Surface Pro 3 Unveiled... 1 week after I order my Thinkpad Yoga

[mdambitions]

https://bgr.com/2014/05/20/microsoft-surface-3-release-date-specs/

I spent weeks pouring over reviews and specs on tablets and hybrids. And of course, one week after I order my Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga, Microsoft unveils their "Tablet to replace the laptop". I'm mostly grumpy because I missed the chance to awe in how beautiful this is going to be, and run numbers for comparison; but I'm still over the moon about my Thinkpad. Some notes about my decision ( For anyone else in the market)

After decking out the Thinkpad Yoga w/ i7 processor, 8MB, 256 GB, active digitizer upgrade, I spent about 2K. The comparable Surface Pro 3 will run about 1.6K. You could upgrade the Pro to 512GB, for about 2K. So the Pro beats out Lenovo on price and hard drive capacity. The pro is also significantly thinner and lighter, so again the Pro beats my Thinkpad. The new Pro will have a 12" screen, which is just a 1/2" shy of my Thinkpad. So the real estate on my thinkpad just barely beats the pro. The Pro will be a formidable opponent against just about anything.

But after comparing the two models; I remembered why I went with the Thinkpad in the first place. I know me and how rough I am with my toys, and I wanted something more substantial. I'm the kind of person who would forget a detachable keyboard at home. And I would definitely lose the pen. Between the two devices, the Yoga has a better chance of holding its own against accidental toddler theft.

After getting a chance to test drive both the Pro 2 and the thinkpad, I'm excited about the lift and lock backlit keyboard on the Yoga, and was not thrilled about the pro's detachable keyboard at all. I'm even excited about the pen holder. Its the little things that count. Oh, and finally, the Pro 3 won't be shipping until September at the earliest, and my pre-matriculation program starts in 3 weeks. Guess the Pro wasn't really and option for me anyway. Its probably perfect for quite a lot of you though.

Happy Hunting!

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[Brain Bucket]

I got the Pro 2 last year. We were all expecting an announcement soonish. By no stretch of the imagination is it a 'Tablet to replace the laptop'. I find that I use my phone far more than I do the tablet for just about anything. For everything else, I use the laptop or desktop.

 

[username456789]

I have a Surface Pro 2 as well, and like BB, I tend to find myself using my laptop much more at home, and my phone on the go.

I do tend to use my Surface when I'm traveling somewhere as it's easier to pack away than my laptop.

I'm interested to see how the Pro 3 does.

 

[HopefulReapp]

https://bgr.com/2014/05/20/microsoft-surface-3-release-date-specs/


After getting a chance to test drive both the Pro 2 and the thinkpad, I'm excited about the lift and lock backlit keyboard on the Yoga, and was not thrilled about the pro's detachable keyboard at all. I'm even excited about the pen holder. Its the little things that count. Oh, and finally, the Pro 3 won't be shipping until September at the earliest, and my pre-matriculation program starts in 3 weeks. Guess the Pro wasn't really and option for me anyway. Its probably perfect for quite a lot of you though.

Happy Hunting!

It's going to be shipped on June 20

 

[mdambitions]

Excellent news for those that want it! Don't know where I read September...

 

[Elewynne]

It's going to be shipped on June 20

Only certain models (i5's) are shipping June, the rest are slated for sometime in August.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/news/press/2014/may14/05-20surfacepr.aspx

I've been torn between the Surface Pro and Yoga as well. The new 3 has a lot of the things I was hoping for and is the size I wanted, and I love how intuitive the note taking and writing is on the Surface (pen is awesome!). I've heard complaints about using the Yoga for note taking due to the differing method of stylus "detection" (I forget the terms), particularly how Yoga still detects your palm on the screen if you try to scribble notes.

 

[KaBoom'd]

I was fully committed to buying a Samsung Note Pro 12.2 in July, mostly because of the screen real estate. At least I have some time to compare. This thing looks sweet.

Back to trolling the Google for comparisons.

 

[dyspareunia]

Been trying to talk myself into a tablet for quite a while.. but between my phone and my laptop I don't see the point.

 

[rzoo14]

64 GB i3 for 799... I'll pass on that.

 

[HopefulReapp]

64 GB i3 for 799... I'll pass on that.

Can't you use an external hd?

 

[tco]

I was fully committed to buying a Samsung Note Pro 12.2 in July, mostly because of the screen real estate. At least I have some time to compare. This thing looks sweet.

Back to trolling the Google for comparisons.

