5 ms·

I really liked my Surface Pro 1 when I got it. There were a number of small problems such as missing key up events that resulted in stuck Ctrl keys, cursor gett

by ximeng 11y ago

I really liked my Surface Pro 1 when I got it. There were a number of small problems such as missing key up events that resulted in stuck Ctrl keys, cursor getting stuck in one place, random resets overnight, but nothing that I couldn't live with. Form factor was good and the hardware just about good enough all round - slightly small hard disk, one USB is a little annoying, but again, can live with it. I recommended it a few times to people and online. Unfortunately the power supply died one week out of warranty. There was a long back and forth with support after one person said they could replace it free of charge since there were symptoms within the warranty period, and another said that person had made a mistake and that I'd need to buy a replacement. Not a good experience and device was out of commission for a long while waiting for their responses. I bought a third party power supply, which I don't really trust, but clearly the 100 USD Microsoft replacement power supply is not reliable either and is twice the price. Now the power button is becoming unreliable and if it goes I'll be unable to use the device at all as there's no other way to turn it on, and it does reset itself from time to time still. I don't want to move it too much in case it turns off and I can't get it back on again. I still really like the form factor, but what a review like this doesn't capture is the long-term reliability and service quality that comes with the device, and that's what's most likely to put me off buying another Surface Pro / Surface Book.

deleted 11y ago
[deleted]
hauget 11y ago
This is exactly what's holding me back from buying Surface devices. I rather stick to Thinkpads and Macs that I can replace/fix easily and which have great build quality/durability and available parts.
- pmelendez 11y ago
  > Macs that I can replace/fix easily How come? MacBooks were the first laptops in becaming fix unfriendly and every vendor is actually following that lead.
  - rayiner 11y ago
    A good example is battery replacement. Yes, MBP batteries are glued in, but Apple has an official service that will replace it and the top case for not much more than it costs to buy say a Lenovo battery at retail. Also, eBay has a big supply of Mac parts that make replacing things pretty easy once you recognize that you gotta replace larger functional units together (e.g. LCD with cover glass). The Surface is just as hard to repair, but without the official service options and fewer parts on eBay.
    - pmelendez 11y ago
      Microsoft has different levels of support as well as Apple and you can find parts on Ebay easily too. I honestly don't see how Macbooks are any easier to repair than any other ultrabook really.
      - hauget 11y ago
        I wasn't talking about all Macbooks. Anything older than a Retina is pretty upgradeable and fixable.
      - rayiner 11y ago
        If I type in "Macbook Pro battery replacement" the first hit is an Apple website that informs me of the official service to replace my battery for $129-199. When I type in "Surface Pro battery replacement" I get a link to an iFixit page that informs me I have to undo the adhesive on the screen with a blow dryer to get at anything inside. Even an iPad is easier to open!
      - Tloewald 11y ago
        Step 1 to getting Mac fixed. Take it to Apple Genius who may well just fix it for free (definitely if it's under warranty and quite often if it isn't) or tell you exactly what's wrong and how to fix it yourself or where to get it fixed cheaply. Assuming your problem isn't already solved, then Apple products are no easier than rival brands aside from being better built in the first place, having standardized parts, a simple range of models, and an active third party market. I'm sure Microsoft has different levels of support, but I suspect everyone you're talking to is referring to Apple's standard warranty coverage. I'd rather have an Apple product with standard coverage than anyone else's product with "gold" or "platinum" or whatever they call it support. (From my experience of high-end corporate support the only benefit I found was that when I told the support person "assume I tried all that crap" (rebooting, reinstalling Windows, rebooting anything else on the network, etc.) he actually went off script and got to the useful stuff.
2muchcoffeeman 11y ago
I still really like the form factor, but what a review like this doesn't capture is the long-term reliability and service quality that comes with the device Someone did a review of the Nexus 7 1 year after they bought it: http://androidandme.com/2013/06/opinions/one-year-later-the-nexus-7-has-gone-from-the-best-to-worst-tablet-ive-ever-owned/ http://androidandme.com/2013/06/opinions/one-year-later-the-... Warning: there is an auto-play video on that page. This sort of thing is problematic with such short release cycles of products, but maybe something like, initial review, then small updates 1month in, 3 months in, 6 months in, might be useful for non-early adopter consumers.
jrapdx3 11y ago
My experience with MS re: the SP2 was quite different. I bought the SP2 in Dec 2013, within a week it was ruined by a failed MS firmware update. The SP2 began randomly waking up from sleep mode, annoying, and hazardous when it did that stored in a briefcase (because it would heat up). A few weeks later the MS store exchanged it for a brand new one without hesitation. Subsequently I've had other problems with the SP2: the Type Cover failed, the power supply connector came apart, each time the broken item was replaced with little hassle. That's not to say the SP2 has been trouble-free. Numerous software/firmware issues were evident but most were resolved in the first 10 months it was on the market, coincidentally about the time the SP3 was being introduced. The SP4 seems like it offers substantial improvements, though it is costly. I'm inclined to wait a while before seriously considering purchase, give it some time to get the bugs worked out, and who knows, the price may come down a bit next year.

