I'm considering getting a tablet for job-related field work, to replace a laptop. Is there a big difference between v.1 and 2? Would it be worth waiting for the 3 to come out? Are there other alternatives out there? I'm seeing 1s under $500 and 2s in the $650-$800 range (used). Is there a camera option for the Surface? Thanks for any tips, advice! KevFla
I'd wait for 3 just due to the changes. However, I haven't really followed them much. Lenovo's Yoga Pro 2 is pretty solid too. I think they all use the same range of ultrabook processors
The Surface Pro 3 became available today if I'm not mistaken, so it's definitely worth checking out if you haven't bought one yet. It'll be a different beast - 12" display, higher resolution screen, better hinge and a less precise pen if that matters to you. Watch out for the price - if this is for work you'll almost certainly want the Type Cover, the keyboard cover that's $129 so factor that in, and a decent spec with bumped up RAM will run you $11-1200 all in. However, it will run pretty well for a few years, so think of it more of a tablet and laptop replacement. IMO, the Surface Pro 3 is a pretty big upgrade and Microsoft took a pretty big step with its announcement. After a few years in the field, you'll probably save money long term as it will last significantly longer for you than a used previous model that will need sooner replacement; battery life will become an issue for the older ones after many cycles. All Surface Pros have a full USB port and an SD card slot so they may not have a camera attachment per se but any digital camera that works with Windows will work with them. If this is for work I am assuming you are only looking at Pros, which run the full x86 version of Windows, as the formerly 'RT' non-Pro Surfaces will not be compatible with many of your work applications. Good luck in your search. The Surface Pro 3 really is a great device and compares favorably with the Macbook Air, to help explain the price. The 2 is good, I have friends with them but I wouldn't buy one, and a 1 won't be worth it at this point.
I've got a Surface Pro 3 and it is a definite step up as a result of the screen size alone. No comparison to my Yoga 13, much lighter and more useable.
Just bought my Dad a Surface Pro 3. There seem to be teething problems - at one point, for example, we had to spend a fair amount of time on the phone with a Microsoft tech, figuring out how to power the thing back up. Not compatible with POP3 email, not a big deal but annoying. Not compatible with another program my Dad uses to download books, 3M Cloud Library. The keyboard gets some negative reviews, but I thought it was fine. Screen size is very nice - compared to my current generation iPad Air. To me, the main problem is the price - for the money (about $1300 for the i5 with keypad), you can get a decent laptop, so IMO you really have to want this particular tablet. By way of background, Dad is an ex aero engineer with extensive PC experience. I'll probably end up swapping my iPad for his Surface.
Surface Pro 3 here, and a big fan. best W8 machine out there imo. not many 256GB SSD laptop options available. i had a Samsung 9 previously, and using am mostly a work user - no compatibility issues yet. keyboard is good enough but i don't use it as much as i thought i would. the biggest issue is it's still W8.1, although i do believe Microsoft's new CEO gets it and the changes are promising.
I got a couple of 2s for my daughters. I have had nothing but problems from the initial order to addressing hardware problems. Just go to the support website, every time you click on a query it merely reloads the we page without addressing the issue. I regret not sticking with Apple. This was my first MSFT purchase in 10 years. Never again will I purchase a MSFT product.
