Surface Pro 2 - Win 8.1

[island911]

Just got one today. The thing is a beast of a computer in a minimal package (2lbs).

I skipped the 1st gen Surface Pro - not quite enough performance for my needs.

The Pro2 bumped the ram available from 4Gb to 8Gb. It now also has display output of 3,840 x 2,160 - that's 8.3Mpx, or over 4 HD1080p screens. -Yikes. How long until those 8Mpx screens are available?

The Wacom pen is silky smooth.
Better cameras...

Not liking the screen-glare at times. (avoid spot light reflections)

Win 8.1 brought back some missing functionality. - nice.

Still setting-up & testing....

Anyone else get one?

Oh, I also picked up the Docking station (damn impulse items.) It's pretty cool; but could be better with a few design changes.

[McLovin]

2 lbs, man, that's like 2 of the new iPad Airs glued together!

[jyl]

Isn't Win 8.1 the brick update?

[masraum]

Originally Posted by McLovin

2 lbs, man, that's like 2 of the new iPad Airs glued together!

And the 2 ipad airs glued together still aren't as powerful as the Surface Pro.



Don't get me wrong, I like the ipad, but it's not a laptop substitute. Neither is the Surface RT which is more of an iPad competitor. But the Surface Pro is more of a laptop replacement with more processer, RAM and storage than the Surface RT and iPads.

For my wife's next appliance, I'm wavering back and forth between the Surface Pro and the Macbook Air.

I might like a new iPad Air to replace my old iPad.

[stomachmonkey]

Glen, do me a favor if you would not mind. Whenever you have a chance, not a rush.

Launch paint, gimp or whatever you have handy on a PC.

VNC in from the surface and let me know how well the digitizer works.

Looking for things like lag, digitizer calibration, pressure sensitivity hell if it even works at all.

[stealthn]

Island,

let me know what real world battery life is like, are you going to join to to a domain?
What are you all in cost wise?

Thanks,

Bob

PS - The Apple event today kicked MS's ASS!

[island911]

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

Glen, do me a favor if you would not mind. ...

... hell if it even works at all.

seriously.

Wow, touched a nerve with the apple fanboys. A couple anonymous one-star retorts on the first post. (OH NO, something MSFT!) How's AAPL doing these days? I have noticed the iPhone has gone to gold plating. GOLD PLATING! - must signal the gilded age for Apple is here. bling bling . . . bling bling

<sigh>
Like Steve, I also own an ipad. And I also know the difference between a productivity device and a consumption toy. A WORK computer, iPad is not.

What I'm happy about here, is the paradigm shift. In the past, I used a workstation AND a travel tablet (or convertible) - files shared on SD cards. With the surface pro 2 it apparently does it all. It will run my needed 3-D engineering applications (pro/e, SolidWorks, computational fluid dynamics…) and will output with ease to my 2560x1600 monitor ("cinema display" for you fanboys.) - in fact it has the GPU strength to power two of those. (for reference, you would need 4 Hi-res ipads to get there. ..and it would be ugly)

And then there is USB 3.0 – dam that connection is fast; Even off of a spinning external drive. Aside; what gen' USB port does the ipad have? Oh, that's right, it doesn't have USB ports. But what about that USB Port/30-pin barnacle? Are those USB 3.0? - I just checked (no)

Anyway, looks like I no longer need a travel device and a workstation. Keeping my fingers crossed that there is no show-stopper.

Just an aside, I didn't type this response. I'm using Microsoft's speech to text software. -it's part of the OS and doesn't rely on some lagging Siri connection.

All that said, I will reiterate my hesitance to go to Win 8.1. --it stripped out some functionality of Win7 that kept me from switching sooner. I'm trying to learn new ways with Win8.1. We'll see.

[island911]

Originally Posted by stealthn

The Apple event today kicked MS's ASS!

So they have good parties?

Could you actually buy the new Air? ... or was it just a fanboy anticipation fest?

[porsche4life]

I love MS fanboys bashing apple fanboys... Pot meet kettle much?

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by island911

seriously.