by ximeng 11y ago

deleted 11y ago

[deleted]

hauget 11y ago

This is exactly what's holding me back from buying Surface devices. I rather stick to Thinkpads and Macs that I can replace/fix easily and which have great build quality/durability and available parts.

pmelendez 11y ago
> Macs that I can replace/fix easily How come? MacBooks were the first laptops in becaming fix unfriendly and every vendor is actually following that lead.
- rayiner 11y ago
  A good example is battery replacement. Yes, MBP batteries are glued in, but Apple has an official service that will replace it and the top case for not much more than it costs to buy say a Lenovo battery at retail. Also, eBay has a big supply of Mac parts that make replacing things pretty easy once you recognize that you gotta replace larger functional units together (e.g. LCD with cover glass). The Surface is just as hard to repair, but without the official service options and fewer parts on eBay.
  - pmelendez 11y ago
    Microsoft has different levels of support as well as Apple and you can find parts on Ebay easily too. I honestly don't see how Macbooks are any easier to repair than any other ultrabook really.
    - hauget 11y ago
      I wasn't talking about all Macbooks. Anything older than a Retina is pretty upgradeable and fixable.
    - rayiner 11y ago
      If I type in "Macbook Pro battery replacement" the first hit is an Apple website that informs me of the official service to replace my battery for $129-199. When I type in "Surface Pro battery replacement" I get a link to an iFixit page that informs me I have to undo the adhesive on the screen with a blow dryer to get at anything inside. Even an iPad is easier to open!
    - Tloewald 11y ago
      Step 1 to getting Mac fixed. Take it to Apple Genius who may well just fix it for free (definitely if it's under warranty and quite often if it isn't) or tell you exactly what's wrong and how to fix it yourself or where to get it fixed cheaply. Assuming your problem isn't already solved, then Apple products are no easier than rival brands aside from being better built in the first place, having standardized parts, a simple range of models, and an active third party market. I'm sure Microsoft has different levels of support, but I suspect everyone you're talking to is referring to Apple's standard warranty coverage. I'd rather have an Apple product with standard coverage than anyone else's product with "gold" or "platinum" or whatever they call it support. (From my experience of high-end corporate support the only benefit I found was that when I told the support person "assume I tried all that crap" (rebooting, reinstalling Windows, rebooting anything else on the network, etc.) he actually went off script and got to the useful stuff.

2muchcoffeeman 11y ago

I still really like the form factor, but what a review like this doesn't capture is the long-term reliability and service quality that comes with the device Someone did a review of the Nexus 7 1 year after they bought it: http://androidandme.com/2013/06/opinions/one-year-later-the-nexus-7-has-gone-from-the-best-to-worst-tablet-ive-ever-owned/ http://androidandme.com/2013/06/opinions/one-year-later-the-... Warning: there is an auto-play video on that page. This sort of thing is problematic with such short release cycles of products, but maybe something like, initial review, then small updates 1month in, 3 months in, 6 months in, might be useful for non-early adopter consumers.

jrapdx3 11y ago

My experience with MS re: the SP2 was quite different. I bought the SP2 in Dec 2013, within a week it was ruined by a failed MS firmware update. The SP2 began randomly waking up from sleep mode, annoying, and hazardous when it did that stored in a briefcase (because it would heat up). A few weeks later the MS store exchanged it for a brand new one without hesitation. Subsequently I've had other problems with the SP2: the Type Cover failed, the power supply connector came apart, each time the broken item was replaced with little hassle. That's not to say the SP2 has been trouble-free. Numerous software/firmware issues were evident but most were resolved in the first 10 months it was on the market, coincidentally about the time the SP3 was being introduced. The SP4 seems like it offers substantial improvements, though it is costly. I'm inclined to wait a while before seriously considering purchase, give it some time to get the bugs worked out, and who knows, the price may come down a bit next year.