I have been a Microsoft user for a ton of years and recently changed to 27" Mac and rMBP. I was disappointed in the MS office implementation of outlook and OneNote do I decided to try Parallels and Office for Windows. The new version 10 of Parallels with win 8.1 on a MAC gives the best of all worlds. Now I don't know why anyone would buy a surface pro.
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Why Surface Pro?....
- Thread starter inmnbob
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Because they feel the product fits their needs maybe?
Not everyone wants a Mac, or likes apple, for some the SP3 is a great product that fits their needs.
Im a Mac user and thought hard and long the SP3, I eventually decided to not buy it, but its a great product imo (not perfect but I like it).
Detachable screen, digitizer with stylus support, lighter, cheaper, thinner, possibly better resolution, etc etc. I don't get these threads. Are you looking for validation that you made the right decision?
This exactly!
Ill be honest, I am not one to like to use windows (especially win8) but I seriously considered getting the pro3 because it was a REAL tablet, one with a full OS. Solidworks on a 13" tablet, yes please! After using it a while though, it didnt meet my standards. There was something about the touchscreen response that I did not like at all. But if the price were more reasonable, I wouldve bought it regardless. I considered getting a surface pro 2, but even those prices are pretty high.
Its light, it has a touch screen, the keyboard can be detached, it has pen support for excellent inking, the kickstand is amazing - makes for versatile setups for watching movies, browsing comfortably in tablet mode etc, high res screen, windows 8 working flawlessly on hardware it was designed to run on.
Because a mac can run windows doesn't mean it is the best device to do so.
Because a mac can run windows doesn't mean it is the best device to do so.
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OSX doesn't fit what I need it to do so.
Light- 12 inch Screen 1440p IPS Panel. Boots in couple seconds. Battery life is no 12 hours but ~8.5 hours is pretty easily gotten.
The digitizer is pretty amazing taking notes (plus doing the math with math add in for office) Just last night I was showing my ladyfriend some chemistry on my surface and doing the math right in onenote pretty darn slick. If I wasn't sure about something (been awhile since chemistry) I can easily switch to chrome and look something up. Notebook, Calculator, E-Reader for Textbooks, Type and Research all on the same device. I can run all of my engineering Software. (Solidworks 2014 and NX9)
Already said but the detachable keyboard plus you can use a Bluetooth keyboard if the type cover doesn't fit your needs.
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Here's why I use it
Convenience - I can do 100% of what I need a computer to do wherever I want just by carrying around something the size of a legal pad. I don't need a backpack to carry everything in, I don't need to swap back and forth between a tablet to do netbook stuff and a laptop to run x86 programs. Same device I use as an eReader also runs Matlab, Ableton, and Wildstar.
PDF Markups - I import PDF's from the cloud or thumbdrive, markup or do redlines in Drawboard with the stylus then export. Without this it would either be draw on hard copies and rescan them, or use some BT solution that's a hassle and not as accurate
Digital Notetaking - Studying for a licensing exam right now, every weekend I'm at Starbucks with my SP3 and a textbook doing problems. When I go to class, I just lay this thing flat on the desk and take notes into OneNote. The fact it's digital is huge. I can lasso to move stuff around, sketch diagrams, convert to text/equation, auto sync to the cloud.
OneNote - this thing is the killer app for the SP and I haven't seen anything that comes as close to being as useful. Any type of info I need digitized goes in here. To Do Lists, Important Documents, Manuals, etc. Buying a house right now, I have a notebook containing all my design center and loan documents.
Convenience - I can do 100% of what I need a computer to do wherever I want just by carrying around something the size of a legal pad. I don't need a backpack to carry everything in, I don't need to swap back and forth between a tablet to do netbook stuff and a laptop to run x86 programs. Same device I use as an eReader also runs Matlab, Ableton, and Wildstar.
PDF Markups - I import PDF's from the cloud or thumbdrive, markup or do redlines in Drawboard with the stylus then export. Without this it would either be draw on hard copies and rescan them, or use some BT solution that's a hassle and not as accurate
Digital Notetaking - Studying for a licensing exam right now, every weekend I'm at Starbucks with my SP3 and a textbook doing problems. When I go to class, I just lay this thing flat on the desk and take notes into OneNote. The fact it's digital is huge. I can lasso to move stuff around, sketch diagrams, convert to text/equation, auto sync to the cloud.
OneNote - this thing is the killer app for the SP and I haven't seen anything that comes as close to being as useful. Any type of info I need digitized goes in here. To Do Lists, Important Documents, Manuals, etc. Buying a house right now, I have a notebook containing all my design center and loan documents.
Comparing a 27inch desktop to a portable tablet is interesting. Must be tough taking it with you. Windows experience with parallels is not a great experience with metro apps.
I'm a Microsoft hater. I've used MS Office for the past twenty years and I've hated every minute of it. But my employer uses MS Office and the primary database I use for my work is accessed using MS Excel as the front end. So I'm stuck using MS Office.
I've looked at the SP3 at a Microsoft retail store and if I could afford it I would buy one. It is powerful enough to do everything I need a computer to do and when I need or want a larger screen I could drop it into its docking station.
I'm not saying this device is for everyone. But I do think Microsoft is finally on the right track with the SP3. I think they are targeting a market that to this point Apple is not serving. Apple has great tablets, great ultrabooks/notebooks and great desktop computers. But Apple does not have anything that is as scaleable as the SP3.
Now what this rumored 12.9" iPad becomes we'll have to wait and see.
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How do you move files between your two machines? How do you sync your e-mail?
Thanks.
I've looked at the SP3 at a Microsoft retail store and if I could afford it I would buy one. It is powerful enough to do everything I need a computer to do and when I need or want a larger screen I could drop it into its docking station.
I'm not saying this device is for everyone. But I do think Microsoft is finally on the right track with the SP3. I think they are targeting a market that to this point Apple is not serving. Apple has great tablets, great ultrabooks/notebooks and great desktop computers. But Apple does not have anything that is as scaleable as the SP3.
Now what this rumored 12.9" iPad becomes we'll have to wait and see.
----------
How do you move files between your two machines? How do you sync your e-mail?
Thanks.
Because my rMBP doesnt do anything when I stick my finger to the screen - or trying to use a pen for handwriting. All it does it shows a greasy fingerprint on the screen.
And the MacBook stops working when one rips the keyboard off the bottom to hold just the display.
I think people get it confused. While the Surface is a tablet, it's the WORST tablet out there with the least apps that people use/want. It's really a laptop with a keyboard you have to buy separately. So for all that money, you will be getting a not so great tablet and a decent laptop. Doesn't make too much sense especially considering that any Windows Pro laptop will be able to do the same thing for less. Spend your money wisely and buy a good laptop and a good tablet. Use the right tool for the job.
Food for thought: Microsoft is trying to rebrand themselves as a premium hardware and design company with the Surface Pro 3 because they realize all the cheap Dell and HP products have hurt their brand image.
I can think of one reason a person would buy a surface pro over the 27 inch imac and what I would assume is probably a maxed out RMbp.
Because they don't have 6 thousand dollars to blow on consumer electronics. So they bought a 650 dollar sp3 i3 model.
Because they don't have 6 thousand dollars to blow on consumer electronics. So they bought a 650 dollar sp3 i3 model.