I'm about 99% sure I'm getting the 8.4 soon. That thing will fit nicely in the coat pocket.

 

[KaBoom'd]

I pre-ordered the $1299 i5 Surface Pro 3 yesterday. The more I read, the more I realized they fixed virtually everything I didn't like about the SP2. Now I'm ticked that I didn't jump on it day one. For a short while, people were ordering with a 10% student discount and $100 off using a promo code. The promo code is dead but you can still pre-order through the Microsoft Store EDU Portal. I definitely could've gotten by with the smaller HD and RAM but I really regretted it the last time I made that decision (in 2005).

I've been completely geeking out over OneNote ever since. And yes, I'm using it as a laptop replacement so I didn't just order a $1300 tablet, ~$1400 shipped with a keyboard, tax and student discount. There are a bunch of useful reviews on the Surface Reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/

 

[dyspareunia]

I pre-ordered the $1299 i5 Surface Pro 3 yesterday. The more I read, the more I realized they fixed virtually everything I didn't like about the SP2. Now I'm ticked that I didn't jump on it day one. For a short while, people were ordering with a 10% student discount and $100 off using a promo code. The promo code is dead but you can still pre-order through the Microsoft Store EDU Portal. I definitely could've gotten by with the smaller HD and RAM but I really regretted it the last time I made that decision (in 2005).

I've been completely geeking out over OneNote ever since. And yes, I'm using it as a laptop replacement so I didn't just order a $1300 tablet, ~$1400 shipped with a keyboard, tax and student discount. There are a bunch of useful reviews on the Surface Reddit. http://www.reddit.com/r/Surface/

Sorry, I don't follow. How does using it as a laptop replacement change the fact that it is a $1300 tablet?

 

[rzoo14]

Can't you use an external hd?

The bigger issue for me was the i3. If they're advertising it as a laptop replacement, why would I spend 800 for an i3 when you can easily find a decent ultrabook for that price with a better system. The whole laptop replacement is because of the portability of the surface. Ultrabooks are very portable too.

 

[PanRoasted]

Sorry, I don't follow. How does using it as a laptop replacement change the fact that it is a $1300 tablet?

If you're not going to use it as a tablet, is it really still a tablet? Sure, it fits the definition of a tablet in some ways, but it also fits the role of a laptop. Would I use it as my primary computer? Probably not, but YMMV.

Do any current med students see this as a worthwhile purchase? My school provides us with laptops that we are required to use for tests, but if handwritten annotations are useful then I might be inclined to pick this up. It's either this or the Galaxy Note 12.2 for me.

 

[@JackShephard]

https://bgr.com/2014/05/20/microsoft-surface-3-release-date-specs/

I spent weeks pouring over reviews and specs on tablets and hybrids. And of course, one week after I order my Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga, Microsoft unveils their "Tablet to replace the laptop". I'm mostly grumpy because I missed the chance to awe in how beautiful this is going to be, and run numbers for comparison; but I'm still over the moon about my Thinkpad. Some notes about my decision ( For anyone else in the market)

After decking out the Thinkpad Yoga w/ i7 processor, 8MB, 256 GB, active digitizer upgrade, I spent about 2K. The comparable Surface Pro 3 will run about 1.6K. You could upgrade the Pro to 512GB, for about 2K. So the Pro beats out Lenovo on price and hard drive capacity. The pro is also significantly thinner and lighter, so again the Pro beats my Thinkpad. The new Pro will have a 12" screen, which is just a 1/2" shy of my Thinkpad. So the real estate on my thinkpad just barely beats the pro. The Pro will be a formidable opponent against just about anything.

But after comparing the two models; I remembered why I went with the Thinkpad in the first place. I know me and how rough I am with my toys, and I wanted something more substantial. I'm the kind of person who would forget a detachable keyboard at home. And I would definitely lose the pen. Between the two devices, the Yoga has a better chance of holding its own against accidental toddler theft.

After getting a chance to test drive both the Pro 2 and the thinkpad, I'm excited about the lift and lock backlit keyboard on the Yoga, and was not thrilled about the pro's detachable keyboard at all. I'm even excited about the pen holder. Its the little things that count. Oh, and finally, the Pro 3 won't be shipping until September at the earliest, and my pre-matriculation program starts in 3 weeks. Guess the Pro wasn't really and option for me anyway. Its probably perfect for quite a lot of you though.

Happy Hunting!

