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[brotkasten]

Argh, m7? I read it as up to i7

Does the core m line now offers decent performance, or it's still barely better than the atom due the heavy throttling?

It's confusing right now. It seems like they announced it as m7, but their booth says i7.

e: But it has to be Core M, since the device looks fanless.

 

[brotkasten]

Argh, m7? I read it as up to i7

Does the core m line now offers decent performance, or it's still barely better than the atom due the heavy throttling?

The Core M seems to be a good bit faster than the Core i3. I'd check out Anandtech's review of the Surface 3, where you have a current Atom device (Surface 3) tested against the Pro 3 i3 and the Dell Venue 11 Pro 700 with a Core M.

http://anandtech.com/show/9219/the-surface-3-review/5

 

[sangreal]

realsense 3d looks like a kinect.. why would you want it on the back?

all the use cases on the intel page are for front-facing cameras

 

[LukasTaves]

The Core M seems to be a good bit faster than the Core i3. I'd check out Anandtech's review of the Surface 3, where you have a current Atom device (Surface 3) tested against the Pro 3 i3 and the Dell Venue 11 Pro 700 with a Core M.

http://anandtech.com/show/9219/the-surface-3-review/5

Howa, in these benches it's even besting the other (i5?) Surface Pro 3 model as well.

Was that always the case, or did Intel improved them that much? I definitely remember viewing reviews of the first models where the performance would be really bad.

 

[The Faceless Master]

Yoooooooo, dat Lenovo

No shame

 

[Chezzymann]

Dang that's basically a copy of the surface pro 3 lol. And cheaper too. Does that price include the keyboard? If so its waaay cheaper. Aesthetically its a little less appealing to me though. I like the sharp corners and color scheme of the surface.

 

[szaromir]

Yoooooooo, dat Lenovo

No shame

Who cares? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that. I think consumers benefit from competing products. I really want to buy a Surface Pro and am basically waiting for the SP4 announcement, if it doesn't get announced in October this Lenovo product might be a tempting alternative.

 

[mrklaw]

Who cares? Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and all that. I think consumers benefit from competing products. I really want to buy a Surface Pro and am basically waiting for the SP4 announcement, if it doesn't get announced in October this Lenovo product might be a tempting alternative.

Yup. I like the form factor but if I'm offered more choice that is a good thing. I hope the Lenovo is a core m based (or at least has core m models in the range), it'll be interesting to see how they stack up against straight i3/5/7. Although the i3 in the SP3 isn't a fair comoarison as MS really gimped that, being a different class of chip via the i5/i7

 

[brotkasten]

Just so you guys can prepare for it: Pro 4 will be available in November.

 

[commish]

As much as I love the SPs, I would have no problem picking up the Lenovo if it offers comparable performance at a cheaper price point. We'll see what the build quality is like. Can't believe they basically copied everything.

 

[Lucius86]

Just so you guys can prepare for it: Pro 4 will be available in November.

I'm expecting October/November, but I have no evidence to back that up except me wanting to spend money.

 

[mrklaw]

Just so you guys can prepare for it: Pro 4 will be available in November.

Birthday present to myself then

 

[Ape]

the sp3 is perfect for me right now. idk if ill upgrade. there's also a surprisingly large number of surfaces on campus here.

 

[harSon]

In a weird and unexpected twist, Lenovo just announced the Surface Pro 4.

12" display
Windows Hello support
adjustable kickstand
Skylake CPU, with configurations up to m7 and 8GB RAM
keyboard cover
pen (optional?)
LTE (optional)
RealSense 3D back camera (optional)

Release in November, starting at $699.

I've seen some pretty shameless ripoffs, but this one is definitely up there Lol.

 

[Futureman]

I love my SP3 but I think if I ever sell it and buy something new, I would probably want a Core M in there. Even just playing Solitaire on my SP3 puts the fans on full blast. I bought it though to draw in Photoshop and if I ONLY do that, the fans stay off, so really I'm happy with my purchase.

It seems like the Skylake Core M (m3, m5, m7) chips are a decent upgrade performance and power-wise.

