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Michael Goff

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Jul 5, 2012
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CPU, massive 2012 bezels, eMMC hard drive, 4GB ram just to name the worst ones IMO.

The processor was probably the most expensive part in the device. I don't think we can expect a chip that MSRPs for over 200$ in a 400$ device.

I respect Dave Lee's opinions. His positive review of it is certainly giving me reason to continue to consider getting one. @Michael Goff 's review (if it is positive) might just push me over the edge. View attachment 774210

I'm going to make sure I actually use this a couple days instead of just going "I like it" or "I don't like it" quickly. Hope you don't mind waiting?
 

dumastudetto

macrumors 603
Aug 28, 2013
5,531
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Los Angeles, USA
My take on this:
A woefully underpowered computer preloaded with the worlds most bloated and unoptimised operating system = recipe for disaster.
Couple all the above with how little software exists in the windows store, and especially almost no tablet optimised software, and I'm left wondering who on earth will be willing to buy this package.
Don't forget you need the $150 keyboard accessory to really make this device useful.

The surface go reminds of the netbook craze. The results will be the same - crushing disappointment for those who get seduced into buying one.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
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where hip is spoken
The processor was probably the most expensive part in the device. I don't think we can expect a chip that MSRPs for over 200$ in a 400$ device.



I'm going to make sure I actually use this a couple days instead of just going "I like it" or "I don't like it" quickly. Hope you don't mind waiting?
Feel free to take your time if your opinion is that you like it. I don't need the added pressure. :p
 

Macalicious2011

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May 15, 2011
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I just don't know how it will do in today's crowded market, but if you need full windows and the surface pro is too large for you then at least there is this alternative.

For students, the Surface Go is much more appropriately priced than the full fledged Surface. That alone will make a lot more people consider buying this over an entry level laptop or even an iPad. Developers and heavy spread sheet users could be tempted by it as a window computer to compliment their Mac or for access to a "real" computer while travelling.

Some businesses use USB dongles/card-readers/scanner or have intranets/software that only work on Windows or through IE.

It's not perfect and power users will be better off with the Surface, but there's definitely a market for this device and as other have said, Apple don't offer a competing product.
 

Macalicious2011

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A woefully underpowered computer preloaded with the worlds most bloated and unoptimised operating system = recipe for disaster.
Performance is one of my worries about the SG. The reason why tablets and smartphones are snappy is because their underlying OS has low resource consumption. As some reviews have shown, the Surface Go does stutter and get a bit laggy if overloaded.

Whether or not this will be frustrating depends on your usage. If you need a workhorse with a desktop environment, the choice the decision is easy, buy a Surface or a PC/Mac laptop.
 

sracer

macrumors G4
Apr 9, 2010
10,405
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where hip is spoken
Agreed and Dave 2D is fine but the windowscentral guy hurts my ears, he needs coaching from IJustine LOL
Daniel Rubino from Windows Central is simply a raging Windows fanboy. Nothing wrong with that, but I keep his opinions in perspective.

I was a Zune super-fan which might explain why i have an unreasonable soft-spot for the Surface line as they are genetically the Zune Tablet. :)
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413

Lisa from MobileTechReview has done her review.

Edit:
Just beaten by Michael Goff.

Great review, as usual for her. She really harps on the CPU, benchmarks at half what the M3 does and bogs down a lot. MS should at the very least put the M3 CPU in there IMO. Besides the confusion about Windows S versus full Windows I think a lot of consumers are going to be miffed with how slow it is. Of course in consumption mode it should do OK, but there are better options IMO for consumption tablets at this size, although that may depend on what you like as I think the kickstand absolutely destroys any other tablet out there other than the few that copied it like Lenovo. She also ran into some Windows UI issues with the smaller screen, exactly what I had noted previously with 8" tablets.

Personally I think many are missing that the surface tablets are often used as desktops. My old SP4 runs as my desktop at work, hooked up to 2 4k screens I can throw anything at it and have yet to see it slow down. I'm curious how MS' bread and butter enterprise market will respond to the Go in this scenario.

And I can't leave off without once again commenting on those freakin bezels, lol, cry, lol. WOW my eyes hurt from looking at them.
 
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Queen6

macrumors G4
Great review, as usual for her. She really harps on the CPU, benchmarks at half what the M3 does and bogs down a lot. MS should at the very least put the M3 CPU in there IMO. Besides the confusion about Windows S versus full Windows I think a lot of consumers are going to be miffed with how slow it is. Of course in consumption mode it should do OK, but there are better options IMO for consumption tablets at this size, although that may depend on what you like as I think the kickstand absolutely destroys any other tablet out there other than the few that copied it like Lenovo. She also ran into some Windows UI issues with the smaller screen, exactly what I had noted previously with 8" tablets.

