Surface Pro 3 thread - Info, thoughts, opinions

[IAteYourMother]

Did you actually try to utilize Word, Excel, etc.? I type a lot, so tried it for 15 or so minutes in OneNote/Excel. Completely unproductive since I had to keep the keyboard "dug in" into my stomach. The experience has definitely improved over SP2, but still far from this being a fulltime device for me. Just for reference, I spent around six months with SP2, so know what the typing experience on SP devices is like, in general.

Of course, it would be useless not to. Perhaps if I wasn't wearing jeans then the kickstand wouldn't have felt as secure because I had it right on my knees

 

[Imaginer]

Did you actually try to utilize Word, Excel, etc.? I type a lot, so tried it for 15 or so minutes in OneNote/Excel. Completely unproductive since I had to keep the keyboard "dug in" into my stomach. The experience has definitely improved over SP2, but still far from this being a fulltime device for me. Just for reference, I spent around six months with SP2, so know what the typing experience on SP devices is like, in general.

You know what I can possibly perceive that may solve the "extended runway" need of the taller Surface Pro 3 devices? A Type Cover that folds back the trackpad area.

I haven't tested the device in full of what I would usually do in sitting in a soft chair, hard chair, or indian style sitting. But from the extended "tallness" of the device, it may come close to not fitting compared to the 10.6 inch Surface Pro 2 (even though as I mentioned, I would appreciate the taller, bigger working screen for single window/screen display workings).

This would allow the entirety of the device deployment with kickstand use to fit on most user's laps and legs, typing, allowing the touchscreen for virtual trackpad, pen pointing, or direct touch manipulation.

If one is practically used to typing and thumb trackpadding on a typical laptop trackpad anyways with no direct conjunction of pen use - then again laptops are still available in all shapes, sizes, performances, and comfort (Yogas, Thinkpad Yogas, and the like are there for tablet handling conversions too). But the need to slide the cursor, is sometimes a slight waste of time for me. Trackpads for the longest time have not solved much in middle click issues either compared to a solid periphery mouse/trackball to the side - which I would have anyways (Surface Pro or laptop setup otherwise).

It is another reason why I am more inclined to stay on my Surface Pro 2, and preferring the 10.6 inch screen and 16x9 ratio. It is more sized right for me and along the Surface Pro lines allowing me to fully utilize all the periphery inputs (including the biggest one I do like - the pen).

With any Surface Pro lines having the cover system combined with the light weight, hardware in the screen area (slate/tablet design) it makes it more travel friendly if not always traveling with me.

Excel work and OneNote work for me is been very very useful. Cell work and selection done by pen, switching back to notes with the pen. Typing in both back in forth as well (though I seldom need to type in OneNote).


With the Pro 3, I can easily see Microsoft releasing a pen with both ends pressure sensitive, both ends being able to recognize tilt and pen barrel rotation (twirling the pen on the canvas and it would enable things like calligraphy). If they want to keep the pen power on options, a button on the side, near the top of the eraser end is in order, and still keep the two side buttons near the index finger area for other functions (menu pull down/middle click/right click). It is another "wrench" in my options.

 

[Roland00Address]

Responding to a communication is common decency, their hit/miss record (IME) is horrid.
I'm not suggesting making anything public, & I'm not expecting "hard & fast" details/schedule, see what I wrote.

You do know the actual launch date is June 20th. Expecting a review before hand is kinda demanding. Also in other launches there may be a NDA with which if you get early hardware you can't post until the launch date.

Wait till the 21st until you start complaining.

 

[jalyst]

It's got nothing to do with NDA's, they lifted sometime ago, & it makes sense...
MS wanted coverage long before the shipping (not launch) date of the i5 SP3, not a few days/hrs before or after.
Anyway, no need to bring-it-up & digress things once more, as I said I'm waiting.

 

[Roland00Address]

It's got nothing to do with NDA's, they lifted sometime ago, & it makes sense...
MS wanted coverage long before the shipping (not launch) date of the i5 SP3, not a few days/hrs before or after.
Anyway, no need to bring-it-up & digress things once more, as I said I'm waiting.

I agree NDA do not have a connection here, but they do apply to your past complaints about how Anandtech does not have an article on time. NDAs means they can't even talk to you via email.

 

[jalyst]

Nope I didn't bother them at launch or well before launch, NDA's were well & truly lifted by the time I started querying.
Anyway this whole line of discussion is redundant (not to mention OT), because I acquiesced to waiting 2 pages back.

Back On-Topic (for the 4th time)

 

[Ravynmagi]

Gabe from Penny Arcade has a Surface Pro 3 update.
http://www.penny-arcade.com/news/post/2014/06/16/surface-pro-3-update

Gabe had issues where he would accidentally bump the Windows button on the right side while drawing on the SP3. Microsoft invited him over so they could watch him draw and then worked on a solution for the issue. The solution they showed off was having the Windows button disable when the pen is in use and reactivate a few second after the pen has been lifted away. That sounds like a brilliant solution.

They are also working on the pressure sensitivity. Seems like there is something wrong with the pressure curve and it wasn't really utilizing all 256 levels of sensitivity. And it appears Microsoft has some fixes for that as well.

Gabe had a remaining complaint for artists and that was the pen lag, which he says is more than the SP2. They didn't show him a fix for that yet, but Microsoft says they are confident that can be fixed too.

 

[Ravynmagi]

Looks like Canadians have already had their tablets shipped. I assume they are shipping from the US so need 3 days to get their by the 20th. I imagine in the US we'll start seeing tracking numbers by tomorrow.

 

[jalyst]

Gabe had a remaining complaint for artists and that was the pen lag, which he says is more than the SP2. They didn't show him a fix for that yet, but Microsoft says they are confident that can be fixed too.

