Did anyone get a Microsoft Surface Pro today?

[Zhariak]

I've been all over the place, checked all Best Buy's, and Future Shop's and apparently no stores in Calgary got any stock.

What's even more weird, is that the reps have been saying each store is only getting 1-2 for the first shipment.

What's even more weird is that the "Waiting Lists" that people are putting their names on at Best Buy, etc... Already had names on them right when the store opened...

Hrrmmmm

[kaput]

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[hampstor]

Apparently the lack of stock is only at retailers - stock avail if you order online in Canada. In the US, the 128GB model has sold out online.

Somehow i'm not surprised. Retailers likely didn't want to stock because they were afraid they'd get stuck with inventory they couldn't move.

[sabad66]

I really want one to replace my laptop, but thinking twice about it because i need something i can use on my lap/bed.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by hampstor
Apparently the lack of stock is only at retailers - stock avail if you order online in Canada. In the US, the 128GB model has sold out online.

Somehow i'm not surprised. Retailers likely didn't want to stock because they were afraid they'd get stuck with inventory they couldn't move.

IMO, MS should offer 128GB and 256GB version and drop the 64GB.

What's the point of 64GB when you only have 28GB to work with and every month's windows update will eat up a GB or 2.

I would pick this over ultrabook any day.

[hampstor]

Originally posted by Xtrema


IMO, MS should offer 128GB and 256GB version and drop the 64GB.

What's the point of 64GB when you only have 28GB to work with and every month's windows update will eat up a GB or 2.

I would pick this over ultrabook any day.

I agree - this is basically a touchscreen ultrabook sans keyboard and mouse. Since you pretty much have access to the largest app library in history - that much space is not even close to being enough.

If/when my laptop dies, i'll take a serious look at this v. an ultrabook.

[A790]

I'll be buying one. I got to play around with one and it was pretty slick!

[BigMass]

it's a good idea that needs haswell. I'll wait.

[Zhariak]

Well...

After an afternoon of playing around with my new Microsoft Surface 128GB... I have two things to say:

1) This is the ultimate toy
2) This is the ultimate productivity tool for biz professionals

This thing is bad ass... WOW, WOW, and one more WOW...

I'm going to pick up a Surface RT now as well...


In the end I'm shooting for:

Surface RT - Drag around with me all day, for e-mail, outlook, Metro apps (which are totally usable), take notes, etc...

Surface PRO - Bring to clients when I'm doing work, when I need to do more intensive stuff...



After a whole afternoon of playing around, seriously a lot can be done with the MS metro apps... From Mail, to people, even FB Twitter LinkedIn in plain Metro internet explorer is GREAT!

I'm sporting a Touch cover, and absolutely LOVE it...

The pen rocks... Open up OneNote, go to a meeting, write some notes, etc... It's just fucking "pro" hahha


I'll be whipping up a review here soon, I'll post the URL.


THE ONLY COMPLAINT:
Why the eff did this thing not come with LTE? *facepalm*

[kaput]

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[Zhariak]

Originally posted by kaput
^I'm enjoying my surface RT, my only complaint about it is the lack of pen for exactly what you described. I don't need 'pro' power at meetings, but I could definitely benefit from being able to hand write and sketch. That's my only complaint, although for me it's a rather large one.

Does the RT support the pen of you buy it separately?

I totally agree with what you said though. RT with pen would be slick!

I need to convert some apple fanboys!!!!

[kaput]

.

[turbotrip]

Where can you play with these things? Are they on display at futureshop/bestbuy?

[shakalaka]

I hadn't even heard of this thing until just now. :dunno:

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by kaput
To be honest, I haven't actually bothered to look into that. If you do, let me know!

I'll see what I can find out... If this is the case, RT would be perfect for bringing around all day, notes, meetings, play, e-mail... Pro would be awesome for special stuff, in my case IT stuff where I need a laptop. I'm really actually going to purchase an RT now as well!



Originally posted by turbotrip
Where can you play with these things? Are they on display at futureshop/bestbuy?

Not really sure. The launch was botched... Most stores are only getting 1 - 128GB model and 1-3 - 64GB models. One should be on display, but there was shipping issues. I was lucky enough to secure and purchase a 128GB model from London Drugs (everyone was only checking Best Buy and Future shop, I kicked it old school and checked London Drugs first when they opened at 9AM on Saturday, put one on hold and it came in today).


