The lack of real lapability

[Pete]

Factors against lapability:

* the kickstand digs into the legs - causing pain over time
* the device requires more work to setup compared to a clamshell
* the device is unbalanced compared to a clamshell laptop(top heavy), 800g for the device and 290g for the Touch Cover. Compare that with a near 50/50 split on a Macbook Air.

​none of these things are untrue.

I've been using the Surface on my lap as my primary device at home ever since the first Surface was released.

I can confidently say that none of your points are true. The kickstand does not "dig in" (it rests upon), it's not hard to open the kickstand, and it's not unbalanced for work on a lap (two stage kickstand on the Surface 2 made it even better, and the multi-position of the Surface Pro 3 entirely blows that argument out of the water).

Sorry, but no.

 

[anon(5445874)]

Factors against lapability:

* the kickstand digs into the legs - causing pain over time
* the device requires more work to setup compared to a clamshell
* the device is unbalanced compared to a clamshell laptop(top heavy), 800g for the device and 290g for the Touch Cover. Compare that with a near 50/50 split on a Macbook Air.

​none of these things are untrue.

Actually all those points are not true. I use the SP and SP2 daily, and have never had any of those issues. The 'digging into the legs' thing is the most ridicules thing I've ever heard. And the Surface Pro 3 is even lighter, so your argument just falls apart.

 

[taymur]

anyone that says the Surface doesn't have "lapability" usually has never tried it...

here's my brother modeling for me (me taking the pics, thanks bro for helping out)... We can do this with either the Surface RT or the Surface Pro 2...

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As for Mary Jo Foley, I love her to death and listen to her weekly on the podcast. But you should know her computing habits. She still does all her notes with pen and paper. She only types in Notepad and on a desk. She did mention that she had a hard time using the SP3 in the new "laptop" mode. But if she uses it in traditional Surface mode, it's completely doable on the lap. There's no need to be 100% rock solid. You just need it to be completely stable while you work and the Surface is that.

I have a surface 2, tried all your poses, the surface kept falling and wobbling and I have to keep balancing, specially the one you hold it on your knee, don't do the impossible to prove a point, not to mention how the kick stand was staging my leg. it doesn't work....

When I'm using it on my lap, I usually use the keyboard to create support to the kickstand and create a triangle, when I need to type I use the touch keyboard. If I want to do some serious work, I work on a desk.

 

[manwe]

for me the main issues are


-> unbalanced; there is truth to it being top heavy. also you can't really put pressure on the keyboard and balance it that way like you would a laptop because it moves independently of the 'screen'

-> takes up a lot of space; the kickstand needs to rest on your knee and so it needs a larger area of your lap to be level in order for it to work.

i'm not sure, i have a surface rt and it's a ******* nightmare to try to type on it on your lap, but there have been some improvements made since then. i really want this to replace my laptop, but i think i may be getting carried away with the microsoft marketing. after all i was kind of hoping the surface rt to be my main driver back when i got it...

 

[theefman]

Its fascinating to see the effort people put into spreading FUD and trying to discredit them whenever Microsoft does something remotely innovative. The laser focus on "lapability" is astounding in its coordination, must be a secret network where this is all planned. I'm impressed!

 

[manwe]

Its fascinating to see the effort people put into spreading FUD and trying to discredit them whenever Microsoft does something remotely innovative. The laser focus on "lapability" is astounding in its coordination, must be a secret network where this is all planned. I'm impressed!

dude, they specifically highlighted "lapability" on the stage at the presentation. it's obvious it will be a focus. stop being a ******

 

[theefman]

stop being a ******

What an intelligent response, must be one of the anti-MS cult members.

 

[TheJoester09]

The question is, why would you use it in your lap while lounging on the couch? That's when the whole "it's also a tablet" thing comes into play. Who wants a big clunky laptop burning on their legs when you could just hold the darn thing up and use it?

And by the way OP, neither of those laptops in that picture are made by Apple, so I'm not sure how you can declare Apple the winner based on that.

 

[mozman68]

I think the point they are trying to make is that it does have "lapability." Obviously a laptop (duh...."LAPTOP") works better in this situation....but a tablet has ZERO "lapability."

I don't see any claims of it being the BEST...just that it CAN do it. Remember, they are trying to show that it is the best of both worlds. Maybe I'm just one of the "rare" buyers who wants a laptop and tablet in one and hates having to carry both when I travel. When I look at the SP3, the only thing that comes to mind is "dream machine!"

 

[falconeight]

I have a touchscreen ultrabook, and I rarely touch the screen.

I agree, but as a convertible it's needed. But oh boy does it need to come with the keyboard and the I3 64gb with keyboard for $930 is a kick in the face and a poke in the eyeballs. It will more than likely have less than half the memory left with office installed. I don't know who that is marketed towards?

