

I would love to see some kind of merge with rt and wp8, still far fetched though..

 

[Derausgewanderte]

SUGGESSTION FOR MICROSOFT !
My wife wants on, so I would buy it.
Carlos

I think your best bet is to propose this at a local MS Store. Walk in with your wife and your RT and browse the RT section. When approached by an MS sales person explain that you'd buy one on the spot if they'd give you 50% off since you already purchased one. If they say no, you say: how about 40% off.......look, I already gave you the FULL retail price for the one I have....

 

[pbankey]

Hi Mark. Name: Philip Bankey

Thanks for writing about the Surface from the lens of people who own and use it all of the time.

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

• I purchased it on day one of release in October 2012. I bought it for a couple of reasons:

1. There is true innovation associated with the hardware and I appreciate any device that pays attention to aesthetic details. For a company like Microsoft who usually stays out of hardware, this was a great surprise and it was felt nice to know a windows device wasn't dished out on cheap, tacky/pastic hardware that often gets associated with PCs.

2. It offers an experience that other tablets simply do not. The peripherals and ports, out-of-box support for true multitasking, integrated full versions of Office are big examples. I sat in my bed at night streaming a video I had stored on my network attached storage while browsing the internet using multitasking. I'm spoiled now. I could not go to another tablet and ever have the same expectations without having to compromise a lot.

• Mostly because of the reasons above, I didn't go with Android/Apple. I suppose one of the biggest reasons was I feel like I can just do more with this tablet than I could any other one. Using this tablet reminds me of the "free" feeling I had when I got my first smartphone. It's still a tablet, but it opens up a level of capability that didn't exist before.

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

• Overall it has improved, but it does have some frustrations. Some of the ones I can think of immediately are lack of support for domain joining, lack of Cisco VPN support, and I find it ridiculous that Microsoft doesn't even support their own Silverlight on RT but they do support Flash. The lack of legacy apps doesn't phase me at all except for the couple of things (like the ones I just mentioned) that aren't natively supported.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

• I use the Surface RT for everything from work to movie watching to browsing the net. It follows me to meetings during the day: I make use of OneNote, BOX.com app, teamviewer to remote into my work desktop, micro HDMI to display power points, and the touch cover to type away. At home I utilize my personal NAS to stream media, play casual games, browse the internet and check email.

• Something that irritates me is the limbo that is desktop mode. My opinion is that the RT should be a demonstration of the beauty that metro interface can be, including using metro version of Office and getting all of the native desktop functionality ported to the Metro interface. It simply feels disjointed to me and really hinders the beauty of the touch experience when I have to basically change how I use my device to accommodate the small amount of desktop-only apps that are built in. It makes me think, "Great, prepare for PC mode." I don't want to feel like I feel when I have a PC in hand when I use this device.

• Greatest strength: It's just so flexible that it can be almost anything you need it to be.
• Greatest weakness: It's just so flexible that it can be almost anything you need it to be. Yes, this is also a huge weakness, because conveying the value of this device to an average consumer will be extremely difficult when it can do almost too much. This goes against tablets from other platforms in which the expectation of what tablets should be and do is very defined and pretty black and white.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

• I would buy another even at full price (if something happened to my current one). Though, I think the reduced price was the right move and what it should have been originally... for the RT version. A lot of sites compare the price to the iPad while comparing it against iPad features. My challenge for people who feel it is overpriced is to compare the iPad to the Surface price using Surface features. I would bet it will yield some surprising results and reactions.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

• I definitely feel there is a great future but Microsoft needs to take control and show us the vision. RT can be a metro-only, feature-rich experience that proves that tablets can be the new way of doing anything on a computer. If they fail to convey this, then RT will die in my opinion. The masses see RT as the stripped down Windows you pay for when you cannot fork over the full Surface Pro model/Windows 8 device. That needs to change and it's Microsoft's job to lead that.

