Microsoft Surface Pro trashed by CNN
 

Just saw the review for the Surface Pro on CNN, and they basically hated it. It runs full Windows 8 but said its more difficult to use than a laptop and too big and clunky to be a good tablet. The keyboard was said to be OK, but the trackpad is hard to use. The kickstand/keyboard arrangement means that it can't be used on your lap.

Has anyone on here actually used one yet?

Since it's not been released officially yet, the number of people using it is going to be pretty slim.

See this thread for discussion on the surface tablets

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/trave...t-surface.html

Interesting. USAToday had a very positive review of it today.

Safe to say mixed reviews so far then;)

Here's a link to the CNN review. http://money.cnn.com/2013/02/05/tech...iew/index.html

The OP's characterization is rather misleading. Under their illustration, CNN's tagline was "Good not great." I read the review as very positive about some aspects and negative on the question of how it integrates Windows 8 and using legacy Windows programs.

But judge for yourself whether they 'basically hated it.'

Interestingly the El Reg review said a similar thing about the lap usability. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02...ce_pro_review/

But The Wall Street Journal, not so much:

Surface Pro: Hefty Tablet Is a Laptop Lightweight.
(Access may require a subscription.)

A few snips:
"But unlike the first (i.e. the "regular" Surface), this new tablet is capable of running full-featured Windows 8, though at a price—in dollars, bulk and battery life."

"It's too hefty and costly and power-hungry to best the leading tablet, Apple's full-size iPad."

"It lasted just under four hours between charges—less than half the stamina of the iPad on the same test and three hours less than the Surface RT."

"...it's compromised as a laptop. You get fewer ports and less storage than on many laptops and a keyboard that can't compare with those on many laptops."

But on the plus side:
"It ran all the software I threw at it—both the new type and the old desktop type—speedily and well."

The reviewer, Walt Mossberg, has a tendency to dislike things that compete with Apple devices. (IMHO)

That is putting it lightly. He's one of the biggest Apple fans out there.

I've read all the reviews, and I'll still be in line on Saturday to buy one. Even after being burned on the RT, I have faith in the Pro. Engadget called it the best Windows 8 tablet there is, and after using most of them, the bar hasn't been set too high :D

There'll be a line? ;)

Only if someone stands behind ScottC. :D

For Surface RT there was, yes. But when it launched, the Microsoft store was the only place selling them.

Meow :D I'm waiting to see whether this is as popular as MS think it will be

Yes, I saw that one last night.

I did read the CNN review and while I agree that "trashed" and "basically hated it" do characterize the review, it did net out to an unfavorable.

Without a hands-on experience, I'd guess the WSJ was probably the closest - a good in-between machine with a few flaws. And one of the flaws being that an in-between machine isn't really great at either.

I think I'd rather have two very good machine (my ultra-portable PC and my iPad) than one device that saves space/weight but isn't really good at either.

(then again, I use a full DLSR, not a P&S, have separate transport/processor/pre-amp/amplifier vs. CD Player/Receiver, etc.)

I've watched it again, and although "trashed" was an excessive word to use I felt that the reviewer only put in some positive comments because he had to. He was more physically animated when making the negative comments while his expression and body language dropped off when he was making the positive comments. Possibly too much pop psych there, but I reckon if you asked him about it over a beer he'd say he hated it.

I've got an iPhone, an iPad and a PC laptop. I use them all for different things and I see virtually no applications for them in the gaps between. About all I can think of is playing Angry Birds on your laptop. The things I can't do on my iPad that I would like to do involve the use of a mouse (writing DTP and PowerPoint), and apparently that's one of the worst things about the Surface Pro.

This is sort of a "Good Man, Bad Wizard" situation.

If you evaluate the Surface products as a PC tablet, it is among the better ones.
If you evaluate the Surface products as a PC laptop, well... it just isn't one.

The keyboard/kickstand is little more than a novelty,

We have a bunch of the Asus VivoTab and its keyboard is a much more elegant solution. Although only Atom based. And from what I can see the keyboards are rarely not attached.

You do know that you can attach any mouse (quickly and without a fuss) to the Surface or Surface Pro right?

I can assure you the kickstand and keyboard are not a novelty. The kickstand and keyboard have a real/useful purpose without adding bulk (which is why you probably use a tablet). No other tablet offers this option. If a tablet becomes too bulky because of bulky accessories you're probably better off with an Ultrabook. Besides, Microsoft is coming out with various accessories for the Surface.

Yes, but if you're going to have a track pad mouse on a device they why make it a bad one? Also, where do you use the mouse if you're on a flight (as this is FT!). The fold out table is in use for the Surface Pro, as we've already established it's not much good on your knees.

An interesting commentary on human communications - you watched the video, I read the printed version. I suspect my Human Capital colleagues could have a field day with that facts vs. emotion components of our takeaways.

And how the "the doily" as one of the IT chicks calls it accomplish this better than the Asus solution?

It turns a tablet into an ergonomically usable notebook, the Surface just apes some of the sillier third party iPad cases.

I see that 'Nemo' the winter storm (as named by the Weather Channel) has cancelled the Surface Pro launch event in NYC.

