70
Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Features Wish it had 4G LTE option.
- Display I have this and a 3rd gen iPad, I don't know what the fuss is about. The screen is gorgeous.
- Battery life It's good enough for all day and charges quickly.
- Ease of use I really like Win RT interface. Once you get the clutterless design ethos and learn to swipe from the sides to see more, it's nice.
- Storage capacity It's Windows so it eats storage. The expansion SD card is great, but integration of it isn't.
- Design and form factor It's just pleasant to use. At first I wanted to turn it portrait and it just isn't made for that. Once I got used to it, it feels very natural and solid.
- Portability (size / weight) It's a little heavier than the iPad, but I only know it because I've been told that it is.
- Durability It's not very old, but the build quality is great and it feels sturdy.
Detailed review
I've seen a number of reviews on the Surface, and they cover every aspect of specs and the lack of Apps in the Microsoft App Store. There's no need to say any more about that. I've been an iPad user from the beginning and have a third generation iPad now. I love it, but it has always been about compromise. The best thing about it has always been the casual portability. It's easy to have with me and easy to use with my feet up. I've learned to make the the functional compromises I had to and the compromises have been worth it.
I now have a Surface and I'm pretty sure it's a permanent switch. Here's why:
1- Portability. The Surface is as portable and comfortable as my iPad. I never used a keyboard with my iPad, because, for me, it defeats the purpose to have to carry other stuff. On the Surface touch cover and kick stand are just there. I don't love flipping them out to type, but I can do it. With my iPad typing on anything other than the onscreen keybaord was not an option.
2-Web Browser. The iPad has always had a lot of sites that don't work right. IE 10 on the Surface works with more sites and feels more like a desktop brower than a mobile browser, There are still limitations, but much less than with the iPad. The reason that the iPad needs so many Apps for things like FaceBook, is because the websites don't work well. On Surface they do.
3-Windows RT. I really like the interface. Once you get used to the uncluttered design ethos, you realize that it maximizes the usable screen space. Learning to swipe from the 4 sides is all you have to learn. It comes with the things I use my iPad for most ... web browsing, maps, reading, news, email, contacts, and note taking. I don't play a lot of games though. I wish it had Words with Friends and DrawSomething.
4-Handwriting. The handwriting recognition is outstanding and with a stylus I find it easy to take notes the old fashioned way. It's faster and more accurate for me to write than to use the on screen keyboard. It works everywhere in Windows 8, and I often find myself doing casual editing with my feet up, writing instead of typing. It's what I always wanted to do with my iPad.
5- OneNote. The new OneNote, plus handwriting recognition and SkyDrive consolidates all of my notetaking across every device I work on ... my personal compter, my work computer, my iPhone, my iPad, and the Surface. I can take notes on the Surface and then use them seamlessly on my computer with Office, Outlook, and every other program I work with. OneNote could be Microsoft's best kept secret ... That and handwriting recognition.
6- SharePoint. MS Office is tightly integrated with SharePoint and that includes Office on Windows RT. I can use SharePoint for all of the collaborative things I use it for. With my iPad, I always had to copy documents out of SharePoint to Skydrive to be able to see them on my iPad, and even then, it was only PDF files that worked very well.
7-MS Office. I'm an Office worker, so I spend a lot of time working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. On my iPad I could read them, but I was never able to work with them well enough for it to be worth trying. The combination of Office and the touch keyboard cover make it possible for me to do real editing. It's not a perfect experience, but it's worth it to me to be able to do it when I have to.
I now have a Surface and I'm pretty sure it's a permanent switch. Here's why:
1- Portability. The Surface is as portable and comfortable as my iPad. I never used a keyboard with my iPad, because, for me, it defeats the purpose to have to carry other stuff. On the Surface touch cover and kick stand are just there. I don't love flipping them out to type, but I can do it. With my iPad typing on anything other than the onscreen keybaord was not an option.
2-Web Browser. The iPad has always had a lot of sites that don't work right. IE 10 on the Surface works with more sites and feels more like a desktop brower than a mobile browser, There are still limitations, but much less than with the iPad. The reason that the iPad needs so many Apps for things like FaceBook, is because the websites don't work well. On Surface they do.
3-Windows RT. I really like the interface. Once you get used to the uncluttered design ethos, you realize that it maximizes the usable screen space. Learning to swipe from the 4 sides is all you have to learn. It comes with the things I use my iPad for most ... web browsing, maps, reading, news, email, contacts, and note taking. I don't play a lot of games though. I wish it had Words with Friends and DrawSomething.
4-Handwriting. The handwriting recognition is outstanding and with a stylus I find it easy to take notes the old fashioned way. It's faster and more accurate for me to write than to use the on screen keyboard. It works everywhere in Windows 8, and I often find myself doing casual editing with my feet up, writing instead of typing. It's what I always wanted to do with my iPad.
5- OneNote. The new OneNote, plus handwriting recognition and SkyDrive consolidates all of my notetaking across every device I work on ... my personal compter, my work computer, my iPhone, my iPad, and the Surface. I can take notes on the Surface and then use them seamlessly on my computer with Office, Outlook, and every other program I work with. OneNote could be Microsoft's best kept secret ... That and handwriting recognition.
6- SharePoint. MS Office is tightly integrated with SharePoint and that includes Office on Windows RT. I can use SharePoint for all of the collaborative things I use it for. With my iPad, I always had to copy documents out of SharePoint to Skydrive to be able to see them on my iPad, and even then, it was only PDF files that worked very well.
7-MS Office. I'm an Office worker, so I spend a lot of time working with documents, spreadsheets, and presentations. On my iPad I could read them, but I was never able to work with them well enough for it to be worth trying. The combination of Office and the touch keyboard cover make it possible for me to do real editing. It's not a perfect experience, but it's worth it to me to be able to do it when I have to.
good review!
3 people find this review helpful
jmoney