 

[brotkasten]

Dang that's basically a copy of the surface pro 3 lol. And cheaper too. Does that price include the keyboard? If so its waaay cheaper. Aesthetically its a little less appealing to me though. I like the sharp corners and color scheme of the surface.

I wondered about that as well and PocketNow confirms that the keyboard is indeed included with the Miix 700. Even with the $699 model.

"We were already a bit taken with the Miix 700 when Lenovo announced it last week, offering shoppers an interesting alternative to Windows 10 tablets like Microsoft’s own Surface devices. At least, with an integrated kickstand and an included, detachable keyboard, that’s one comparison that’s going to be an inevitability – and truthfully, Lenovo may find itself with the advantage here, not only because of the high quality of that keyboard accessory, but because Lenovo’s able to include it while also undercutting the Surface Pro 3 on price."

http://pocketnow.com/2015/09/07/lenovo-miix-700-video

No mention of the pen, though, which is a bigger deal to me. But still, if the price of the keyboards alone didn't make Microsoft look like greedy asshats, the fact that Lenovo just bundles theirs with the Miix definitely does.

 

[PG2G]

Anyone else having trouble with audio going out through HDMI since the Windows 10 upgrade? Can't get I to work at all

 

[Funky Papa]

So Microsoft Spain is throwing a free Type cover with each Surface Pro 3 "for a limited time"...

 

[brotkasten]

So Microsoft Spain is throwing a free Type cover with each Surface Pro 3 "for a limited time"...

Clearing that stock. Either Saturn or MediaMarkt here are throwing in a free Type Cover of your choice with a Pro 3 i5.

Provember is coming.

 

[metareferential]

Got a Surface Pro 3 i5 today, free type cover and a good discount (considering where I live).

I would have waited for 4 but I need it now.

 

[mrklaw]

Wife has had enough. Going to sell the SP3 and get a zenbook ux305 probably. And then an iPad mini for sofa browsing. I'm still curious about SP4 though. I'd like a normal cover as I don't think I'd need a keyboard - I have spare M&KB I can use with it.

Part of her problem was also the screen size as she uses it as a second screen when hooked up to a larger 1080p monitor, so the smaller-but-higher-red surface screen doesn't gel well.

 

[Futureman]

I got the same model metareferential.

Tomorrow is the last day I can return to Best Buy. If the iPad Pro impresses tomorrow and it fits my needs, I may end up returning.

Alternatively... if the iPad Pro does not work for me, I love my SP3 so much that I'm considering selling my 15" rMBP and SP3 and using the SP4 exclusively.

 

[metareferential]

I got the same model metareferential.

Tomorrow is the last day I can return to Best Buy. If the iPad Pro impresses tomorrow and it fits my needs, I may end up returning.

Alternatively... if the iPad Pro does not work for me, I love my SP3 so much that I'm considering selling my 15" rMBP and SP3 and using the SP4 exclusively.

I'm locked to Windows for work, and I'm just used to it.

I need a light, powerful and reliable Windows device. I'm not doing intensive tasks, just standard Office and web-related work.

Plus I've read great things about handwriting on the Surface. Let's see what happens.

If 4 is that much better I'll just give the SP3 to my girl.

Ipad Pro reveal is tomorrow? How did I miss such a thing? xD

 

[Chezzymann]

So my surface is saying 'plugged in, not charging', when I unplug it from the wall it instantly turns off. I tried all the steps on this page: http://www.microsoft.com/surface/en...urface-wont-turn-on?os=windows-10#accordian-3 and none of them worked. I really, really hope my battery isn't fried because I JUST replaced my surface three months ago after my previous one didn't turn on. And I'm not willing to pay ANOTHER 300 dollars for their 'service'.

If nothing works and my product is messed up again, I am never buying a surface product again. From my experience despite the fantastic build quality their hardware seems to be unreliable and unstable and I honestly don't trust them to deliver on a long lasting product. I know many of you have used your devices for years but I have had a completely different experience.

 

[a secret-boss]

Now that Apple showed their Surface ripoff. MS needs to have a good showing of 4 cuz I need an upgrade from 1

 

[commish]

I think the Ipad Pro was good for MS. It's not really a competitor for SP4, with the limitations and that OS, and all.