Originally posted by shakalaka
I hadn't even heard of this thing until just now. :dunno:


A lot of people haven't heard about them. They've been receiving bad reviews because everyone has been comparing them to the iPad (which is dumb considering they aren't an iPad)... RT is more a tablet tablet, which runs metro apps, and comes with MS Office, has 10 hour battery life. At first I thought this was kind of dumb, but after playing with a pro and realizing how useful the Metro apps are I changed my opinion. The Pro is a fully blown computer in a tablet, also runs the metro tablet apps, but you can also install Windows apps. The pro has quite a bit of performance, kinda surprised...

[spike98]

Originally posted by kaput
To be honest, I haven't actually bothered to look into that. If you do, let me know!

The pen and active digitizer is exclusive to the pro model only. It was the deciding factor for me passing on this. My note 10.1 is amazing but MS support and one note is what i am after.

The thinkpad tablet two looks good but apparently the pen input is only so so. There are tones of windows tabs (RT and pro) out or on the way. Check this out:

https://sites.google.com/site/davidsmithsprojects/other-projects/windows-8-tablets

[Zhariak]

So I've had the Surface Pro for 2 weeks now. I'm in love with this device, it's not even funny.

No longer dragging a briefcase and notebook to meetings, just the Surface. It's not even funny how much crap I can get done on this thing. And it's sad how I'm realizing I'm getting more work done on my couch now than I ever did on my desktop computer... lol

I wrote up a quick review here if anyone is interested. It's just a general overview on the interface, my thoughts, and how it's coming in handy.

http://www.stephenwagner.com/?p=677

[yellowsnow]

It's a pretty awesome product, except I spend a lot of time using my laptop... on my lap. i don't see how you can do that with a surface pro.

[e31]

So they are finally catching back up to Windows Mobile 2003 with a stylus? Do they realize that they wasted the last 10 years trying to convince the public that their fat, greasy, cheeto-eating fingers are the interface of the future, only to revert back to the trusty old stylus.

I have an older winxp era tablet laptop that cannot be upgraded to win8 due to incompatible drivers (with RC anyway). However the same drivers seem to work fine with Win7, go figure. Win8, Surface, whatever; Microsoft has chased it's own product's tail for 10 years and have jack shit to show for it now.

George Santayana famously said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I'll just reference the upcoming Microsoft quarterly earnings as a direct response to this.

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by yellowsnow
It's a pretty awesome product, except I spend a lot of time using my laptop... on my lap. i don't see how you can do that with a surface pro.

Actually to be honest, I've used it in my lap, no problems (I thought it would be a pain in the ass before I got one, but it's not bad, especially when you flip the cover and deploy the kickstand)...

It fits quite nicely to if you rest your ankle on your knee (I don't know what it's called when someone sits like this, I do it regularly). It sits perfectly!

I have a laptop (a nice small expensive Lenovo Thinkpad) and I haven't touched it since I got the surface, don't think I'll be using it much anymore.



Originally posted by e31
So they are finally catching back up to Windows Mobile 2003 with a stylus? Do they realize that they wasted the last 10 years trying to convince the public that their fat, greasy, cheeto-eating fingers are the interface of the future, only to revert back to the trusty old stylus.

I have an older winxp era tablet laptop that cannot be upgraded to win8 due to incompatible drivers (with RC anyway). However the same drivers seem to work fine with Win7, go figure. Win8, Surface, whatever; Microsoft has chased it's own product's tail for 10 years and have jack shit to show for it now.

George Santayana famously said "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." I'll just reference the upcoming Microsoft quarterly earnings as a direct response to this.


Ya I know what you mean, I'm also an old school PocketPC user. I also had a few of those UMPC handheld computers. Stylus and touch (both) are the way to go, it's just crazy that it took this long to implement both perfectly!

[sabad66]

Nice review. I think this thread actually sold me on it :D

Are you 100% sure it's ok to use on a lap? I guess I can just return it if it doesn't work out...

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by sabad66
Nice review. I think this thread actually sold me on it :D

Are you 100% sure it's ok to use on a lap? I guess I can just return it if it doesn't work out...

You can, depending on the way your sitting, slant of your thighs, etc... it won't work every way you sit, just a few, but its good enough for me, may not be for other people... of that's what is your holding point, I'd say it might not work for you...