 

[mms-pc]

>>1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

1. I bought one this February.
2. After some tryouts on ASUS RT tablet, and also my personal user experience on Windows Phone device.
3. Actually I already owned a 3rd gen ipad since last May, and after some tryouts on some Android devices, I decided not to buy any Android device, they don't work like a handheld devices, they work like PCs instead.

>>2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

Well, with more and more apps join the windows store, and the introductions of monthly patches from Microsoft, I think my opinion is improving after months of experience with Surface RT.

>>3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

1. Mostly for entertainment, like watching youtube videos, reading comics, reading news, playing some video games, etc.
2. I don't think of anything that might irritates me.

>>4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

Probably not, I prefer saving money for next generation of RT tablet, if any.

>>5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

I don't know, I like current size of Surface tablets, I don't like smaller tablet, they make anything display on screen smaller to view.

 

[iamtim]

My name is Mark Hachman, and I'm a reporter from PCWorld.

Hi Mark Hachman, a reporter from PCWorld. I'm Tim Huntley, a forum member on Windows Phone Central. I'm happy to answer your questions.

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

I first purchased my Surface RT two weeks ago. I bought it because I wanted a tablet that worked the way my desktop and laptop worked; contrary to buzz media belief, there are people who really like Windows 8, and I'm one of them. I run Windows 8 on my work desktop (an iMac, no less) and my home laptop... happily and proudly.

I briefly owned a Nexus 7 prior to my RT purchase. I'm not a big Google/Android fan and my experience with the Nexus 7 was sub-par. The hardware was good, I'm referring here more to the Android OS. It's... just not my cup of tea.

I am an iPhone user and I love iOS on the iPhone. I've played with iPads and iPad Minis but didn't even consider purchasing one. While iOS is great on the iPhone, I think it scales up to the iPads poorly; there's just too much empty space between the icons and other size-up issues which the iPhone doesn't have.

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

It has improved; the other day I started writing some documentation for work on the RT. I figured that I'd get the basics down and SkyDrive it to my laptop or desktop for finishing touches. It never made it that far; I connected both a Bluetooth keyboard AND mouse (the RT has full mouse support) and wrote the entire document on my RT. I SkyDrived the finished document to my desktop at work where I simply printed it off. That was awesome.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

Typically I use my RT for web browsing/email/and media content. In addition to the RT Mail app, I frequently use Internet Explorer, OneNote, Nook, Kindle, and Nextgen Reader. As mentioned above, sometimes I pull out Office RT and do office-y things, but that's not common. It's awesome that I can do it, however.

I do not have any regular irritations with my RT. It's greatest strength is its ability to substitute for my laptop or desktop. My only real complaint is that the built-in kickstand doesn't lay it back far enough for my tastes.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

No, I only need one. And I bought it at the reduced price. However, if something untoward happened to my RT, I would buy it again.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

I would like to think that there is, but if there isn't... well, RT works for me and I'll use it until I can't. Then I'll replace it with the Pro (or whatever RT replacement Microsoft comes up with).

RT, I think, is for people who want a tablet to work like a tablet yet still be Windows. The Surface Pro muddles the waters a bit, but I think that's more for people who want their tablet to work like their PCs and still be a tablet. I have no need for desktop apps on my RT (other than Office RT); I don't want to run Photoshop or Visual Studio or whatever passes for PageMaker now on my RT, that's what my laptop and desktop are for. The RT is for people like me. As long as there are people like me, I think there is a future for RT.

Thanks for reading!

 

[alaskanjackson]

1. Purchased in Nov 12. Did look at IPad but wanted something I could used with work, ie, Office, PP, Excel.

2.My opinion has not really changed. I did end up buying a SP and handed the RT to my oldest teen. He seems to be happy with it and uses it more for content consumption than I did.

3.I would consider buying another if I had any problems with the one I have? I have had zero problems to date. My ideal would be the slimmer form factor of the RT with the processing power of the SP. My guess is that I will purchase either the next or 2014 version of the surface. It is a great piece of hardware that was dismissed before (I think) most folks really tried it. In particular I think it should be considered by IT departments looking for flexible solutions.

 

[vormison]

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?