 

[brotkasten]

I think the Ipad Pro was good for MS. It's not really a competitor for SP4, with the limitations and that OS, and all.

The problem is at Apple is getting much, much better developer support. There are going to be lots of productivity apps that are going to use the stylus, while the Windows Store apps continue to suck.

 

[mrklaw]

The problem is at Apple is getting much, much better developer support. There are going to be lots of productivity apps that are going to use the stylus, while the Windows Store apps continue to suck.

Is it possible that the increased developer support for stylus...sorry, pencil enabled apps may feed back into the windows store? Surface on its own wasn't enough to drive that developer support, but iPad will.

 

[Futureman]

yes... while Surface has access to full desktop software, everything that is being made for iPad is tailor made for the tablet experience. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

 

[Septimus Prime]

Pencil is not included, right? I also can't believe Apple beat MS at the overpriced typecover game by charging even more for their version of it. I wonder how many people will actually fork over $99 for Pencil.

 

[brotkasten]

Pencil is not included, right? I also can't believe Apple beat MS at the overpriced typecover game by charging even more for their version of it. I wonder how many people will actually fork over $99 for Pencil.

The pencil is not included, but I'd get one if it worked with my iPad 4.

 

[mrklaw]

The pencil is not included, but I'd get one if it worked with my iPad 4.

Same. Wonder if they'll include support for it in next years iPad Air? And $99 is not far from what inferior third party active stylii cost on current iPads.

 

[JaggedSac]

The problem is at Apple is getting much, much better developer support. There are going to be lots of productivity apps that are going to use the stylus, while the Windows Store apps continue to suck.

Would have been impressive if they showed real Photoshop working with a stylus.

 

[WhiskerFrisker]

The problem is at Apple is getting much, much better developer support. There are going to be lots of productivity apps that are going to use the stylus, while the Windows Store apps continue to suck.

The true bane for A Windows Store: Apps. Microsoft needs to find a way to get it more popular.

 

[Ape]

The ipad keyboard being completely flat kills it for me, it has to be elevated towards the bezel for comfort.

 

[Futureman]

every now and then when I'm typing with the on-screen keyboard, it shows suggestions above the keyboard when I type.

I don't know what triggers it but it barely happens. How can I get suggestions all the time?

On SP3 Windows 10.

 

[everthustodeadbeats]

every now and then when I'm typing with the on-screen keyboard, it shows suggestions above the keyboard when I type.

I don't know what triggers it but it barely happens. How can I get suggestions all the time?

On SP3 Windows 10.

I think Microsoft still thinks of some apps as 'Metro' and others as not. For example, I use Firefox on my sp3 on windows 10 and there is no way to get the predictive text to work. But it does work on Edge. I'm not switching to Edge for my browsing.

Almost every built in app supports predictive text. I'm not sure where the burden is on making an app use predictive text, but it can be frustrating.

 

[brotkasten]

Does the Pro 3 pen have a tilt sensor?

 

[LukasTaves]

Does the Pro 3 pen have a tilt sensor?

If it does no app makes use of it.

 

[brotkasten]

If it does no app makes use of it.

Then I guess that's a no. I'd expect that at least Photoshop would support it.

Anyway. Because I really like the Lenovo Surface (because of the fan-less design, price and included keyboard cover), I tried to find some info on the pen they showed and it turns out that it's a huge bummer.

According to Windows Central:

"We're told there will also be a pen made available for it in the future."

I didn't necessarily expect the pen to be included, but certainly thought it would be available as an accessory from the start. That fact that it isn't makes it feel like it's going to be more of an afterthought.

e: Conflicting reports! ZDNet says it's going to be available with the tablet.

"Lenovo will also offer an optional "active pen" stylus with the laptop when it becomes available."

Question remains which one is better.

 

[StudioTan]

The problem is at Apple is getting much, much better developer support. There are going to be lots of productivity apps that are going to use the stylus, while the Windows Store apps continue to suck.

I don't think that's true personally. Making a piece of software that requires buying a peripheral, especially one that costs $100, is not going to be a good business proposition. If it's not included with the device it's just not going to get enough support.