For example right now I have my feet up, thighs slanted upward a bit, I can't have it on my lap standing upright right now with the kickstand. But I'm typing this on it right now. I actually have the tablet laying on my lap flat, and I'm typing using the onscreen keyboard, which I can type a million word per minute on.

[yellowsnow]

Anyone know if they have stock anywhere for the 128gb version? I'd like to try it out

[sabad66]

I picked up a 128 today from London drugs in beddington. They were out of type covers so I'm using it keyboardless for now.

Anyone else notice that chrome doesn't work very good? I.e. pinch to zoom, clicking is inaccurate, etc

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by sabad66
I picked up a 128 today from London drugs in beddington. They were out of type covers so I'm using it keyboardless for now.

Anyone else notice that chrome doesn't work very good? I.e. pinch to zoom, clicking is inaccurate, etc

Man, I just use Metro IE and no problems, except when looking at embedded flash videos... lol

Firefox and desktop IE run great!

[spike98]

Originally posted by sabad66
Anyone else notice that chrome doesn't work very good? I.e. pinch to zoom, clicking is inaccurate, etc

Chrome sucking is a known issue and wont be fixed until google releases an update. IE 10 is pretty good so far though.

[sabad66]

Yep, i've quickly gotten used to Metro IE 10. It runs beautifully. Better than any browser i've ever used. One little gripe is how it shows the favourites. I want my favourites to show up before 'recently used' so that i don't have to scroll.

The only thing I miss about Chrome is my reddit enhancement suite :(

Overall I really love the device but have to get used to a lower storage space before I can sell my old laptop. I ordered a 64GB MicrSDXC card for $60 from amazon so that should help.

Two issues with the pen though:
1. Where do you put it when charging?
2. It's not 100% accurate, even though I did the calibration wizard holding it at the same angle I would write with.


Still waiting on the type covers to come in... i've been harassing London Drugs and FS/BB for the past two days lol

[Kinjou]

Can you guys list any cons you found with the Surface Pro? I'm on the edge of buying one and have located a place that carry them locally. All the reviews I have been reading are mixed. How fast is it to boot up? How well does the pen with. Is the screen "anti-fingerprint/smudge"?
Any issues with websites forcing you onto their mobile version, since it's technically a tablet?

[turbotrip]

any stores have it on display to try out yet? i neeeeed to try this thing before i can buy it lol

[sabad66]

Originally posted by Kinjou
Can you guys list any cons you found with the Surface Pro? I'm on the edge of buying one and have located a place that carry them locally. All the reviews I have been reading are mixed. How fast is it to boot up? How well does the pen with. Is the screen "anti-fingerprint/smudge"?
Any issues with websites forcing you onto their mobile version, since it's technically a tablet?
Boot time is reallyy fast. Pen is pretty slick... If you use onenote you'll love it. Screen is beautiful and doesn't smudge / fingerprint...probably as much as any other tablet or better. Haven't seen anything forcing metro ie10 to mobile sites yet, but if you do it's not a big deal... Just switch to desktop mode and use ie10 or chrome.

Cons for me:
- 128gb might not be enough if you're planning on replacing your laptop with this. Does however support microsdxc so you can always expand
- type keyboard is impossible to find so far
- default scaling is 150% so it does mess up a few legacy apps. This will get better over time

But overall, I'm really happy I got it. Most places have a return policy so i would suggest buying it and trying it out.

[shakalaka]

I played with one in FS this evening for a few minutes. I guess it's not too bad but to be honest I don't see it replacing my laptop. But mostly because I am a Mac guy.

[Kinjou]

I played with one and decided to get one. I can use it for 15 days and return it if I decide I don't want it.

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by sabad66
Yep, i've quickly gotten used to Metro IE 10. It runs beautifully. Better than any browser i've ever used. One little gripe is how it shows the favourites. I want my favourites to show up before 'recently used' so that i don't have to scroll.

The only thing I miss about Chrome is my reddit enhancement suite :(

Overall I really love the device but have to get used to a lower storage space before I can sell my old laptop. I ordered a 64GB MicrSDXC card for $60 from amazon so that should help.

Two issues with the pen though:
1. Where do you put it when charging?
2. It's not 100% accurate, even though I did the calibration wizard holding it at the same angle I would write with.