Personally I think many are missing that the surface tablets are often used as desktops. My old SP4 runs as my desktop at work, hooked up to 2 4k screens I can throw anything at it and have yet to see it slow down. I'm curious how MS' bread and butter enterprise market will respond to the Go in this scenario.

And I can't leave off without once again commenting on those freakin bezels, lol, cry, lol. WOW my eyes hurt from looking at them.

Likely ok under Window-S, however once you flip it to the full W10 that's when I can see things bogging down. I agree the M3 would have been a better. I think MS went with the Pentium as it's very light on the battery, Samsung's 10" with the M3 has a 4000mAh battery, which is a significantly larger capacity.

Pricing is a factor too, I could pick up a base Surface Pro for hardly much more. 128Gb Surface Go with KB & Pen is $878, if the Samsung had a 8Gb option I'd already own one...

Q-6
 
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Macalicious2011

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May 15, 2011
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Daniel Rubino from Windows Central is simply a raging Windows fanboy. Nothing wrong with that, but I keep his opinions in perspective.

I was a Zune super-fan which might explain why i have an unreasonable soft-spot for the Surface line as they are genetically the Zune Tablet. :)
Haha I had a Zune too even if they were not officially sold in the UK. The only time I saw another one in public was in a dude's hand at the back on the top deck of a bus. We had a chat too. *we didn't do a chest rub"

I'm curious how MS' bread and butter enterprise market will respond to the Go in this scenario.

Most enterprise businesses will shun it as a productivity device, the same way they do the iPad Pro - even the 12 inch.

I think the SG will struggle to handle Excel documents with multiple pivot table tabs. Time is money and senior staff who need a desktop environment on the go will just get the Surface or carry a slim 13 inch laptop and be done with it. After all, media consumption isn't a priority for enterprise customers and thus waiting a few seconds for a device go get out of sleep isn't an issue if it will enable you to perform optimally.

The education sector and developing countries will be the big markets for the SG.
 
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spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
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Wow it really gets lambasted here, can't say I disagree with most points: https://mashable.com/review/microsoft-surface-go-review/#hveKV66qHOqM

"If you already own Surface Pro or any laptop, why would you buy a smaller tablet with huge bezels that often chokes Windows 10 up due to its under-powered Intel Pentium processor? Why would you want to type on a cramped little keyboard? "

TDP seems to be good (https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Pentium-4415Y-SoC.275686.0.html), but I'm surprised they didn't get better battery out of it. Battery is half that of the surface pro, but with the smaller screen and underpowered CPU I was hoping this would hit closer to 9-10 hours of real world use. Haven't seen many battery benchmarks but it seems like the video test is around 9 hours but real world use is closer to 5-6 hours. Of course real world use can mean a lot of different things, for me it's just mixed between video, internet, Excel, Word, file manipulation, etc. I get a solid 5-6 hours real world use out of my surface pro, which IMO sucks, but I guess it's the state we are in today.

Performs well compared to other sub $500 laptops https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/surface-go-benchmarks . It's interesting to see many of the reviews I've seen go out of their way to call it a "netbook". But in this sense I can see some sales potential, if there is still a netbook market then it makes sense to at least get one with a tablet option and Microsoft's hardware pedigree. So while I continue to lament that they cheaped out on it, I can see the reasoning behind that. At the end of the day what I would want would have cost more, and even upgrading it on their terms isn't enough. But there may be a niche market for someone who would normally have walked out of best buy with a netbook.
 

Macalicious2011

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2011
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Wow it really gets lambasted here, can't say I disagree with most points: https://mashable.com/review/microsoft-surface-go-review/#hveKV66qHOqM

"If you already own Surface Pro or any laptop, why would you buy a smaller tablet with huge bezels that often chokes Windows 10 up due to its under-powered Intel Pentium processor? Why would you want to type on a cramped little keyboard? "

TDP seems to be good (https://www.notebookcheck.net/Intel-Pentium-4415Y-SoC.275686.0.html), but I'm surprised they didn't get better battery out of it. Battery is half that of the surface pro, but with the smaller screen and underpowered CPU I was hoping this would hit closer to 9-10 hours of real world use. Haven't seen many battery benchmarks but it seems like the video test is around 9 hours but real world use is closer to 5-6 hours. Of course real world use can mean a lot of different things, for me it's just mixed between video, internet, Excel, Word, file manipulation, etc. I get a solid 5-6 hours real world use out of my surface pro, which IMO sucks, but I guess it's the state we are in today.

