Why bother with Surface Pro when THIS is available CHEAPER

[Coke Robot]

I think I'll still bother with the Surface. It has a pressure sensitive stylus, and a design that is most ideal for a tablet PC.

 

[Ray8]

I think I'll still bother with the Surface. It has a pressure sensitive stylus, and a design that is most ideal for a tablet PC.

What's that? A rectangle?

 

[Coke Robot]

I think I'll still bother with the Surface. It has a pressure sensitive stylus, and a design that is most ideal for a tablet PC.

What's that? A rectangle?

Built in kickstand, VERY simple and removable keyboard, and designed durably.

 

[Ray8]

As a business tablet, the Surface certainly doesn't seem to have provided a lot of features.

It's basically the same size and weight as my Gigabyte (with my attachable keyboard), but I also get 2 x USB ports (one USB3.0 and one USB2.0), an Ethernet port, SD card slot, headphone and microphone port, VGA port, a SIM card slot and volume controls. Plus a thumb mouse and left/right mouse button controls, touch keyboard control, and an up/down scroll button on the bezel. Also available are a mini-PCIE slot, replaceable hard drive and replaceable battery. That's what I call a tablet PC.

The Gigabyte doesn't have (my version at least, to complete the picture), the screen resolution of the Surface, an i5 processor (only atom N570), two cameras, compass, and 10-point multi-touch. Not sure about pen input, as I can use a stylus on my tablet, so not sure if we're talking about the same thing.

As for durable, this tablet is attached to the dash of my 4WD when travelling in the mountains on rough trails and has never missed a beat. I do have to take the back cover off now and again to clean all the dust that accumulates inside from our dusty conditions.

I like the styling of the Surface but it, like many other tablets, lacks a lot features, even if the space is clearly available. Unfortunately, Gigabyte seems to have gone backwards with the later versions of the S10xx series of tablets to accommodate Windows 8, though they have another model S11xx coming out that may be better (no specs yet).

 

[Coke Robot]

As a business tablet, the Surface certainly doesn't seem to have provided a lot of features.

It's basically the same size and weight as my Gigabyte (with my attachable keyboard), but I also get 2 x USB ports (one USB3.0 and one USB2.0), an Ethernet port, SD card slot, headphone and microphone port, VGA port, a SIM card slot and volume controls. Plus a thumb mouse and left/right mouse button controls, touch keyboard control, and an up/down scroll button on the bezel. Also available are a mini-PCIE slot, replaceable hard drive and replaceable battery. That's what I call a tablet PC.

The Gigabyte doesn't have (my version at least, to complete the picture), the screen resolution of the Surface, an i5 processor (only atom N570), two cameras, compass, and 10-point multi-touch. Not sure about pen input, as I can use a stylus on my tablet, so not sure if we're talking about the same thing.

As for durable, this tablet is attached to the dash of my 4WD when travelling in the mountains on rough trails and has never missed a beat. I do have to take the back cover off now and again to clean all the dust that accumulates inside from our dusty conditions.

I like the styling of the Surface but it, like many other tablets, lacks a lot features, even if the space is clearly available. Unfortunately, Gigabyte seems to have gone backwards with the later versions of the S10xx series of tablets to accommodate Windows 8, though they have another model S11xx coming out that may be better (no specs yet).

The thing that the Surface is missing is a SIM card, one USB port, Ethernet (not that it'd be needed) and a VGA port. It has a DisplayPort or mini HDMI, I don't remember. It's not really user serviceable. But that could be changed, not necessarily needed though.

 

[cluberti]

There may be better devices, but some of that is what you are going to do with the device and what form factor (or factors) are important to you. At around $1K for a higher-end unit, it's quite competitive in the cost comparison with both similarly-spec'ed tablets and ultrabooks. I'd agree it isn't going to end up being the best device for everyone, but you could say that about any device, really. However, for someone looking for an ultrabook and tablet replacement, it seems like it makes a run at, at least, being the best device out there for that so far.

As a traveling consultant who is constantly on the road, I already get away (mostly) with a Surface RT as a primary device, but a Surface Pro would *actually* make it possible to have something that small and that light work for both, so I'm strongly considering acquiring one when they are released.