Wow, touched a nerve with the apple fanboys. A couple anonymous one-star retorts on the first post. (OH NO, something MSFT!) How's AAPL doing these days? I have noticed the iPhone has gone to gold plating. GOLD PLATING! - must signal the gilded age for Apple is here. bling bling . . . bling bling

<sigh>
Like Steve, I also own an ipad. And I also know the difference between a productivity device and a consumption toy. A WORK computer, iPad is not.

What I'm happy about here, is the paradigm shift. In the past, I used a workstation AND a travel tablet (or convertible) - files shared on SD cards. With the surface pro 2 it apparently does it all. It will run my needed 3-D engineering applications (pro/e, SolidWorks, computational fluid dynamics…) and will output with ease to my 2560x1600 monitor ("cinema display" for you fanboys.) - in fact it has the GPU strength to power two of those. (for reference, you would need 4 Hi-res ipads to get there. ..and it would be ugly)

And then there is USB 3.0 – dam that connection is fast; Even off of a spinning external drive. Aside; what gen' USB port does the ipad have? Oh, that's right, it doesn't have USB ports. But what about that USB Port/30-pin barnacle? Are those USB 3.0? - I just checked (no)

Anyway, looks like I no longer need a travel device and a workstation. Keeping my fingers crossed that there is no show-stopper.

Just an aside, I didn't type this response. I'm using Microsoft's speech to text software. -it's part of the OS and doesn't rely on some lagging Siri connection.

All that said, I will reiterate my hesitance to go to Win 8.1. --it stripped out some functionality of Win7 that kept me from switching sooner. I'm trying to learn new ways with Win8.1. We'll see.

Yeah that was a serious question.

I have several Wacom products from small Bamboo's, 12 inch digitizer and a 22 inch Cintiq.

The smaller digitizers make sense because you can use them like a sketchbook but you are tied to the desk for monitor support.

Cintiq is awesome but you can't put it in your lap, too big.

Been hoping someone would make a decent Wacom enabled tablet. If it works well over VNC I can go sit out back on the patio and work on big files on my main workstation without having to worry about dealing with a huge file on a tablet.

But never mind. Don't know why I bothered asking to begin with. Why do you need to be such a cranky douche all the time?

[island911]

Originally Posted by porsche4life

I love MS fanboys bashing apple fanboys... Pot meet kettle much?

Fanboys get excited when I post about a TOOL to GET WORK done.

You fanboys jump all over this thread because the device is NOT Apple. -- Absolutely PATHETIC!

I mean, WTF... these are boxes O electronics, you fanbois treat it like a RELIGION. -ecept those who are just AAPL stock whores.

Let me be clear, if Apple could deliver the features and performance I need for a portable WORKSTATION... I would be ALL OVER IT.

[McLovin]

I wanna know how many people here tonight like to take a taste of alcohol!

[island911]

tonight? uhm, it's late-morning on the west coast.

Originally Posted by McLovin

2 lbs, man, that's like 2 of the new iPad Airs glued together!

Are they out yet?


Are they gilded in gold yet?


Is AAPL really so threatened by the launch of Surface 2 that they had to time a 'big' event to announce that in the future, Apple will have a thinner, lighter iPad for the kids? - apparently they are. (what does THAT say about where they are headed?)

The only thing more pathetic than that announcement are the posts here touting -in a HATE MSFT tone- that apple will have a thinner lighter ipad sometime next year. ...AS IF that wasn't a completely predictable life cycle outcome from apple.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by island911

Yeah, it sounded like a serious question - which I was going to respond to with useful information- right up until the ridiculous, petty dig you made. (implied you were just being rhetorical all along.)

btw, "a cranky douche all the time?" - project much. ..Why not claim that anyone who uses MSFT product must be "a cranky douche all the time" ....because it never works - donncha know....

Note the lack of comma between pressure sensitivity and if it works at all.

My apologies, I assumed you being an engineer with likely a lot of experience using digitizers would immediately understand the issues surrounding calibration of these types of devices and how trying to interact with over VNC with scaled displays might present some issues and that pressure sensitivity might not work at all.

And no, not projecting.