I purchased mine about a month ago. I did consider others but the RT was the perfect mix of productivity and entertainment - at a very good price with amazing battery life.

2.) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?

My opinion has stayed about the same or maybe got a little more positive - especially after learning the swipe/touch controls. The OS and apps are not quite as fluid as I'd like but as a whole, it's very reliable and a very smooth experience.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?

Everything! I am an insurance agent and between Remote Desktop, Office, Etc. it's the perfect no the go productivity tool. And the entertaining apps and games with achievements are there, too. Greatest strength is it's quasi-full-fledged computer capabilities. The main weakness are lack of certain apps and mainly lack of support with certain apps - MLB.tv for instance.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?

I went back and got my Wife one. She loved hers so much that we already purchased two more - one for each of our children for Christmas.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?

I think it's future is actually brighter than it's past. One thing MS really messed up was the marketing of the RT product. They should've called it the Surface Tablet while simply calling the Pro the Surface Pro. People are becoming less confused about the capabilities of the RT platform but I think many were confused.

 

[TrophyNostalgia]

Hello there Mark, my name is Brandon Geary:

1.) When did you first purchase your Surface RT? Why did you buy it? Did you consider alternatives, such as the iPad or an Android tablet? If so, why did you rule them out?
I bought my Surface RT (64GB) in April 2013. I bought it because I desperately needed a transportable computing device, as my laptop is too large for portable computing. Especially as a college student the Windows 8 Surface RT was the perfect match as it came with Microsoft Office which was huge for me. I did consider both iPad and Android, Android being my second choice, and Apple my last. In general I have shied away from Apple as, although they have a solid ecosystem and app selection; very little I have is Apple and I don't care for their often (imo) over-priced devices that are usually very quickly made outdated by a new release. Android appeals to me as I appreciate the design, aesthetics, and look of their devices, but once more they seem very dependent, or facilitated according to your use of Google services. In general most of the products I use have been Microsoft so it simply made more sense to favor their device. Windows, for me, just seems more intuitive, and simply works instead of trying to lock me into their ecosystem, their products, and their services (although many services I have come from Microsoft).

Working as an IT tech employee at my college I've had various exposure to various iPad generations and a few (though not many) Android powered tablets and they just never felt quite right to me. Optimally I would love to use one of each to enjoy each devices respective advantages, but realistically the Surface RT simply appealed to me more.

As another user (HeyCori) matched my sentiments well when saying: "If anything I've grown to appreciate Windows 8/RT even more. Here's why. I use iPads at work and must admit that the amount of apps in impressive. You can get a lot of versatility from an iPad thanks to Apple's expansive app store. However, the productivity capabilities of the iPad is a major problem. No USB, no Office, no HDMI, no Flash, proprietary ports, etc... All those things start to add up. Plus I don't play games. Even on my Surface I'm constantly installing games only to uninstall shortly after. The Surface gives me superior multitasking, Flash, Office and a host of other things that allow me to treat my Surface more like a real laptop. Returning to the iPad reminds me of all the things I can't do. "

2,) In the weeks and months since you've bought the Surface RT, how has your opinion of the Surface RT changed? Has it improved or declined?
My opinion of the Surface has only improved. I have had few if any issues with the device and it does everything I need for a tablet to do.