 

[brotkasten]

I don't think that's true personally. Making a piece of software that requires buying a peripheral, especially one that costs $100, is not going to be a good business proposition. If it's not included with the device it's just not going to get enough support.

At the very least all the existing drawing and sketching apps are going to be updated to support the stylus and that alone would trump the Windows Store selection by a huge margin.

Paper by 53 with a proper stylus? Yes, please.

Spoiler

Funny, too, because that app was made by some people from the Courier team

 

[Futureman]

At the very least all the existing drawing and sketching apps are going to be updated to support the stylus and that alone would trump the Windows Store selection by a huge margin.

is that really true though? Windows is massive. Aren't there tons of great drawing application options?

 

[LukasTaves]

Then I guess that's a no. I'd expect that at least Photoshop would support it.

Anyway. Because I really like the Lenovo Surface (because of the fan-less design, price and included keyboard cover), I tried to find some info on the pen they showed and it turns out that it's a huge bummer.

According to Windows Central:

"We're told there will also be a pen made available for it in the future."

I didn't necessarily expect the pen to be included, but certainly thought it would be available as an accessory from the start. That fact that it isn't makes it feel like it's going to be more of an afterthought.

e: Conflicting reports! ZDNet says it's going to be available with the tablet.

"Lenovo will also offer an optional "active pen" stylus with the laptop when it becomes available."

Question remains which one is better.

I hate when manufacturers don't spill out all the details, shopping for a tablet around win 8 launch was a nightmare, there was a lenovo one I was very excited about, but end up not getting it because I couldn't get anyone to tell me some specifics of it.

 

[StudioTan]

At the very least all the existing drawing and sketching apps are going to be updated to support the stylus and that alone would trump the Windows Store selection by a huge margin.

Paper by 53 with a proper stylus? Yes, please.

Spoiler

Funny, too, because that app was made by some people from the Courier team

We're talking about the Surface Pro, the iPad is not going to outdo what's available on Windows.

Full versions of:

Photoshop
Illustrator
Manga Studio
Mischief
Sketchbook Pro
ArtRage
Corel Painter
GIMP
and many more.

Plus sculpting software like Zbrush and Mudbox.

If you're an artist there is no reason to use an iPad with a Pencil over a Surface.

 

[Chezzymann]

yes... while Surface has access to full desktop software, everything that is being made for iPad is tailor made for the tablet experience. Should be interesting to see how this plays out.

Unless iOS is overhauled it is extremely limited for functionality compared to windows. The only reason you'd get an ipad pro is if you want an easy to use digital sketchbook companion device for your 'real' computer at home. Not as a professional device. I realize 'professional' means very different things depending on your job, but the fact of the matter is that the Surface Pro can replace all the functionality of a laptop, while the iPad Pro can't really come close. The surface can be used as a professional device since it has full fledged versions of all the major professional applications, and an actual file system along with a USB port. No file system or USB ports hugely impacts the iPad Pro. I really don't see why people are comparing it to the surface, its just a bigger iPad with stylus support. Seems most of the excitement is coming from what may come in the future (possibly a full version of photoshop, along with other major desktop apps) not what we know now.

 

[Elitist1945]

So I'm looking at getting a Surface Pro 3 soon, but since the 4 is apparently getting revealed soon should I wait? What kind of changes would one expect from 3 - 4?

 

[commish]

So I'm looking at getting a Surface Pro 3 soon, but since the 4 is apparently getting revealed soon should I wait? What kind of changes would one expect from 3 - 4?

I'd definitely wait since it's only a matter of weeks. No one really knows what the improvements will be, but faster and quieter and cooler running are my guesses. Many other parts of the machine are already perfect.

 

[StudioTan]

So I'm looking at getting a Surface Pro 3 soon, but since the 4 is apparently getting revealed soon should I wait? What kind of changes would one expect from 3 - 4?

Just wait. At the very least I'd expect it to run faster and cooler.

Plus if you find the improvements aren't significant you'll likely be able to get a SP3 at a cheaper price than now.

 

[Anton Sugar]

Plus if you find the improvements aren't significant you'll likely be able to get a SP3 at a cheaper price than now.

This. Not much point in buying one so close to the announcement and potential price drop.

Really hoping for a trade-in program, personally.