Way back in the day when you were doing the valve adjust tool I sent you either an email or PM requesting to purchase one and the response I got was rude, condescending and I remember thinking "wow, why is he being such a dick". That was the first exchange you and I had ever had. Not much has changed in 10 years.

[BlueSkyJaunte]

I've been playing with a Lenovo Yoga 13 at home for over 6 months now. Just installed 8.1 on it (no brick, though it did try to get me to sign up for a Microsoft account--somehow I managed to trick it into skipping that). Is it an improvement over 8.0? Yes, but that's like saying a sharp stick in the eye is an improvement on being drawn & quartered.

I hate the new Windows 8 UI model(s). Switching back and forth is a monumental pain in the ass, requiring a workflow shift every time it happens. Accessing/using the window decorations in "legacy" applications is damned near impossible on a touchscreen. The on-screen keyboard blows goats. The Store is like a bad joke. System settings are scattered among several different apps in wildly illogical and inconsistent locations.

FWIW I don't use iOS. I use Android on my phones/tablets. My home desktop and (former) home laptop are Macs. We hit Netflix, Youtube, and our iTunes library on AppleTVs. So I'm used to switching around among different interfaces. I just shouldn't have to change gears on the same damned computer!

[island911]

Thanks Blue. That's the type of feedback I was looking for.

Again, I don't know if I can adapt to Win8 (from Win7) w/o massive pain.

Originally Posted by stomachmonkey

.. I sent you either an email or PM requesting to purchase one and the response I got was rude, condescending and I remember thinking "wow, why is he being such a dick". That was the first exchange you and I had ever had. Not much has changed in 10 years.

Wow. Doubling down on the personal insults. (yeah, who's the dick douche?)

Please post this supposed PM where I was oh so rude to you a decade ago. Because that's why I started this thread. You are suchh a gentleman for noticing.

[masraum]

IPad air should be available Nov 1.

I'm not a fanboy of either. I like mustang and camaro and challenger. I like Canon, but I think Nikon makes good stuff.

I think Apple makes some good stuff, bit I prefer android for my phone and Microsoft for my desktop (but I like to tinker with Unix, Linux, alternatives).

I like what works and meets the compromises that I need or want it to meet.

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by island911

Thanks Blue. That's the type of feedback I was looking for.

Again, I don't know if I can adapt to Win8 (from Win7) w/o massive pain.


Wow. Doubling down on the personal insults. (yeah, who's the dick douche?)

Please post this supposed PM where I was oh so rude to you a decade ago. Because that's why I started this thread. You are suchh a gentleman for noticing.

No that was one personal insult per interaction point. And the first one is 10 years old, you're just hearing it now.

I don't send or receive a lot of PMs, still nothing older than 09' so sorry can't oblige you on the request. Maybe you can convince Wayne to up our PM box allocation.

[porsche4life]

Originally Posted by island911

Fanboys get excited when I post about a TOOL to GET WORK done.

You fanboys jump all over this thread because the device is NOT Apple. -- Absolutely PATHETIC!

I mean, WTF... these are boxes O electronics, you fanbois treat it like a RELIGION. -ecept those who are just AAPL stock whores.

Let me be clear, if Apple could deliver the features and performance I need for a portable WORKSTATION... I would be ALL OVER IT.

No I jumped all of this thread because it was you... And if I have posted about getting a new apple anything you would have jumped in it and made all kinds of snarky comments because of your blind hatred for apple.

I wanted to like the original surface, but came away wholly unimpressed with the whole thing because of Windows 8.

And no its not a religion for me. I just like stuff that works when I turn it on. But I have been playing with running Virtual Box and XP just for ****s and giggles, because I like to have options.

Oh and apple does make mobile workstations, they call them the macbook pro. Its funny how you bash the iPad because its not a workstation. Hell even apple will tell you thats not what it is for. Its a browsing and email device, and it kicks ass at that. I love mine for sending emails and using to show pictures, videos, and drawings in sales presentations. Its fast, simple, and elegant unlike my dell laptop running Win 7 pro which makes me look like a bumbling idiot because of all the stupid crap I have to do to get logged in and get online.

[Head416]

We're testing one at work, planning to deploy it for our sales people. Bottom line: it's a laptop replacement, an iPad isn't.