3.) What do you typically use the Surface RT for? What do you enjoy doing with it? What really irritates you every time you use it? As a corollary question, what is the Surface RT's greatest strength? Its chief weakness?
It works great as my multi-media streaming device for both music and movies on multiple services. With SkyDrive and its cloud computing I quickly switch between my Surface and my laptop with office documents, projects, files and more which has been incredibly beneficial as a college student. I feel like I have access to everything I need wherever I am at. My only irritation is that the screen will occasionally flicker. It's nothing drastic, but more of a pet peeve that irritates me. Across the months, updates for the Surface have repeatedly come out improving its performance; so overall I continue to be happy and content with my tablet choice. Its greatest strength is: great battery life, Microsoft Office functions, and simplicity. (I love the kick stand and keyboard, great for class notes) Its chief weakness is the whole RT fiasco. While I knew exactly what I was getting when purchasing the Surface RT, it is rather vague and perplexing marketing move by Microsoft to market an "off" Windows 8 OS. In general the Surface and Windows 8 OS is still developing and I think Microsoft is in a pretty big transitional phase right now. The app marketplace still has much to be desired and Windows 8 has many areas that can be improved (Windows 8.1 will at least help in many ways). However I wanted a simple tablet, for media streaming, Microsoft Office, and basic app functionality so for me the Surface RT just fits beautifully. The Tegra 3 chip is a bit dated with a few other internals, but things such as the USB and HDMI port keep me more than satisfied with my decision to purchase the Surface RT.

4.) Would you buy another, at the reduced price?
If I didn't have one, I would buy it again; but I have no need for another tablet now. I'm content. Looking to the future if Microsoft were to continue and improve upon the Surface's faults I would definitely be interested in say a 3rd generation Surface. Two family members and one of my friends took advantage of the reduced price and I helped them work with their Surfaces and all of them thoroughly enjoy the device. I've heard no complaints from any of them, and I would continue to recommend the Surface RT or Pro to others who are looking into tablets.

5.) Finally, do you think that there's a future for the Surface RT, with smaller Windows tablets coming down the pipe?
I don't know about a future for Surface RT specifically. While I love my device and it does everything I need it to, RT is a bit of an odd child in the large scheme of things. It worked fine for me because I'm not dependent on heavy app availability, and utilize it for its ample versatility as a media and office device. I think as Microsoft evolves its products and technology advances we are going to see Windows and Microsoft services become much more uniform so there isn't this oddly divided mess of Metro vs. Legacy desktop or RT vs. Pro. I would love to see Microsoft continue to work with the Surface line because I think they designed a great device and I would love to see where else they could go with it. The technology world in general right now seems to be "going through puberty" a bit though. There's so many odd things available now between Smartphones, Tablets, Phablets, and eBook readers (which are also oddly a mixed hybrid tablet). It's all a bit of a mess. It seems like many companies are making some wild stabs and it'll be a few more years before I think we begin to see a more unified direction for for devices and operating systems in the technology world.

 

[mase123987]

I am just going to answer number 5:

I don't think RT has any future. I believe the purpose of RT was to compete with the current tablet market at the time. With Intel getting really good at bring power consumption down, I don't see a future for ARM when it comes to Windows tablets. To me, it makes more sense to modify full Windows to put less of an emphasis on Desktop usage. This would be a whole heck of a lot cheaper and less complicated than continuing with RT.

 

[lokiduck]

1) I have owned my surface rt since day one. I was really excited to buy one after seeing it originally revealed. I believe that the lack of it being shown after the reveal made it more mysterious and more cool to get one when it comes out. Being a student at a university i never considered an android or ios tablet because it they did not have office. I honestly can say that i would not buy it again.
2) Over the months after getting my surface, my opinion defiantly changed. By the day it became more and more apparent to me that this was not a finished product. i expected it to not be perfect being a first gen device, however it had so many problems that i couldnt justify all of it.
3) I thought i would be using it to take notes for my classes, but sadly that didnt happen. The performance on it was so bad to where i was being less efficient trying to get the thing to work than continuing to do things how i had done before. If i were to say its biggest strength would be its build quality. It really feels like a premium device but sadly in my opinion does not preform as one. Today i rarely use it. There are so many simple issues that makes it feel like its a chore to use.
4) I would absolutely not buy another surface in the current stage its in. Like i said before i didnt have high expectations being a first gen device but this product was not justifiable for its price. i would say that it should not be more than $199 for the current state its in. I understand that it would never happen but its really that undesirable to where i feel like it should have been either sold at a significant loss or not sold at all.
5) i think there's is a future for surface as long as they focus on performance and not little gimmicks like touch cover. i think it is a very nice compliment to the windows 8 ecosystem and i just hope Microsoft can get it right.