Official "I have the Surface 2" thread

[SteelSteve]

Just picked up the Surface 2 and the original Cyan touch cover to replace my iPad 2. Now all my friends (who are iPad users) are giving me a hard time. Guess we will see who has the last laugh

 

[nuprotocol]

Just picked up the Surface 2 and the original Cyan touch cover to replace my iPad 2. Now all my friends (who are iPad users) are giving me a hard time. Guess we will see who has the last laugh

iSheep will hate. But look at them as that, iSheep. Enjoy our Surface 2. I'm really loving the speed and the 2nd position for the kickstand. I'm able to type on the couch, bed, or anywhere now.

 

[Snow Wight]

Oh My God. Just picked up the Surface 2 32gb + illuminated key pad/cover. My Nexus 7 is going to my step-daughter because I have a new love!

 

[dcuk7]

I bought a Surface 2 32GB today to replace my original RT which I sold on Friday. Wasn't easy getting it though.

I went to John Lewis in Liverpool City Centre and saw that the display tablets were original Surface RT/Pro devices. I asked if they had any Surface 2's in stock and one of the employees (wearing a Samsung-branded shirt) told me they weren't out yet. When I told them it came out Tuesday they checked their own website (which I had done already to confirm they had the stock) and they had to check their own stock system to confirm that the website was wrong and all their stock is still at the central warehouse.

I left there and headed to Argos (only one Argos store in the city centre, of which there are 3, had a Surface 2) and they had a note on the door to say they had to close due to unforeseen circumstances! At this point my options were to go to another Argos out of town, but Argos don't sell the covers so I decided to go to the Currys store in the city centre to pick up a Type Cover 2 before heading out of town to get the Surface. Low and behold they only had original Type and Touch Covers, even though their website said they had stock of the Surface 2 covers. The guy in there tried to get me to buy the original type cover saying that because the price was ?109.99 it had to be the Type Cover 2 (even though I pointed out it should say it on the packaging). Frustrated I left town and headed to the Currys near where I work (which is a good 15 miles away) and thankfully they had one Surface 2 and one black Type Cover 2 in stock.

All in all I spent 4 hours trying to get hold of the Surface 2 I am typing this post on. As much as the stores were a joke I think Microsoft need to sort this out. Store staff are woefully unknowledgeable about the Surface and their accessories and stock seems very low in many stores (at least in the Liverpool area).

Love my Surface 2 though.

 

[SwimSwim]

I bought a Surface 2 32GB today to replace my original RT which I sold on Friday. Wasn't easy getting it though.

I went to John Lewis in Liverpool City Centre and saw that the display tablets were original Surface RT/Pro devices. I asked if they had any Surface 2's in stock and one of the employees (wearing a Samsung-branded shirt) told me they weren't out yet. When I told them it came out Tuesday they checked their own website (which I had done already to confirm they had the stock) and they had to check their own stock system to confirm that the website was wrong and all their stock is still at the central warehouse.

I left there and headed to Argos (only one Argos store in the city centre, of which there are 3, had a Surface 2) and they had a note on the door to say they had to close due to unforeseen circumstances! At this point my options were to go to another Argos out of town, but Argos don't sell the covers so I decided to go to the Currys store in the city centre to pick up a Type Cover 2 before heading out of town to get the Surface. Low and behold they only had original Type and Touch Covers, even though their website said they had stock of the Surface 2 covers. The guy in there tried to get me to buy the original type cover saying that because the price was ?109.99 it had to be the Type Cover 2 (even though I pointed out it should say it on the packaging). Frustrated I left town and headed to the Currys near where I work (which is a good 15 miles away) and thankfully they had one Surface 2 and one black Type Cover 2 in stock.

All in all I spent 4 hours trying to get hold of the Surface 2 I am typing this post on. As much as the stores were a joke I think Microsoft need to sort this out. Store staff are woefully unknowledgeable about the Surface and their accessories and stock seems very low in many stores (at least in the Liverpool area).

Love my Surface 2 though.

Sounds like pure hell, I just hope the Surface 2 is worth it for you.

 

[SwimSwim]

Just picked up the Surface 2 and the original Cyan touch cover to replace my iPad 2. Now all my friends (who are iPad users) are giving me a hard time. Guess we will see who has the last laugh

One friend of mine was bragging about how he's soon going to be buying an iPad Mini, and how he's going to prove how much better the iPad is for school. THE iPad is a solid product, but LOL!!!! Honesty, for a category like school, there's no competition between a Surface and an iPad (especially since I'm using the Pro 2). Seriously, the iPad kicks the Surface's *** in many areas and aspects, chose one of them as the thesis of your argument, not productivity (where the Surface dominates, waving off the competition with a single hand).