 

[falconeight]

The question is, why would you use it in your lap while lounging on the couch? That's when the whole "it's also a tablet" thing comes into play. Who wants a big clunky laptop burning on their legs when you could just hold the darn thing up and use it?

And by the way OP, neither of those laptops in that picture are made by Apple, so I'm not sure how you can declare Apple the winner based on that.

Because lots of people do work on their laptops/macs. Typing a paper on a touchscreen sucks to high heaven.

 

[jlzimmerman]

"Lapability" is subjective. I've have had no issues at any point on the couch, desk, bed, kitchen table, plane, or in my truck with using my Surface Pro 1 because of the lack of base.

 

[Michael Alan Goff]

So a person like Mary Jo Foley who uses a laptop every day on her lap(a tech blogger) doesn't know what she's talking about when it comes to lapability.... No wonder MS is in a reality-distortion field. Panos was just ridiculous during that presentation. It's like he was talking about some mythical customers that might one day exist.

​Just because she's smart doesn't mean she's not occasionally wrong.

 

[TechFreak1]

I guess someone just conveniently forgot all the other oems that make laptops, if the surface is not suitable then you have insane array of laptops to choose from.

In regards to Mary Jo Foley's argument of it having no flat surface (no pun intended) I guess the power cover would solve her issue as it is more rigid thus would be more stable. However last I checked both the touch and type covers have a flat surface.

Also people who are saying the SP3 is expensive, maybe you should pick up a Chromebook pixel instead :grin:.

 

[SwimSwim]

Really? I find myself doing it constantly on my surface. I do use the track pad a lot, but a lot of times its faster and easier to just touch the screen. Maybe it's just me, but it drives me nuts using a regular screen.

Yeah. Even with my Type Cover and wireless mouse, I still find it convenient to just reach for the screen and interact that way sometimes. I'm typically going in a hybrid mode when using my SP2.

Really does drive me insane sometimes when I'm forced to use non-touchscreen computers at school (only for standardized testing, thank god). I always reach up to the screen and go, "Oh yeah, can't do that..."

 

[SwimSwim]

What an intelligent response, must be one of the anti-MS cult members.

What an intelligent response, must be one of the pro-MS cult members.

 

[SwimSwim]

What we must remember is that is this all, as others have mentioned, relative. Is the Surface Pro 3 as "lapable" as a real, genuine laptop? Of course not, but that's not the point, is it? The whole point of the Surface series is to be a hybrid, a compromise between a tablet and a laptop.

I've personally not had any real problems using the SP2 in my lap, and the SP3 only makes this better (especially when at 150⁰ and using the pen). Is it /as/ good as a laptop? You're an ***** if you say "yes." But it becomes a matter of personal preference. It's "good enough" for many, and the ability to so swiftly and elegantly go into "tablet mode" makes it worth it for lots of people, me included.

So for the goal Microsoft is trying to achieve, the SP3 has incredible "lapability." Trying to make it emulate a laptop any more would then defeat the purpose of it also functioning as a tablet.

With any multiple-in-1 device, you're always going to have compromises. That's a given, without question. The question at hand it: when you the benefits and advantages of any multiple-in-1 outweigh the compromises? While we can all debate this until the cows come home, it's almost entirely a personal decision. It's your money, so you decide.

 

[mrzees]

I'd say that the surface is very lappable - having the felt back to the keyboard really helps it to stick to your lap where normal laptops have a tendency to slip around. I dare say that the woman in the photo above would have to spend a fair amount of time repositioning the device.

The downside to the surface is the slight flexibility of the keyboard, meaning that it's slightly less effective when not being supported (excessive boingage). I'm not sure that the difference would be enough to sway anyone's buying decision.

Boingage - Even better than "Lapability"

 

[EwingMCSE]

My SP2 is my workhorse for the office whenever I'm away from my desktop (about 4hrs a day worth of meetings). It's powerful enough to do all of my laptop functions (SSMS, Visual Studio, Office, Email, OneNote, etc.). It's also very flexible.

One meeting I went to was standing room only yesterday. No problem. Just flipped the keyboard to the back of the unit and seamlessly went into tablet mode. It's light enough to hold on one forearm and take notes with my free hand. The ability to point to take pictures on such a compact device is far less clumsy than it would be with a laptop.

The real value add of the Surface, besides being such a stylish machine, is the ability to transition so easily between laptop and tablet modes.

I often use it for my in-bed reading device and it's effortless to peel the keyboard off and fire up kindle in tablet mode.

If you only need a tablet or only need a laptop there are better dedicated options. If you need to switch back and forth between modes then this is probably the best device you can get.

 

[Jas00555]

So I'm going to have to make this brief, but I'm sitting here at an airport and not a single women with her laptop (out of the 5 in my view) is "side-legging" it. They're all using it like a regular human being, which is with both legs side by side like the guy in the pink shirt.

Actually, if you search Cortana, apparently women use computers on desks or lying on their stomachs, which the Surface is perfect for. I'm not even sure where you got that stock photo.