4 ms·

Two things people don't talk about a lot are Surface and XBox. Microsoft has gone from a distant threat to a legitimate competitor in both these categories, esp

Two things people don't talk about a lot are Surface and XBox. Microsoft has gone from a distant threat to a legitimate competitor in both these categories, especially with Surface. People used to think that Microsoft can't do hardware, but Surface has shown that MS can be more competent than most laptop manufacturers.

rubber_duck 8y ago
Still no thunderbolt in all their portables ? I've used a Surface Pro before from a coworker and in general I liked the device but no thunderbolt 3 was a deal breaker for me. It sounds so frivolous when describing but in practice I noticed having a single cable thunderbolt setup is a huge win for me - I used to avoid moving my laptop because plugging in 3 cables and keeping them organized on the desk was a chore. I have to work on two laptops (I sometimes take my work laptop home) so dock is not an option either. With thunderbolt this became a non-issue - no docks, no messy cables, just one clean USB-C cable connecting 5K monitor, charger, USB hub, network adapter.
- tallanvor 8y ago
  That USB-C cable still has to end at some sort of dock to connect all of those devices. Hopefully the Surface connector will be replaced by USB-C at some point, but as it is, it's still one cable to the dock to provide power and let you connect all your devices.
  - rubber_duck 8y ago
    My monitor (https://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-34WK95U-W https://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-34WK95U-W) has a USB hub and thunderbolt input + power output - no dock required.
- puranjay 8y ago
  Ports are an easy problem to fix. I was talking in general about their build quality and engineering which, by all accounts, is excellent. Apple still beats them easily but MS is catching up.
theandrewbailey 8y ago
Xbox has been seriously competing since the 360, almost 15 years ago. PS3 at launch was such a disaster, that the 360's failure rate couldn't stop it.

rubber_duck 8y ago

Still no thunderbolt in all their portables ? I've used a Surface Pro before from a coworker and in general I liked the device but no thunderbolt 3 was a deal breaker for me. It sounds so frivolous when describing but in practice I noticed having a single cable thunderbolt setup is a huge win for me - I used to avoid moving my laptop because plugging in 3 cables and keeping them organized on the desk was a chore. I have to work on two laptops (I sometimes take my work laptop home) so dock is not an option either. With thunderbolt this became a non-issue - no docks, no messy cables, just one clean USB-C cable connecting 5K monitor, charger, USB hub, network adapter.

tallanvor 8y ago
That USB-C cable still has to end at some sort of dock to connect all of those devices. Hopefully the Surface connector will be replaced by USB-C at some point, but as it is, it's still one cable to the dock to provide power and let you connect all your devices.
- rubber_duck 8y ago
  My monitor (https://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-34WK95U-W https://www.lg.com/us/support-product/lg-34WK95U-W) has a USB hub and thunderbolt input + power output - no dock required.
puranjay 8y ago
Ports are an easy problem to fix. I was talking in general about their build quality and engineering which, by all accounts, is excellent. Apple still beats them easily but MS is catching up.

theandrewbailey 8y ago

Xbox has been seriously competing since the 360, almost 15 years ago. PS3 at launch was such a disaster, that the 360's failure rate couldn't stop it.