I got the Pro 2 last year. We were all expecting an announcement soonish. By no stretch of the imagination is it a 'Tablet to replace the laptop'. I find that I use my phone far more than I do the tablet for just about anything. For everything else, I use the laptop or desktop.

Yeah, SP3 looks pretty good.

I agree with everyone that phones are best to use in the hospital. M1/M2 SP3 would be great - not so much for clinics.

 

[dyspareunia]

If you're not going to use it as a tablet, is it really still a tablet? Sure, it fits the definition of a tablet in some ways, but it also fits the role of a laptop. Would I use it as my primary computer? Probably not, but YMMV.

Do any current med students see this as a worthwhile purchase? My school provides us with laptops that we are required to use for tests, but if handwritten annotations are useful then I might be inclined to pick this up. It's either this or the Galaxy Note 12.2 for me.

Yes, it is really still a tablet. If I use a folded paper towel as a coaster is it no longer a folded paper towel?

Note taking in med school is no different than note taking anywhere else. A tablet isn't more useful now than it was in undergrad.

 

[PanRoasted]

Yes, it is really still a tablet. If I use a folded paper towel as a coaster is it no longer a folded paper towel?

Note taking in med school is no different than note taking anywhere else. A tablet isn't more useful now than it was in undergrad.

What I mean is if one puts funds toward the S3 instead of a legitimate laptop and uses it as such, then from the perspective of the buyer, s/he has purchased a laptop. Anyway, just defending someone else's point.

 

[majestic red]

I personally went with an Asus VivoTab Note 8 for my tablet needs: http://www.microsoftstore.com/store...Touchscreen-Tablet---32GB/productID.295784500

It's small enough to fit into a white coat pocket, has a Wacom digitizer with stylus for easy annotation/note-taking, runs full Windows with full Office included, and is less than half the price of a Surface. Obviously, it fills a different niche-- I was looking for something that I could carry around with me on rounds and that I could bring to the gym with me to watch TV while on the treadmill. It will never replace my laptop (which is a 13.3" ultrabook with an i7 processor), but I can bring it on vacation with me for my light computing needs (email, internet, etc.). My feeling about the Surface tablets has always been that they were too big and heavy to be good tablets, but not powerful or comfortable-to-use enough to be good laptops. Jack of all trades and master of none, as they say...

 

[FIREitUP]

Sorry, I don't follow. How does using it as a laptop replacement change the fact that it is a $1300 tablet?

the surface not only has the same parts as a laptops but also runs the same OS as laptops and desktops, not some crappy mobile OS that is totally gimped. It is essentially a laptop with a detachable keyboard and touchscreen capabilities. I suggest you check one out, they're quite impressive.

 

[drcrispmd]

I love my surface and can actually use it with my clinics EHR. I just got the Surface 2 pro a couple of weeks before the Surface 3. The 10.6 inch screen is plenty big enough. Battery lasts almost all day with no charging. I can charge during lunch and good to go for the afternoon. I love that it is actually windows and not a mobile operating system. Easy set up. I have a desktop at home and with my home group it automatically copied all my settings from my desktop. I have an iPad too that is impossible to use with our EHR and get all my notes done by the end of the day even with an external keyboard. I love I can use a mouse with the surface. I will be purchasing the power keyboard that acts as a backup battery eventually just to make it through the whole day.

 

[dyspareunia]

the surface not only has the same parts as a laptops but also runs the same OS as laptops and desktops, not some crappy mobile OS that is totally gimped. It is essentially a laptop with a detachable keyboard and touchscreen capabilities. I suggest you check one out, they're quite impressive.

I haven't done any research on it, but I would imagine that a tablet with (true) laptop capabilities would have terrible battery life. I just don't see the point in having a $1300 "laptop" with a crappy battery, tiny screen, mini-keyboard, etc.

To each his own.

 

[Elewynne]

Battery life is quite impressive, ~8 hours. At least don't make assumptions when you're dead set against something, choose the faults that actually exist

 

[Brain Bucket]

Battery life is quite impressive, ~8 hours. At least don't make assumptions when you're dead set against something, choose the faults that actually exist

That's another of my pet peeves. On a mobile device, you should be easily able to switch out a battery. I always carry spares for my phone.

 

[kami333]

I haven't done any research on it, but I would imagine that a tablet with (true) laptop capabilities would have terrible battery life. I just don't see the point in having a $1300 "laptop" with a crappy battery, tiny screen, mini-keyboard, etc.

To each his own.

link
Obviously it's going to depend on your specific usage but even with the 1st gen Pro I get about 5.5hrs if I'm just reading from pdfs.

