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Forbes Revisits the Surface Pro 3, Which May Face LG Competition
Forbes writer Marco Chiappetta revisits Microsoft's Surface Pro 3 half a year after its U.S. debut, and finds the tablet-laptop hybrid has held up pretty well, but suffers some dings worth knowing about before jumping at holiday sale prices, pointing out a number of scenarios where a full-fledged notebook, even if it’s roughly the same size, will be the better choice. I’ve found that the Surface Pro 3 is ideal for users that will likely fire the machine up when sitting at a desk or when in a conference room-type environment that has a table. The Surface Pro 3’s performance is plenty good for everyday computing and office applications, and the screen is top notch. Using the Surface Pro 3 as a notepad with its stylus is also very useful. In fact, over the course of the device’s life, Microsoft has issued a number of firmware, driver, and OS updates that have improved the overall responsiveness and usefulness of the Surface Pro 3. For those who want a laptop, though for actual laptop use, the Surface is an awkward fit. However, a thin, tablet-convertible, touchscreen laptop may appear soon from LG, as well.
" In fact, over the course of the device's life, Microsoft has issued a number of firmware, driver, and OS updates that have improved the overall responsiveness and usefulness of the Surface Pro 3."
Translation: Microsoft released a product before it was ready. Do you want to buy from an abusive manufacturer?
Other recent examples of faulty Microsoft products: Windows ME, Windows XP before the 2nd service pack, Windows Vista, and Windows 8. One earlier example: DOS 3.0 was buggy in a way that was fixed in DOS 3.1, but buyers were expected to pay the full price for the new version.
In my opinion, Microsoft is the Zune of corporations in the sense that Microsoft uses its market power to deliver unfinished, faulty products. Quote from Wikipedia:
"On March 15, 2011, Microsoft announced that no new Zune hardware players would be developed, although existing models would remain for sale. The Zune had failed to capture significant market share after five years..."