Performs well compared to other sub $500 laptops https://www.laptopmag.com/articles/surface-go-benchmarks . It's interesting to see many of the reviews I've seen go out of their way to call it a "netbook". But in this sense I can see some sales potential, if there is still a netbook market then it makes sense to at least get one with a tablet option and Microsoft's hardware pedigree. So while I continue to lament that they cheaped out on it, I can see the reasoning behind that. At the end of the day what I would want would have cost more, and even upgrading it on their terms isn't enough. But there may be a niche market for someone who would normally have walked out of best buy with a netbook.

I am not surprised that Mashable complained about how Chrome performs on it.

It's a shame that even basic tasks don't perform smoothly. In the end casual users are better off with an Android or iOS tablet. Heavy users who's work or academics are demands will do better with a Surface Pro or even a 13/14 inch windows laptop.
 

cbautis2

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Aug 17, 2013
894
1,106
I am not surprised that Mashable complained about how Chrome performs on it.

It's a shame that even basic tasks don't perform smoothly. In the end casual users are better off with an Android or iOS tablet. Heavy users who's work or academics are demands will do better with a Surface Pro or even a 13/14 inch windows laptop.

Even before it was released, to me it's DOA due to specs, form factor and the OS. If I was MS, I would just reduce Surface Pro m3's price to align with Go's 8/128 GB pricing instead of releasing a DOA tablet like the Go
 

Macalicious2011

macrumors 68000
May 15, 2011
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Even before it was released, to me it's DOA due to specs, form factor and the OS. If I was MS, I would just reduce Surface Pro m3's price to align with Go's 8/128 GB pricing instead of releasing a DOA tablet like the Go
Alternatively they could have put an i3 and 64GB/32GB storage in the Surface Go.
 

tbayrgs

macrumors 604
Jul 5, 2009
7,467
5,097
IMO, positioning it against the iPad is a mistake because it doesn't have the app ecosystem the iPad does and most iPad use skews towards consumption.

Marketing it as a more portable productivity device is the better option but it seems to be woefully underpowered in that regard. It may have the capability to run 'full desktop applications' but it will quickly run out of gas trying to do so. A slightly gimped iPad app will likely be a better experience because the A series chips will run circles around it comparatively.
 
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Shanghaichica

macrumors G5
Apr 8, 2013
14,725
13,245
UK
Daniel Rubino from Windows Central is simply a raging Windows fanboy. Nothing wrong with that, but I keep his opinions in perspective.

I was a Zune super-fan which might explain why i have an unreasonable soft-spot for the Surface line as they are genetically the Zune Tablet. :)
He works for windows central so he is going to be biased. It’s like expecting Mac rumours or Apple insider to give a non biased review.
[doublepost=1533406503][/doublepost]Is it possible to even run anti virus software on this thing without it slowing it down to a crawl.

I have to admit the reviews are making me curious about this thing. However I have my reservations because of the really poor experiences I’ve had with windows in the past

If I did get one it would only be as a secondary device and I would only use it for web browsing, Netflix and word documents. Apart from the word documents most things would be down through a web browser. I’m quite obsessive when it comes to windows open in browsers. I don’t like more than 3 but only really want one open unless I’m cross referencing something.
 
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Michael Goff

Suspended
Jul 5, 2012
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My only problem with performance so far is YT/YT Music related A shame they can't make a website that works well in other browsers that aren't Chrome. Guess I can't expect more from a small startup, right?
 

spinedoc77

macrumors G4
Jun 11, 2009
11,488
5,413
My only problem with performance so far is YT/YT Music related A shame they can't make a website that works well in other browsers that aren't Chrome. Guess I can't expect more from a small startup, right?

That nonsense is because Google sucks, plain and simple. https://geektyrant.com/news/mozilla...tentionally-slow-on-firefox-and-edge-browsers

The fix is to force youtube to use the newer protocol, although that means you can't use the new youtube theme which is nice because it has a dark mode. I've noticed just how slowly YouTube loads up even on my ultra fast desktop, once I applied the fix it was back at normal speeds again. Chrome sucks in general for something like the surface Go anyway because it's touch functions are terrible, slow rachety pinch to zoom and a really really horrific bookmarks system are just a couple of reasons why. It's why I get annoyed when I read every month about how much developer time Google spent in rounding off corners and making their themes slightly different instead of actually making the browser useful.
 
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