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Get Real, Microsoft: If the New Surface Pro Is a Laptop, Bundle It With a Type Cover (pcworld.com)
An anonymous reader shares an article: If Microsoft sold cars like it's trying to sell its Surface Pro (2017), it would charge extra for wheels -- and would be laughed out of the market. But Microsoft's using this tactic to sell its new Windows tablet as a "laptop," and we're still trying to figure out why. Microsoft's Surface Pro is clearly a Windows tablet, just like its predecessor, the Surface Pro 4. Nevertheless, devices chief Panos Panay calls it a "laptop" no fewer than three times in his blog post, including the very first sentence. No "laptop" or notebook PC forgoes a keyboard, however, as the Surface Pro does. Long-time Surface fans may know that Microsoft charges $129 to $159 more for that accessory, but does the average buyer get it? That's where the confusion starts.
Plenty of people will need the keyboard, but isn't there also a sizable portion of people that just has no need for it?
I have been using a surface pro 4 for about 6 months now. When I'm at work I just plug it into an actual keyboard and monitor. For that it is amazing, it packs plenty of power, and without the keyboard it is lighter than a 12" Macbook. When I'm on the sofa or train, I just use the on screen keyboard as for me personally the tablet form factor is more convenient to hold. I bought a keyboard cover with the Surface, but it has just been collecting dust (which it does more than I'd like with the textile-like material used).
Of course, people that need to do extensive typing on their lap or while away from a USB keyboard won't be able to do without the keyboard, but I would say a pretty large portion of people that I see around me would be off just fine without the keyboard.
You can put it on your lap, can't you?
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
If you don't think that people are going to use the keyboard, then surely selling it separately, rather than bundling it, is the opposite of gouging?
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I have to say that as a tablet it completely and utterly sucks. Windows simply does not translate to a tablet environment and, other than emergency use, I never use it without the keyboard.
However, with the keyboard and as a lightweight touchscreen laptop for travel, is is excellent. I use Mac for my desktop environment, but Apple have decided for what seems to be purely religious reasons not to put touch-screens into their laptop line, which for me is a dealbreaker. Using the mouse for 99% of the UI, but the finger on the screen to scroll and pinch-zoom when appropriate works really well for me, and when I'm doing presentations from my Surface Pro onto a projector being able to draw onto the screen with the pen is a major advantage.
I know for many of you a touchscreen in a laptop seems stupid, and you're perfectly entitled to that opinion. For me, it works, and it works better than the alternative (which is why my MacBook Pro is now hardly ever used.)
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Microsoft's hardware historically was pretty good actually. Their keyboards, mice, and joysticks were excellent.
So if you wanted an input device, Microsoft had your back.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
I've been using a Lenovo Thinkpad Yoga with the 12.5" screen as a work-issued laptop for about three years. It was good enough that when my wife needed a new laptop we bought a similar model but with more RAM and the i7 processor, works great for her too.
The rest of Lenovo's portable products don't seem to be doing so well and their parts availability has gone to hell, but these machines seem to be pretty solid.
Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
A few times when travelling for a couple of weeks at a time, I have taken a Windows 10 tablet with me without any type-cover.
It was primarily not the keyboard that I missed, but a proper pointing device.
Windows 10 still has some programs made for touch and some programs made for mouse and keyboard. For instance, when travelling you need to set up Wifi, and if you ever need to get into the real Wifi settings you do need to get into the classic Control Panel a lot, and that is still not touch-optimized. Neither is Explorer, so you can't move files around without moving files wrong now and then.
Another thing is the high DPI screen, which is nice when a program supports it but when using an older program not built for high DPI, the buttons and icons are tiny and you [i]really[/i] need a pointing device.
Yes, the on-screen keyboard is clunky and slows you down, but many casual users would not type faster on a real keyboard either.
So, the most important aspect of having the type cover is not the keyboard but the touchpad that is on it.
It seems to me that the reason why MS did not include either, and why they are still offering a 4GB option, is because they want to keep the "Prices from" amount low for advertising. Advertising concerns should not dictate a product's properties - a product's properties should dictate the advertising!
"We mustn't be caught by surprise by our own advancing technology" -- Aldous Huxley
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