Still waiting on the type covers to come in... i've been harassing London Drugs and FS/BB for the past two days lol

There's been a lot written about the pen. Most people recommend staying away from calibrating it, and say to restore it to default factory shipped mode for pen usage...

I've noticed it can get a bit funky if you're holding the pen on a slant, especially on the corners...



Originally posted by Kinjou
Can you guys list any cons you found with the Surface Pro? I'm on the edge of buying one and have located a place that carry them locally. All the reviews I have been reading are mixed. How fast is it to boot up? How well does the pen with. Is the screen "anti-fingerprint/smudge"?
Any issues with websites forcing you onto their mobile version, since it's technically a tablet?

Boots in seconds... Pen works AWESOME! I use the micro-fiber cloth that came with my vehicle to clean the screen. Super easy to keep the screen clean and smudge free.

Cons:
-Lack of built in LTE

And I wouldn't consider it a con, but battery life is a consideration.



Originally posted by Kinjou
I played with one and decided to get one. I can use it for 15 days and return it if I decide I don't want it.


If you get used to using it (learning the device), you'll love it!

[sabad66]

Picked up a type cover from Best Buy in Westhills. I think they just got off the truck tonight.

Pretty weird using it while laying down in bed on your stomach. I'll probably go back to touch screen for casual browsing on beyond.

Looks really nice with a cover now though, and I can finally toss it in my bag. Trackpad is going to take a bit to get used to cuz it's so small but overall pretty good for what it is. Also noticed the two finger scroll is backwards compared to what i'm used to.

[Kinjou]

Seen anyone sell the MS Complete? I am thinking at $99 bucks for accidental spills and drop coverage for 2 years is not too shabby. From what I can see, it's only available through the MS Store for a Surface Pro purchased from there. :thumbsdow

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by Kinjou
Seen anyone sell the MS Complete? I am thinking at $99 bucks for accidental spills and drop coverage for 2 years is not too shabby. From what I can see, it's only available through the MS Store for a Surface Pro purchased from there. :thumbsdow

You can log on to myservice.surface.com and purchase it for devices you purchased anywhere, just costs a bit more.

[Kinjou]

Thanks for the tip! I was reading on it some more and there was some sort of deductible that wasn't very clear.. might just forget it. Now to find a place in the North that has a type cover in stock. Even MS themselves are sold out..

Rumor has it there will be another cover, with an extended battery built in. Dunno how that is going to impact the design/slim factor but that would be good for long trips away from a power source.

[2Legit2Quit]

Good info, work just bought me a pro version, supposed to arrive tomorrow, was shipped out from a London Drugs in Calgary (I'm in red deer). Got my black clicky keyboard thing today, looking forward to playing around with it and using it for work too I guess :burnout:

[Kinjou]

Not a lot of places in the city carried any Pros. Found one LD that did a few days ago and now a few more are getting stock. Looks like Memex is starting to get some in too.

[sabad66]

Woohoo, no more flash restrictions for metro IE
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/ie/archive/2013/03/11/flash-in-windows-8.aspx

[DarkDream]

So will this be a full fledged Windows OS running on it?

No restrictions/Compatibilty problems?

Problem with mobile devices is the compatibility of what can run on my PC at home and on my android or ios.

For example Remote VPN access to work.

[redline]

It is a full version of Windows 8. I have a lot of work apps on it.

Getting use to the new interface, so far so good.

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by DarkDream
So will this be a full fledged Windows OS running on it?

No restrictions/Compatibilty problems?

Problem with mobile devices is the compatibility of what can run on my PC at home and on my android or ios.

For example Remote VPN access to work.

Surface Pro is full windows (with no restrictions).

I run all my normal windows apps, and I always connect to my corporate VPN when I'm at clients offices.

It's great!

[wtf im nameless]

What's your guys favorite apps so far?

[Zhariak]

Originally posted by wtf im nameless
What's your guys favorite apps so far?

I use all the defaults, but favs would be:

Package Tracker (effin rocks)
Twitter
CNN
Bing News
Remote Desktop
Music
Netflix
Wordament

[rage2]

My bro picked up a Surface Pro so I got a chance to play with it. Spyder calibrated the screen (a must!), installed Lightroom, and started photo editing. A few adjustments to my workflow and I'm keyboard free. The adjustment brush using a pen is so much more intuitive. Might have to pick one up for photo editing on the road!