To the other questions, it doesn't have a SIM card (Microsoft has said many times the number of users versus the device costs don't make sense, at least at this time - same argument as to why the Surface RT doesn't have one), and it has one USB3 port and a DisplayPort (miniDisplayPort) connector - the Surface RT has connectors for the miniHDMI port to HDMI and VGA, so it would stand to reason they'll probably make the same sorts of connectivity for the miniDisplayPort connector (and I've found, at least with the Surface RT, almost any miniHDMI to <insert connectivity here> conversion attachment works, so I'm going to cautiously say this is likely to be true with the miniDisplayPort connector on the Pro as well). Any USB to Ethernet adapter should work if Ethernet is needed (joining a domain would require it, as might a few other things like wireless APs that require certificates before they'll connect that usually must be acquired over Ethernet via a GPO, etc).

 

[Coke Robot]

And a kickstand, the Surface tablets have a kickstand.

 

[Vigilante]

it's not about marketing. it's about fulfilling needs. not everything is about bang for the buck. My 17" laptop slaughters most laptops out there. But it weighs a ton and has no battery life. For people that want a touch screen laptop, the Lenovo is good.

But for people that want a tablet/laptop, 3.5 lbs is 3.5 lbs with no flexibility on the weight issue.

It's the same reason why a smartphone costs $700-900 (unsubsidized). It's a lot less powerful than a laptop but you're paying for the size. And small and light is not easy to do.

Half the Surface's asking price is for the Microsoft brand.

 

[whs]

Looks nice, but I would not trust that pivoting mechanism.

 

[skallal]

I personally would be happy with a traditional laptop on Windows 8, if it had a larger touchpad that fully supports Windows 8 gestures. I find a good touchpad, such as the Logitech T650, is all the touch I need. Now an Ultra Book with that quality of touchpad, built in, would be the sweet spot IHMO...

 

[whs]

Why an Ultra Book ??

 

[Ray8]

It looks like Gigabyte has come up with the goods for their latest model, all the features of the S1080 and then some: GIGABYTE - Slate & Tablet - Slate & Tablet - S series - S1185. Knowing how well the S1080 works, I'd have no hesitation in getting one of these if didn't already have a tablet. And it has a built-in kickstand: Hands-on with Gigabyte's S1082 and S1185 Windows 8 tablets (video).

 

[skallal]

Why an Ultra Book ??

Doesn't have to be an Ultra Book? I suppose what I really meant is that a touch screen is necessary for me, if the touchpad is decent and fully supports Windows 8 gestures...

 

[whs]

That looks nice and has superb specs. But it is bulky and expensive. I really wonder whether there is a market for those machines. They are too expensive for a toy and not really fit to replace a desktop or even a laptop.

 

[Ray8]

That looks nice and has superb specs. But it is bulky and expensive. I really wonder whether there is a market for those machines. They are too expensive for a toy and not really fit to replace a desktop or even a laptop.

If you mean the Gigabyte, the S1185 is bigger than the S1080. I'm not sure why they did that, rather than improving on the previous S series tablets. Maybe there will be similarly specced, but 10" tablets later on. There's no reason why they can't, as they've already shown that they can.

 

[Coke Robot]

What interesting times we live where two to three pounds is considered "too heavy."

I take a tablet PC with a good Intel i5 or AMD APU over an android or ipad. I just don't comprehend how there are legitimately people that spent upwards of almost a thousand dollars or more on taking an ipad and trying to use it as a laptop/ultrabook PC. For that money, this is a tablet PC with keyboard, an ulrabook, or even a touch enabled laptop, minus any constrictions on the software or hardware.

 

[whs]

Try to hold 3 pounds in your hand for 30 minutes and operate on it - then you know it's heavy.

 

[Coke Robot]

Normally, a three pound tablet would be put on a dock when operated on, no?

 

[cluberti]

Just don't touch the sides. It'll buzz.

 

[whs]

Normally, a three pound tablet would be put on a dock when operated on, no?

Then it's a PC - in my book. A tablet has to be mobile and I must be able to use it in any position - standing, sitting, lying down, standing on my head, LOL.