Originally Posted by
phol
Yeah - every computer ever sold shows its specifications the same way
That isn't the point - the point is that Microsoft failed to make this clear. A
Take for example the Google Nexus 7 - it clearly says this:
32 GB internal storage (actual formatted capacity will be less)
Microsoft failed to mention the vast amount of lost storage. I think most people realize that 32GB usually means around 28GB because of math, bits and bytes. But a tablet where so much of the available storage is taken by the OS is new to me. I have just over 16GB available on my 32GB - totally unacceptable IMHO.
Other devices (like the iPad or my Transformer Prime) have the OS stored separately from the storage drive - but Microsoft took the cheap way out. Instead of doing a dual partition 48GB drive, and assigning 32GB to the user, they just went with 32GB and assumed that people wouldn't care. If you purchased a 16GB iPad, and only had 1GB available for music, you'd return the damn thing. As I said - this isn't about the usual "32GB is not 32GB" stuff companies like Sandisk deal with - it is providing a tablet with advertised storage that is impossible to actually use. If I buy a new laptop, I am free to wipe it and recover a lot of the space - I realize that some will be used for the OS, but having a new machine come with storage that is 50% wasted out of the box is not normal.
I say Microsoft owes every Surface owner something - and a 32GB MicroSD card or free upgrades to the next largest size would go a long way to fixing this PR nightmare. Microsoft can't afford this right now.
To make it even worse - I lose another 5GB for "recovery" - and I have no way to remove this or offload it onto a USB Drive.