Microsoft Surface Pro Review. There's clearly interest in a device that converges the tablet and notebook. ASUS saw some of the earliest success in this department with its Transformer line of Android tablets. Once the first Windows RT/8 designs started appearing, it became clear that everyone was aiming to deliver something that delivered the best of both worlds. Even listening to Intel's description of Haswell you can get a good idea for where part of the industry is headed: everyone is working towards delivering a platform/device that has the battery life and portability of a tablet, but with the performance and flexibility of a notebook PC.
Apple has remained curiously quiet on this front, but I suspect that too will change in good time. Last year Microsoft unexpectedly threw its hat into the ring with quite possibly the best branding decision since the Xbox. Surface RT launched less than four months ago to mixed reviews. In my opinion? The i5-3317U finds its way into Surface Pro unimpeded. Microsoft Surface with Windows 8 Pro: Hotter, Thicker, Faster, Louder. Microsoft's first ever computer, the Surface with Windows RT (or "Surface RT" as I will henceforth call it) is a mixed bag. The design and build quality both impress, and Microsoft's twin typing solutions—the 3mm no-moving-parts Touch Cover and the 6mm real keyboard-equipped Type Cover—are remarkably effective. The screen resolution, however, is substantially lower than those of its comparably-priced competitors. The touchpads of those covers are wretched (in the Surface review, having used them for a week, I thought they were poor; with several months under my belt, I now think they're downright bad).
The processor is underpowered. But the biggest issue with Surface RT is its operating system: Windows RT. Windows RT can only (officially) run applications using the Metro user interface and the WinRT API. These were thin on the ground when I reviewed Surface RT, and they're thin on the ground today. Put them side-by-side and the differences start to appear. This is downright inelegant. HANDS ON: Living with Microsoft's new Surface Pro. High performance access to file storage While the Surface RT was aimed at Apple's iDevices, its posh Pro cousin is Microsoft's Windows 8 showcase in the PC space, and on midnight on February 9 the first units will go on sale. But we got one early, lived with it for a week, and have, ahem, surfaced to tell of our experience.
Microsoft is adamant that the Surface Pro is not just another consumer fondleslab that's to be used as a second-string consumption device, but is instead a fully functional Ultrabook in its own right. While the company has Pros in the field with engineers, it's most likely aimed at the executive who wants an exceptionally mobile laptop along with Windows and all its applications. Redmond has been making private and public complaints about the lack of touch systems out there to support its latest operating system, and about OEMs' unwillingness to gamble on people willing to buy into Windows 8. This is how they do Ultrabooks down Redmond way (click to enlarge) The basics.
Microsoft Surface Pro Review: Tablet / Laptop Hybrid Requires Compromise. <br/><a href=" US News</a> | <a href=" Business News</a> Copy Life is about compromise, they say. We make compromises at our jobs, for our families, for the people we love. And our computers? Microsoft made a very clear statement when it released Windows 8 last October. Microsoft designed its very own Surface tablets to make the point -- the tablet was, well, a tablet, but innovative keyboards with built-in trackpads "click in" to turn it into a laptop. Microsoft released the Surface RT tablet when Windows 8 launched.
RELATED: 8 Things You Need to Know About Using Windows 8 The Surface Pro aims to solve those issues with a faster Core i5 processor and a full version of Windows 8. Heavier and Thicker Looking at the Surface Pro from afar, you wouldn't know the tablet was any different than its brother the Surface RT.
And I'd much rather have the Surface Pro than the Surface RT for watching those episodes. Microsoft Surface Pro review. 57inShare Jump To Close I've been waiting to review the Microsoft Surface Pro for a long time. When I decided to make the switch to Windows 8, I did a pretty thorough survey of the computing landscape, and Microsoft's second Surface seemed like it might be the one for me. Microsoft has proven it can build a nice-looking tablet with the Surface RT.
Unfortunately, though, that was one of the only things the RT had going for it, and the brutal performance problems outweighed the aesthetic niceties. The Surface Pro was for months just a mythical device, Microsoft's unreleased attempt to blend both beauty and power into the perfect Windows 8 machine. I've now been using the Surface Pro for a week or so, and I've had a real chance to see if this device, which starts at $899, is able to live up to my lofty expectations.
Video Review Video Review Hardware Hardware Microsoft Surface Pro hands-on pictures Previous Next View full Gallery Actually, that's what frustrates me about the Surface Pro. Wrap-up. Microsoft’s Surface Pro Works Like a Tablet and a PC. But the new Surface Pro tablet, which goes on sale Saturday, seemed to have more going for it than any Microsoft hardware since the Xbox.
Everybody knows what a tablet is, right? It’s a black touch-screen slab, like an iPad or an Android tablet. It doesn’t run real Windows or Mac software — it runs much simpler apps. It’s not a real computer. But with the Surface Pro ($900 for the 64-gigabyte model, $1,000 for a 128-gig machine), Microsoft asks: Why not? The Surface Pro looks like a tablet. But inside, the Pro is a full-blown Windows PC, with the same Intel chip that powers many high-end laptops, and even two fans to keep it cool (they’re silent). The Surface Pro is beautiful. Are you getting it? As though to hammer home that point, Microsoft has endowed the Surface Pro with two unusual extras that complete the transformation from tablet to PC in about two seconds. First, this tablet has a kickstand. Second, you can buy Microsoft’s now-famous keyboard cover. Why? Yes, there are a couple. Review of Microsoft's Surface Pro: Hefty Tablet Is a Laptop Lightweight. Microsoft Surface Pro review.
It's a compelling proposition: all the power and application compatibility of a laptop running a proper desktop operating system, all the portability and convenience of a tablet, all mixed together in one package. That's the core idea behind Microsoft's Surface tablets but, as we saw with the Surface for Windows RT a few months ago, its ARM-based nature resulted in some substantial drawbacks. Namely: app selection. Running Windows is all well and good, but when you're running the RT flavor, which strips compatibility with the entire, massive and still-swelling catalog of Windows applications, you're left with a desktop-class operating system completely bereft of any desktop apps. Welcome, then, to the Surface for Windows 8 Pro, which promises all the niceties of the Surface RT -- compelling design, build quality, performance -- with full support for x86 Windows applications.
(That is: every single Windows app released before the end of last year.) See all photos 25 Photos Hardware Display.