I got a refurbed 1st gen SP two months ago and I've been loving it. Granted I still use my old laptop (C2D era, love the non-chiclet keyboard and discrete touchpad keys) for my typed notes since I don't have a Type cover for my SP but it's great for drawing, reading pdfs of textbooks, reviewing before exams, etc. I also use it a lot as a secondary monitor; either with just an external mouse attached or control it through Synergy. Very interested in the SP3 as one of my biggest gripes is the 16:9 widescreen, wastes a lot of space when reading full page PDFs in portrait mode but I'm probably going to wait until the price comes down a bit.

 

[Donald Kimball]

The Surface Pro 3 looks sick.

I've always been a huge pen and paper note-taker, but lugging around stacks of print-outs is going to suck, so I'm probably going to pre-order one of these.

Anyone see any need to go for the i7 or more than 128 GB and 4 GB Ram?

 

[Brain Bucket]

I love that they need to explicitly state that a higher number of minutes is better.

 

[Elewynne]

The Surface Pro 3 looks sick.

I've always been a huge pen and paper note-taker, but lugging around stacks of print-outs is going to suck, so I'm probably going to pre-order one of these.

Anyone see any need to go for the i7 or more than 128 GB and 4 GB Ram?

I pre-ordered the i5 256GB version. My inner geek really really wanted to go with the i7 but I couldn't justify it - I have yet to find a strong argument why one would need the i7, particularly as a student. I know several people with Pro 2's with the same i5 processor and it works fine with HD video and various Windows programs, including things like WoW, so I couldn't justify paying a bunch more for an i7. (Disclaimer - I am not a WoW fan )

 

[chillaxbro]

Same I wanted a Thinkpad yoga but I'm leaning towards the i5 256gb surface pro 3 now

 

[Donald Kimball]

Same I wanted a Thinkpad yoga but I'm leaning towards the i5 256gb surface pro 3 now

Damn, what do you guys need so much memory for?

 

[username456789]

Damn, what do you guys need so much memory for?

That's 256gb of harddrive space, not RAM.

 

[Donald Kimball]

That's 256gb of harddrive space, not RAM.

Right, but I'm barely scratching the 128 GB storage on my MBA.

 

[username456789]

Right, but I'm barely scratching the 128 GB storage on my MBA.

I was just pointing out that "memory" is not what you meant to write.

 

[Elewynne]

256 isn't that much, particularly since it can run standard Windows applications. A few games and HD videos - stuff to take my mind off studying once and a while - plus pictures, and all the school PDFs, videos, powerpoints... 256 should be enough, but I'd rather have a bit extra than fall short and be constantly annoyed.

 

[Xenoblade]

I run enterprise servers. So for me, surface pro/windows 7 professional are a must.

for everyone else, everything is just a personal preference. So don't sweat it. worry about your classes.

 

[Xenoblade]

I pre-ordered the i5 256GB version. My inner geek really really wanted to go with the i7 but I couldn't justify it - I have yet to find a strong argument why one would need the i7, particularly as a student. I know several people with Pro 2's with the same i5 processor and it works fine with HD video and various Windows programs, including things like WoW, so I couldn't justify paying a bunch more for an i7. (Disclaimer - I am not a WoW fan )

imho, splurging for the i7 is worth it. The performance is noticeable, especially when running big apps/programs.

Stick to the basic/home version of os 7/8. I had friends who bought enterprise/ultra versions of os. I asked them what they used it for, and they said they felt like a big man spending more for the more expensive operating system. lol!

 

[mdambitions]

So, I've been playing with my new thinkpad, and learning how to use windows 8.1 and I love it. Keep in mind, I'm upgrading from a 2008 dinosaur of a "desktop replacement" 15-inch laptop that no longer holds a charge and randomly shuts off, so ANYTHING would have been a vast improvement. But this Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga is amazing. I'm so glad I bought it. Pre-matriculation starts in a few days, so if anyone is curious about its relevant med school functionality, PM me, and I'll update you in a few weeks.

 

[Xenoblade]

oh no....I have to buy a mac for college...what a nightmare.

 

[chillaxbro]

So, I've been playing with my new thinkpad, and learning how to use windows 8.1 and I love it. Keep in mind, I'm upgrading from a 2008 dinosaur of a "desktop replacement" 15-inch laptop that no longer holds a charge and randomly shuts off, so ANYTHING would have been a vast improvement. But this Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga is amazing. I'm so glad I bought it. Pre-matriculation starts in a few days, so if anyone is curious about its relevant med school functionality, PM me, and I'll update you in a few weeks.