 

[sinic999]

My skype keeps crashing and the webcam (front) does not work in video calls. Is anyone experiencing the same problem??

 

[jdom]

Is it worth getting the Surface 2 over the original surface?

 

[SwimSwim]

Is it worth getting the Surface 2 over the original surface?

I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I hear: the speed improvements alone make it more than worth upgrading.

 

[jdom]

I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I hear: the speed improvements alone make it more than worth upgrading.

Even if I can get an refurbished surface 32GB for $254?

 

[Highdefjunkie]

I can't speak from personal experience, but from what I hear: the speed improvements alone make it more than worth upgrading.

It's worth it. It's like a different device with the speed. It's what gen 1 should've been.

 

[SwimSwim]

Even if I can get an refurbished surface 32GB for $254?

All depends on your budgetary needs. You must also consider the long term. Now that the Surface RT isn't holding things back, app developers are likely to be a little more greedy when it comes to how demanding they make there apps. App developers (that is, assuming they were before) are likely going to stop optimizing for the Surface RT. Apps are only going to become more power hungry with time, so that sluggish processor could really come back to bite.

The Surface RT is a solid product, but for the sake of "future-proofing," I personally would take the next step and pick up a Surface 2, so long as I could afford it. Again, you need to reflect upon your own budget and personal needs, but I think cashing out a little more now will really pay off later on.

 

[hcrick]

Even if I can get an refurbished surface 32GB for $254?

IMHO, yes, it is still worth it. The difference in speed, kickstand, and display are very significant. Throw in better battery life and a nicer body color for bonus.

 

[jason8957]

I had this issue. I could see myself on the screen, but the other person couldn't see me. Don't know what's up with that yet.

 

[wpjuanra]

Here comes another Surface 2 32 Gb. owner from Spain. Got mine on release date for 429 € and it included the original Touch Cover as a bonus. So far, no problems at all, except for the WiFi being randomly disconnected on the first day which stopped happening after I applied the software updates.

 

[louser]

Just got my surface 2 yesterday. I had an ASUS vivo tab rt, which I loved but this thing is so much better. Only downside is my Asus was lighter. I got my daughter a 1st gen surface a few months ago and wanted one ever since. I am really digging the screen and USB 3.0. really love Xbox music, had a pass since Zune gen 1. Only question, is there an app that plays .mkv files?

 

[SwimSwim]

Just got my surface 2 yesterday. I had an ASUS vivo tab rt, which I loved but this thing is so much better. Only downside is my Asus was lighter. I got my daughter a 1st gen surface a few months ago and wanted one ever since. I am really digging the screen and USB 3.0. really love Xbox music, had a pass since Zune gen 1. Only question, is there an app that plays .mkv files?

Trying to open an .mkv file without any app or codec to do so, will prompt you atomically scan the Windows Store and see if any apps can open that file type. Should there be such an app, the search ought to reveal it unto you.

It's actually very convenient, trying to open any file type without the proper software to decode it lets you easily find an appropriate app in seconds, it's smart, clever, easy, and intuitive.

 

[jazzsphere]

Got mine the day it was released and am extremely pleased. I did a lot of research and knew exactly what I wanted and what to expect. Do not believe the negative press, this is a great little piece of technology that is fun to use and excellent for productivity.

 

[jazzsphere]

I got my Surface 2 yesterday and i'm loving it. Put my Micro SDXC card in and Windows RT treats it like it belongs, which means even XBox Music (which I still have issues with) finds the music without the need to create junctions. Performance-wise, it's very fast compared to the original Surface RT (although the Store is still sluggish) but it just looks and feels so much better. Ignore whatever bad press you've heard about Windows 8.1: here it really does make a huge difference to the way you use the device. I was every-so-slightly embarrassed about the original Surface compared to an iPad because it was sluggish, but this is the real deal.

I just wish we had something better than XBox music to manage our collections with; I don't want to be forced to use a cloud service at all. I, like many others, am quite capable of managing my own collection and I want MY music MY way. This, however, is not a fault of the device itself, which is beautiful to look at and joy to use...but steer clear of the desktop if you don't have a keyboard; the 1080 HD screen makes touch really difficult.

I've been enjoying Media Monkey which supports playlists.

 

[azcruz]

I've been enjoying Media Monkey which supports playlists.

...and FLAC & OGG.





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