'Apple-like' lines for Microsoft's Surface Pro

:D

"When new products sell out on launch day it usually means one of two things: it’s a hot product or they didn’t make enough. Unfortunately for Microsoft, it appears that the Surface Pro falls into the latter category. My local (Northern Virginia) Microsoft store sold out in 15 minutes, which means there wasn’t much to sell."

http://virtualpants.com/post/4269059...-pro-sells-out

The Zune sold out in 2009 too.

http://www.oled-info.com/zune-hd-sol...ternet-outlets

Look, I think the Surface Pro will be a success. Unfortunately for Microsoft, its the RT platform that really matters. The world doesn't need another touch enabled Windows 8 PC, there's going to be hundreds of them. The Atom based devices that are starting to hit the market now are going to be even more interesting than current i5 based Surface Pro. Haswell holds even more promise.

We need Microsoft (or someone) to produce a Post PC era device to compete with the iPad and Android tablets. A Windows device that runs a ton of apps, one that lasts for 8-10 hours on a charge, one that doesn't need to worry about viruses, one that doesn't need 30+gb for the OS, one that can upgraded with a new download and install in 15 min... Basically what Microsoft promised us with RT last year.

Skate to where the puck is going, not where's its been.

Of course it sold out - their flagship stores had 100 total (50 64GB and 50 128GB) AND started doing pre-sales earlier in the week without actually telling people.

I arrived at the local Microsoft store at 10:00, and the store had already sold out. Apparently, they decided to open early (even though they told me the day before that they would open normal hours AND that they'd have PLENTY in stock). The local Best Buy got ONE unit, which was sold before the store opened.

By the time I got home (after wasting two hours), the 128GB was sold out on their site.

They couldn't have handled this any poorly. Despite the lousy reviews, there are still people who trusted them - and this is how they deal with us. Like Google, Microsoft has very little experience in retail and merchandising, and should take a long hard look at Apple for tips on how to get products in the hands of their fans.

Oh, and the 64GB units I did order still haven't shipped - they generated a tracking number on Saturday (and I paid for overnight), but they are of course still stuck in a warehouse somewhere.

Oh it was one of those launches, went to the press party for a technology company where they were showing off their latest product and I asked how many would be available on launch day. Under a thousand were being flown in, the rest were coming a month later when the container ship docked, "still" says the staffer I'm talking to "means we should sell out".:rolleyes:

Yes - absolutely one of THOSE. Apparently some of their stores (like in Hawaii) didn't get ANY units, others had under 20.

Pathetic.

While you're waiting, you can pass the time by watching another goofy Surface ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=tr3dFSzh1yU

Wake me up when the iPad gets Office and a removable memory slot.

Until then, a lot of people will be buying these.

Or watch a Montanna tv station were hacked and broadcast a spoof EAS message about Zombies. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7pNAhENBV4

Which still doesn't beat the best tv hoax for me which was broadcast on Czech tv:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ea4eft_3p-I

I suppose the Surface ads are okay, but they don't exactly make me want to buy or even find out any more about the Surface which is surely the point.

Consumer marketing brilliance!

Name one powerful feature of the Microsoft Surface tablet: "It goes click".

Yup tells me B*gger All about the innovative features etc. but apparently I'm okay to dance with it.

Actually heard a news person describe it as a "loud distinctive" click the other day.

It's all about the click.

And a lot of people are going to be disappointed with viruses, patching, weight, a 4.5 hour battery life, suboptimal portrait orientation, and confusing modern/classic UI experience.

But it does make a satisfying click. Or seems to, based on the commercial.

At least the GUI is designed for this form factor which it isn't for a desktop, that's a positive for you on that point.

Yes.

Sort of: http://desktop.onlive.com/

Works surprisingly well.

Well, with all due respect, "patching" is something all devices have to deal with. Didn't iOS just get another update? Updates for Windows are pretty non intrusive nowadays. Also, viruses really are a thing of the past for any well educated user or a basic user who just turns on the included Windows Defender.

Yes - with those points I'll agree, but they are par for the course if you want a "real" computer on the go. I hope they come out with some kind of keyboard/battery system very soon.

And FWIW; my three units arrived today (amazingly), still find the whole process very poorly managed.

Well, that was fast. After a little over an hour, I'm already fed up with Surface Pro.

Chrome doesn't work in Desktop mode, only in Windows 8 mode, and there is no easy way to access the on-screen keyboard in that mode.

It gets HOT

The screen resolution sounds nice, but it is totally useless for getting actual work done. Apps are all too small, so you scale, which then of course makes the whole high res screen useless. Typical spec over usability.

The pen, while nice, tends to switch between tap and drag mode on its own

On-screen keyboard doesn't pop up on its own in any apps (may just be a setting)

Pre-installed office doesn't like my MSDN keys.

I'm sure I'm still annoyed by the shipping and wasting money on RT, but this still isn't a solid product. I'm happier with my cheap Asus Vivobook - it just works and doesn't pretend to be something it isn't.

$1200 well spent.

For those smart enough to turn on defender and set autoupdate.

iOS was just patched, one model (the iPhone 4s) and the patch was a 23mb file. a far cry from the hundreds of mb needed to be downloaded on "Patch Tuesday" every month for Windows myriad of issues. Microsoft! START OVER!!! Stop spending money on goofy ads and pay for the top apps to be ported to RT!

Glad they got there.

You just summed it up.

I think a PC+ Tablet is a better combo than an 'all in one'. And if you pick the right combo (like a Macbook Air and an iPad or your Vivobook and an KindleHD or Nexus 7/10) you don't have to live with compromise. Pick the right tool for the job.

I wanted one for work - seems almost perfect for travelling. I dock my laptop at my home office so I have a full desktop setup when needed and where I think this would be ideal is in a similar situation.

Will need easy docking options but... Full Desktop, Tablet and Hybrid all in a small portable form factor.

That said... Would not get one as not unhappy with the laptop.