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The game is simple, there will be associated with a device a numerically significant value. It's even simpler, when MS says 64GB, I'd wager that most people ex

The game is simple, there will be associated with a device a numerically significant value. It's even simpler, when MS says 64GB, I'd wager that most people expect to have about 64GB free to fill. MS should make it clearer, this may be the 64GB version but with 23GB available. Makes a lot of difference, so people should know what to expect: extra programs take space and so do movies, songs etc. This is vital, not some useless spec to brag about

evilduck 14y ago
Especially when it was popular on various forums a few months ago to rag on the iPad and various price points for still shipping with 16GB when the Surface was shipping with 64GB. It takes a lot of wind out of those sails when it ships with 64GB only because it has to, not because it provides a much better cost:storage ratio.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
"It's even simpler, when MS says 64GB, I'd wager that most people expect to have about 64GB free to fill." This is where we disagree. I could certainly understand that they might thing there would be more of the 64G available to them, but if they were Microsoft Customers before this and the installed Windows on a 64GB drive they know that after the install not a whole lot is left for them.
- tylermac1 14y ago
  I would bet a majority of the people who buy PC's think the HDD space listed is what's available to them. I worked at a help desk in college and it was a frequent complaint among users that their hard drive shows less available than what the box said when helping them set up their computer. Your average user isn't going to think about OS size.
  - ChuckMcM 14y ago
    I think you make my point. So did the same student complain more than once about their misunderstanding of what was stated versus what they got? I'm sure you explained to them that the OS and other things took up space and that came out of the one hard drive in the system. And I would guess that they understood that explanation, and then when they made future purchases they would "expect" that some of the space was taken up by OS and other things and perhaps, if they were careful shoppers, they would read through the foot note to figure out exactly how much before they bought it. Or was it your experience that every time they got a new machine they would complain "Wow, they did it again!" ?
    - epmatsw 14y ago
      That's an absurd argument. Because it's not likely to fool someone twice, it shouldn't matter that it's obviously deceptive?
      - ChuckMcM 14y ago
        Hmm, I think if you want to contest the reasoning you need a definition of 'obviously deceptive' that we can agree on. What if someone told you that the exact same amount of "Storage space" is free on Windows 8 laptop with a 64GB SSD? Does that change your perception of the argument? I'm trying to ascertain whether or not you are comparing the space usage of the Surface Pro to that of a phone, a tablet, or a laptop. If so what was the basis for your comparison choice?
    - tylermac1 14y ago
      Obviously those people would not be surprised in the future with a similar purchase. If those same students would go and buy a Surface Tablet, I'd be willing to bet that they would be upset about the lack of "free space", especially the amount that is described in the above post. It's a totally different machine to your average consumer. They more than likely think of it akin to an iPad and not a full blown PC. Yes, the majority on this website know how available storage works but we as a whole are a very small minority in the PC consumer world.
- Garwor 14y ago
  Do you have any idea what a vanishingly small percentage of "Microsoft Customers" have ever installed any version of Windows themselves?

evilduck 14y ago

Especially when it was popular on various forums a few months ago to rag on the iPad and various price points for still shipping with 16GB when the Surface was shipping with 64GB. It takes a lot of wind out of those sails when it ships with 64GB only because it has to, not because it provides a much better cost:storage ratio.

ChuckMcM 14y ago

"It's even simpler, when MS says 64GB, I'd wager that most people expect to have about 64GB free to fill." This is where we disagree. I could certainly understand that they might thing there would be more of the 64G available to them, but if they were Microsoft Customers before this and the installed Windows on a 64GB drive they know that after the install not a whole lot is left for them.

tylermac1 14y ago
I would bet a majority of the people who buy PC's think the HDD space listed is what's available to them. I worked at a help desk in college and it was a frequent complaint among users that their hard drive shows less available than what the box said when helping them set up their computer. Your average user isn't going to think about OS size.
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  I think you make my point. So did the same student complain more than once about their misunderstanding of what was stated versus what they got? I'm sure you explained to them that the OS and other things took up space and that came out of the one hard drive in the system. And I would guess that they understood that explanation, and then when they made future purchases they would "expect" that some of the space was taken up by OS and other things and perhaps, if they were careful shoppers, they would read through the foot note to figure out exactly how much before they bought it. Or was it your experience that every time they got a new machine they would complain "Wow, they did it again!" ?
  - epmatsw 14y ago
    That's an absurd argument. Because it's not likely to fool someone twice, it shouldn't matter that it's obviously deceptive?
    - ChuckMcM 14y ago
      Hmm, I think if you want to contest the reasoning you need a definition of 'obviously deceptive' that we can agree on. What if someone told you that the exact same amount of "Storage space" is free on Windows 8 laptop with a 64GB SSD? Does that change your perception of the argument? I'm trying to ascertain whether or not you are comparing the space usage of the Surface Pro to that of a phone, a tablet, or a laptop. If so what was the basis for your comparison choice?
  - tylermac1 14y ago
    Obviously those people would not be surprised in the future with a similar purchase. If those same students would go and buy a Surface Tablet, I'd be willing to bet that they would be upset about the lack of "free space", especially the amount that is described in the above post. It's a totally different machine to your average consumer. They more than likely think of it akin to an iPad and not a full blown PC. Yes, the majority on this website know how available storage works but we as a whole are a very small minority in the PC consumer world.
Garwor 14y ago
Do you have any idea what a vanishingly small percentage of "Microsoft Customers" have ever installed any version of Windows themselves?