Let hope that's true & not marketing FUD, getting damn near perfect now!

 

[jalyst]

Looks like Canadians have already had their tablets shipped.

Yeah been following that over at surfaceforums.net, so damn jealous...
Yanks & Canooks getting it sooo much earlier than large chunks of the world.
e.g. Aussies (so far) still have to wait till at least 31/08 for the i3/i5/i7 SP3's!

 

[rituraj]

Good for me I don't have to wait.

 

[jalyst]

Good for me I don't have to wait.

Shipping in India on the 20/06 too?

 

[rituraj]

Gabe's last line:

I said to them “listen, I am an edge case. I don’t use this machine the way most of your users will use it. I understand this thing isn’t going to do everything for everyone.” Their answer was basically “why not?”

I imagine they asked that "why not" either with a surprised/confused face or with a twisted smile.

 

[rituraj]

Shipping in India on the 20/06 too?

Nope. I already got mine.

Come on man! Don't be ridiculous.

 

[Imaginer]

You hear a lot about MS being this massive company that doesn’t listen but that’s really not fair in this case. The Surface team seems incredibly passionate and open to hearing feedback about their baby.

It is definitely true. I received an attempt for a conversation call about my feedback with my Surface Pro 2, needless to say, scheduling that call is a bit rough, but I did send back an email with notes I had with the device.

But it is good to hear those fixes would come, but I am much inclined to see if these would work well across all software, not just software specific to Adobe. Wintab implementations that are as good as the Pro 2 is a must for me (as I am not sure if other software suites and programs will accommodate right away to the Ink.API and N-Trig drivers.

 

[jalyst]

Angry. I see. Odd.
Well. All the same, good for you that you got one.

 

[rituraj]

Not angry at you my friend. I can't wait for something that is never coming . Not launching in India. Never did the previous two either.

 

[SexyK]

MS just hit up my credit card for the full cost of my i5/256. Looks like we should have these in our hands by the weekend!

 

[darkewaffle]

That followup with Gabe was pretty cool, kudos Microsoft.

 

[gorcorps]

I played with one at BB today and it was pretty nice. The form factor is great and the stylus felt very good. It's much more accurate than the typical wacom setup. If I didn't already have a work tablet this would be my choice. It's still not good enough for my personal use, but work use would be good.

 

[jalyst]

I played with one at BB today and it was pretty nice. The form factor is great and the stylus felt very good. It's much more accurate than the typical wacom setup.

And yet, there's still lots of comments like this floating around:

Only I'm not so sure I'd get Surface Pro 3, unless you're absolutely not interested in using the Stylus to do Art Work. If you are.... then I would try them both out at the store. But no way will the stylus in Surface Pro 3 be even near as good as it using a dual digitizer in prior models. Microsoft was just being cheap. Because the Wacom dual digitizer is far more expensive and so are the styluses. Don't believe their claims of it being as good. It's simply not and we won't have anything in a cheap replacement for Wacom for a few years yet!!!

Gabe's 2 articles (& some others) have already debunked such concerns, alas they're not going anywhere, still VERY prevalent.

 

[Roland00Address]

So I read the two articles done by gabe from penny arcade, and my question is...

WHERE has this microsoft been for the last 10 years? I ask for you been MIA for so long, I am not sure if you are back for good, and thus I am scared even though you are doing everything right (at least for now and this one product.

 

[finbarqs]

So I read the two articles done by gabe from penny arcade, and my question is...

WHERE has this microsoft been for the last 10 years? I ask for you been MIA for so long, I am not sure if you are back for good, and thus I am scared even though you are doing everything right (at least for now and this one product.

sounds like something religious...

 

[darkewaffle]

So I read the two articles done by gabe from penny arcade, and my question is...

WHERE has this microsoft been for the last 10 years? I ask for you been MIA for so long, I am not sure if you are back for good, and thus I am scared even though you are doing everything right (at least for now and this one product.

It's a glorified niche product, they can afford to do it. Plus it's a complete product that they have complete control over - hardware, software, support, presentation, etc. You couldn't do that kind of thing with Windows because it's a much broader scope with thousands more variables in play.

 

[Imaginer]

So I read the two articles done by gabe from penny arcade, and my question is...

WHERE has this microsoft been for the last 10 years? I ask for you been MIA for so long, I am not sure if you are back for good, and thus I am scared even though you are doing everything right (at least for now and this one product.

Few and inbetween, OEMs have released Tablet PCs. There are many factors why they are a small spectrum of the market, I myself haven't jumped on them specifically because the hardware from AMD or Intel has not been viable in such a form factor until now with the Surface Pro (and earlier with Samsung's Series 7 Slate).

Tablet PCs have always existed and are functional in many art programs. But they handled like laptops in bulk and weight. Their performances are usually aren't top laptop hardware either, but somewhere in the middle or low end. Even if an OEM did had top hardware, it is approaching $2000 - which even to today most people balk at in a computing device.

Tablet PCs back then used resistive touch displays which aren't as great with the fingers.

Windows, has always have Tablet PC aspects somewhere in the OS. On screen keyboards was one along with the pen aspects, if one had a digitizer support periphery (or a Tablet PC device) since XP. It wasn't until the tablet market surged that had Microsoft revisit it in full with Windows 8, but now realized that a bar needed to be set essentially - hence a Surface Pro - that came MUCH later than the original Surface device.

They tried a dedicated tablet device with the Surface and Windows RT. I am sure I do not need to iterate how well that went, despite the Modern (RT) areas being able to be leveraged on any Windows 8 device and PC as well (even with a drag pointer cursor - just like an expanded, maximized window).

In terms of software, third party software, Windows always was able to leverage them all - which I am baffled why someone would bring the "app" issue - in more likely, a Surface Pro user would already bring over their applications over with minimal effort and use.