Surface Pro 2 vs Competition

[unstoppablekem]

Its an option for the secure model. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TpMG-03O6dM

Man! So many good choices. Either the Pro 2, Venue pro 11, or xps 11. Sigh.

 

[TomInAmsterdam]

For me I am torn between the Tap 11 and Surface Pro 2, the 2 things that are making it difficult, Sony has GPS but I really like the slim touch keyboard on the Surface, if I could get that Tap 11 with a nice thin keyboard it would win!

 

[MoggSquad]

Tap 11 gets average review. I'd buy Pro 2 over the tap 11

Sony VAIO Tap 11 review: meet Sony's answer to the Surface Pro

As is, though, the companies charge about the same for similar specs, and from what we can tell, Microsoft's tablet is of higher quality. Don't get us wrong: the Tap 11 has some good things going for it: the keyboard is comfortable; pen input works well; the tablet itself is thin and light; and the 1080p IPS display offers fantastic viewing angles. But it's clear that Sony had to compromise on build quality to achieve that attractive price point. And while we haven't yet tested the Surface Pro 2 for battery life and performance, we've spent enough time with it to know it's a more carefully made product, even if it's heavier. For now, we'd encourage you to at least wait for our Surface review to see how the two stack up. And Sony, if you're reading this, it's not too late to rewrite the Tap 11 as a more competitive product: all you need is a little price drop.

 

[chezm]

You'll be in the Customer Service line with a Dell, PRAYING they don't ask for your receipt or give you grief. I suspect it'll be 3-4 days after the exchange/return policy expires. Dell has that worked out really well.

I know many people who had horrible experienced with Dell, including my sister. That was not fun, calling customer support and getting nowhere...basically having to purchase replacement parts and install myself. A power supply and video card crapping out in less than 6 months?...i call that bad.

-------------------

On a side note, another review of a competitive device running Haswell:

Review: Sony

VAIO Flip 13

The good
Attractive styling
Full-size keyboard and trackpad that aren?t sacrificed on the altar of convertibility
Haswell delivers solid performance
Reasonable (but not exceptional) battery life
Digitizer that?s compatible with Sony?s existing VAIO pen accessories


The bad
Despite aluminum and plastic construction, the laptop is overly flexible throughout
Screen is bright and colorful, but slightly grainy
Lid lifts computer off of the surface it?s on while open, and the hard plastic standoffs make the laptop less stable on a hard table or desk


The ugly
Fan spins up with very little provocation, making the Flip noisier than most competing Ultrabooks

 

[MoggSquad]

I've had enough experiences with Dell (both personal and corporate) to say all negativity is over-stated. Insert company X and you will get people popping out to tell you of their bad experiences with them, just the way it is.

IMO, Dell's biggest problem are bland designs.

 

[elysm1]

I've had enough experiences with Dell (both personal and corporate) to say all negativity is over-stated. Insert company X and you will get people popping out to tell you of their bad experiences with them, just the way it is.

IMO, Dell's biggest problem are bland designs.

I'd agree. I've been purchasing computers from Dell for my business for the past few years (30 or more systems) and have had both good and bad experiences with them. As a whole, I would say that the good easily exceeds the bad. The unfortunate thing about any large production run is that there are going to be a few failures here and there; the thing that matters is how customer service handles them. I've spent my fair share of time on hold, being shuffled from one department to another by Dell, but in the end they have always stood behind their products.

I would also agree that, with exception of the XPS 13, they have very bland designs.

 

[YanivC]

