wco81

MS markets Surface Pro as capable of running desktop apps which requires a lot of power. Hence the need for i5 and i7 processors but at the price of battery life.

Would be interesting to see what percentage of Surface Pro owners chose it with the intent of running desktop apps regularly and what percentage actually do.

Maybe the marketing of the product for desktop software is a disincentive for tablet app development.

JClishe

I also laughed out loud at this. The iPad Pro keyboard situation is also a significant problem here. The Apple keyboard only has a single viewing angle and I use my SP4 kickstand at all sorts of viewing angles depending on where I'm sitting. So, the Apple keyboard would be a non-starter so I'd have to look at 3rd party keyboards. But everyone that I've seen adds significant bulk to the device, certainly no where near as sleek as the SP4 keyboard. And then what do you do with the keyboard if you want to hold the device as a tablet? With those 3rd party keyboards you have this big bulky thing to flip backwards and hold while, again, the SP4 keyboard is thin and light. Or, with the SP4, just pull the keyboard off and put it in your bag. Most 3rd party iPad Pro keyboards snap the iPad into a shell and is certainly nowhere near as simple to detach at will like the SP4 keyboard is.

As far as 2-in-1 tablet/laptop hardware implementations go, the SP4 blows the iPad Pro away.

JClishe

I rarely use any laptop on my lap, and when I do, I've had no problems with my Surface Pro's. Maybe because I'm 6'4" and have lots of room on my lap. Regardless, lapability is perfectly acceptable for me.

And, the new SP4 keyboard is fantastic. No issues whatsoever.

I do use it as a tablet. On a plane I flip the keyboard underneath to use the SP4 in tablet mode for watching movies, email, reading, etc. I also use it tablet mode in coffee shops, my hotel room, etc. For me it's the perfect device...goes from powerful dual 27" display workstation solution on my desk to a hand-holdable tablet for reading the news at a coffee shop. And it easily slips into the file folder pocket of my bag, taking up no more space than my iPad Air (my iPad in its Kavaj case is the same thickness as the SP4 with its keyboard). For me, the SP4 is a better solution than an ultrabook. But I do wish more / better Windows Universal Apps existed.

Dubai Stu

Apple is clearly adding more features into iOS aimed at making it a full-fledged operating system. I find it frustrating that it still does not have the equivalent of a my docs directory or deep integration with various cloud service I find it frustrating that it still does not have the equivalent of a my docs directory or deep integration with various cloud services. While there are workarounds, it is not easy. When I'm gone for the office for five days, I'd like to file away the attachments that come in by email or over the web through court e-filing systems. It is difficult. I think that the original criticism that an iPad was an over glorified iPhone has dissipated over the years.

I am not looking for a Ferrari when I'm on the road. I'm looking for something more like a Ford C-Max -- comfortable enough, great gas mileage, and capable of hauling a light load in a pinch.

superangrypenguin

Sure, but it's not like an iPad Pro is priced like a C-Max!

Badenoch

Thanks for your comments. I'm running a 4 year old Sony Vaio that is a little larger and heavier than your Lenovo but in the same ball park. I'm also in the codger zone and have this quaint belief that the technology is there to serve me and not the other way around. I'm prepared to adapt to the technology but only if there is a distinct benefit over what I already have. I don't quite see it in the Surface Pro for business purposes although the reduced weight and fast boot up are appealing.

Thanks. Those are deal breakers for me particularly the absence of a full-sized USB.

Nothing against Mac but the places I sometimes go require PC for compatibility.

The Surface Pro sounds like a good option for non-business travel where the demands are not as great but the price is such I can get good tablet options that I will do what I need on a pleasure trip for a fraction of the cost.

nkedel

I know several Surface Pro 3 owners; all of them got it to replace a subnotebook PC, not as an expensive alternative to the iPad. I don't know if they also use it as a tablet off-hours, but workday use is 75%+ desktop apps.

About the only use I ever see for them at work without the keyboard attached is for note-taking and document review, and it occurs to me I have no idea what apps they're using for that and whether they're desktop or metro (when I'm reading on my somewhat similar Dell convertible, I use the desktop versions of the reader programs.)

nkedel

There are some very solid nylon bags out there; I really like my Everki Atlas. Size-wise, it's of the "could hold several MBP" variety (and quite happily held two laptops -- one of them a 7lb W530 -- plus a tablet and a weekend trip's worth of clothes a couple of times) but they make a smaller briefcase style one with a passthrough that looks pretty nice:
http://www.everki.com/products1/brie...to-13-3-detail

Peterpack

When i get back from my trip which starts tommorrow , i am going to look at one of the many tablet/laptop hybrids which seem to be coming out

Should find one which can fit the bill but the thing is there are just so many apps available for the ipad, for me an apple ios/windows 10 dual boot tablet/laptop would be perfect

nkedel

Dual boot iOS/Windows 10 will never happen unless Apple (for no good reason) switches from ARM to Intel -- they're on incompatible processor architectures.

Much more likely is that someone would figure out how to run iOS apps on Windows either through an emulation layer around the app or by emulating an entire iOS device. (App-level emulation will probably come to the MacOS long before Windows, and there is some system-level emulation already possible for iOS developers on MacOS.)

A semi-native way to run Android apps on Windows is much more likely (and I've heard unsubstantiated rumors that Microsoft is working on one) and either emulating or virtualizing an Android device on Windows is already possible -- it's not even horribly inconvenient, just moderately so.

superangrypenguin

You mean desktop or modern UI Metro is the old word

AltaBound

Badenoch,

I share your views on technology being here to serve me vs. the other way around. I use the surface pro to run the standard MS Office programs (Excel, Word etc.) and I have no issues. In addition I use Smartdraw along with several accounting programs. So far no issues. My biggest issue has been the keyboard. When not on the road I also use a docking solution with a Bluetooth keyboard and 27" monitor and I am very happy with the setup.

Mr. SAP

I see the new X1 Carbon has been released along with the X1 tablet. The tablet seems to have some intriguing features including including a projector attachment. Are you still leaning to the X1 Carbon? If so I would be interested in hearing about your experiences with it in the future.

nkedel

They're welcome to rename it to something ambiguous sounding; I'm still going to call it the commonly-understood and less ambiguous term

Dubai Stu

Mod delete this. TIA.

Dubai Stu

Let me "substantiate" the rumor the rumor:

https://dev.windows.com/en-us/bridges/android

It was announced at a Windows Keynote by the CEO and there were technical breakouts on it at a recent Microsoft presentation. They also announced a similar iOS bridge which may not take.