Let me know if you get ghosting in a few weeks

 

[Xenoblade]

Let me know if you get ghosting in a few weeks

ghosting = reimaging pcs?

 

[okokok]

ghosting = reimaging pcs?

I've read a lot about this too, it's what kept me from getting the thinkpad yoga. Apparently whatever is on the screen kind of "burns" into the physical screen and you can see a faint image of it even when you change the thing you're looking at on the screen. Don't know if my explanation is understandable, I don't know all the lingo

 

[mdambitions]

http://forums.lenovo.com/t5/ThinkPa...er-image-watermark-issue/td-p/1412737/page/48

*Disclaimer* ~ Not a tech savvy individual...

Friends told me about the possibility of the ghosting issue before I bought my TPY but it seemed like the benefits outweighed the risks. I've only had it for a few days, so I haven't experienced ghosting yet. But I have been following the link above. According to Lenovo, if the ghosting becomes a problem and causes performance issues they'll replace the LCD panel. Might be a time-consuming hassle, but its certainly not money down the drain. In my cursory research, I've learned that this ghosting issue is, unfortunately, not uncommon with various LCD screens.

 

[Xenoblade]

I've read a lot about this too, it's what kept me from getting the thinkpad yoga. Apparently whatever is on the screen kind of "burns" into the physical screen and you can see a faint image of it even when you change the thing you're looking at on the screen. Don't know if my explanation is understandable, I don't know all the lingo

oh.

I am a tech savvy person. ghosting/reimaging pcs means formatting and reinstalling the operating system via third party software. you can do it so that all of your programs are saved and you aren't starting from scratch. the software/hardware to do this costs about 50-100. It is pretty cheap and a great time saver. doesn't work on macs though....

 

[kami333]

oh.

I am a tech savvy person. ghosting/reimaging pcs means formatting and reinstalling the operating system via third party software. you can do it so that all of your programs are saved and you aren't starting from scratch. the software/hardware to do this costs about 50-100. It is pretty cheap and a great time saver. doesn't work on macs though....

I think it may come from the display lag that old school DSTN/CSTN panels had, that used to be called ghosting. Though that generally lasted maybe hundreds of milliseconds while the Yoga problems are longer.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[nyc1990]

Just pre-ordered my Surface Pro 3 after trying it out in person. It. Is. Incredible. Seriously, it's top notch.

 

[Brain Bucket]

Just pre-ordered my Surface Pro 3 after trying it out in person. It. Is. Incredible. Seriously, it's top notch.

you plebs are impressed so easily. my 3 towers and i aren't easy to please

 

[Xenoblade]

you plebs are impressed so easily. my 3 towers and i aren't easy to please

I run multiple servers. So your 3 towers are nothing. In fact, I have 3-4 times the amount of towers in my house right now alone, excluding servers.

Advice: don't ever start measuring d*** because someone always has a bigger one. ;-) I know it was a joke, but still...

 

[Brain Bucket]

I run multiple servers. So your 3 towers are nothing. In fact, I have 3-4 times the amount of towers in my house right now alone, excluding servers.

Advice: don't ever start measuring d*** because someone always has a bigger one. ;-) I know it was a joke, but still...

lol. i have 3 towers in my dorm room. You have 12 towers running in your house excluding servers? wtf are you hosting? porn?

 

[Xenoblade]

lol. i have 3 towers in my dorm room. You have 12 towers running in your house excluding servers? wtf are you hosting? porn?

No pron on my pc.

I have been working in IT for 10 years so it is just natural to have a lot of pcs. And I have multiple users in my house.

And that is 12 pc's in production. I have more that are back ups in case any pc's fail.

I have a couple of file share servers. I think I have 7 physical servers just for file share (not including virtual ones). I lose count.

 

[Brain Bucket]

No pron on my pc.

I have been working in IT for 10 years so it is just natural to have a lot of pcs. And I have multiple users in my house.

And that is 12 pc's in production. I have more that are back ups in case any pc's fail.

I have a couple of file share servers. I think I have 7 physical servers just for file share (not including virtual ones). I lose count.

FS really doesn't count, and you know it. I had 6 towers and a server in my UG dorm, and ran a local server for CS and some FS, and I've never been an 'IT professional'. No biggie. On the other hand, I find it hard to believe that a med student has the time to run and manage multiple FS servers while building/updating machines.