@unstoppablekem Ive got the XPS Duo 12" with the 3rd Gen Core i7 and 8GB of memory. Basically I was looking for this to be my "one" device and it performs remarkably. Ive got Visual Studio 2010, 2012, 2013, SQL 2008 and 2012 all running alongside The entire Corel Suite of products and some other development tools I have and it hums along on Win 8.1 with no issues.
Obviously this has to do with the chip and memory but there are some things that are bothering me. One the trackpad sucks! Its amazing how often it glitches. To the point that I almost never use it... and this is after getting a replacement for the same issue. I actually bought the logitech bluetooth trackpad alongside the computer purchase and glad I did.
Also, the reflective screen is annoying, why oh why not put a retina screen on a beauty like this? Come on DELL! Thank you for making this a Gorilla Glass screen but if I have to carry a towel to put over it so I can see anything other than the reflection.... not worth it.
3rd thing .... WHY OH WHY did this not come with a digitizer? You CANNOT believe how handy that friggin little pen on the surface is. I got my surface pro at the MS build event and my wife stole it from me lol and she uses it in such amazing ways. She is constantly using that pen ITS AWESOME! Why didnt they include this? I would have easily traded a gorilla glass screen for the digitizer capability.
Other than that though... it is any amazing product, it gets SOOOO much attention and having a "hinged" keyboard is really MUCH MUCH easier to work on a couch with than the Surface kickstand.
I love my XPS ... just wish I had that pen!!!!!

 

[polbit]

I will second the love for XPS 12. I had the Surface RT, then Pro, then got the XPS 12 (and then RT again after price reduction, but that's another story...) For my use, XPS 12 is perfect - the screen is just the right size, and flip design is ingenious. I'm not a huge Dell fan, but the XPS line is really nice, and XPS 12 is no exception.

Polbit

 

[slysy]

Are you guys getting any ghosting issues on the XPS12? There seem to be a lot of complaints about it - Has someone noticed ghost images (screen burn-in) on Dell XPS 12 Duo? - Laptop General Hardware Forum - Laptop - Dell Community

 

[polbit]

I have a dirty secret.... I bought the XPS 12, and love it. It replaced my laptop as the the truly portable computer to take with me, and is a blast.

Having said that, I pre-ordrered he Pro 2... I keep coming back to the form factor, and I realize now that for me personally, I have a 4 device strategy - my Note II phone is great for portability, the Pro 2 will be good for full-power tablet that I can use all around, XPS 12 works perfect as a powerful portable all-in-one, and my 15" Macbook Pro has become my "desktop" or couchtop. Just hope the battery life on the Pro 2 can live up to my expectations, as Pro 1 was just plain bad.

 

[polbit]

Nothing on mine, but it seams like a popular-enough complaint that it's something to consider.

 

[thorwaler]

Wow man, you have too much money....

 

[anon(5590893)]

Wow man, you have too much money....

LOL, life is unfair, isn't it.

 

[coip]

You certainly get what you pay for when you buy a TRUE piece of OEM equipment. The Surface Pro is where it's at in terms of power, functionality and size. Nothing else rivals it. If you don't want top of the line in those categories, then the Surface Pro or Pro 2 aren't for you.

You'll be in the Customer Service line with a Dell, PRAYING they don't ask for your receipt or give you grief. I suspect it'll be 3-4 days after the exchange/return policy expires. Dell has that worked out really well.

I've owned only 2 computers since 2001: a Dell Inspiron and a Dell Studio. Both have been fantastic. The Dell Inspiron still works (rocking XP) and I used nonstop from 2001 to 2009. The Dell Studio was built for Windows Vista, and I've since upgraded it to Windows 7, Windows 8, and now Windows 8.1 and it's been a trooper the whole way. I thought Dell was known for having good build quality and good customer service--at least that was the case when I first bought one in 2001. That worked out so well that I blindly bought the other one in 2009, but I was more than satisfied. Dell also has some really cool hardward designs this season. I don't understand the Dell bashing here.

 

[raxy21]

A lot of people keep mentioning this model, so i took a look yesterday and maybe you need to use it first hand but im not impressed by the design. Im sure its super powerful and works really well, for someone who likes the design i can see it being a true competitor with Pro 2.

Back on topic:
For myself, im still sold on the Pro 2...i've been waiting almost 2 years to buy a laptop for something new and exciting, and MS's product delivers what i hoped for...and more. Of course not at a cheap cost but i've waited long enough and think its time to treat myself. I havent used a lot of touch screen laptops, only demoed a few at Best Buy. For ME, nothing else compares.

does yoga pro 2 comes with digitizer?
I'm leaning towards surface pro 2 128gb model and touch cover 2,use case is note taking with one note mostly.
So please suggest SP 2 or any other with gud battery backup.