If you're new to AirPods, considering buying a pair, or just want to pick up some new tips.
AirPods and AirPower: Everything We Know
First Reviews of Microsoft Surface Pro: Good Display, Full Windows 8, Compromised Experience
The reviews for Microsoft's fully featured Windows 8 tablet/laptop combo are out. The Surface Pro firmly slots in between tablets like Apple's iPad and ultra-portable laptops like the MacBook Air, and some have wanted a similar Mac/tablet hybrid.
The overall consensus is that while the Surface Pro does have some good features, it's ultimately brought down by trying to be both a tablet and laptop at the same time.
Image via ArsTechnica Review
Here is a collection of some of the early reviews:
The Verge
- "There's something really weird about running Windows on a tablet, though. I never think about getting a virus on my iPad, or making sure to comply with constant system updates."
- The Surface Pro comes with a Wacom-made pressure-sensitive and capacitive stylus that attaches to the device and is a "useful companion to the device."
- "It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do."
AllThingsD
- In battery tests, it lasted under four hours - less than half the stamina of the iPad and three hours less than Surface RT.
- "Of the 64 GB of solid-state storage on the entry-level $899 model, only 30 GB of that is free for the user, according to Microsoft. On the $999 model, 90 GB of the 128 GB total is available for the user."
- "As with the original Surface, the Pro is solidly built, with the same innovative metal kickstand that keeps it upright on a desk or table."
Gizmodo
- "Its Ivy Bridge i5 processor, the same you'll find in most ultrabooks, launches apps almost instantly (another big upgrade from Surface RT)."
- "Its screen is too good. Which is to say, its 1080p resolution is so dense on the 10.6-inch screen that desktop programs seem too small, too cramped."
TechCrunch
- "As a laptop it is excellent. I was able to do nearly everything I needed to do including the editing of large documents, photo management, blogging, some minor gaming, and plenty of email and web browsing."
- The physical $129 Type Cover and the capacitive $119 Touch Cover are "essential to the Surface Pro experience."
- "There are obviously trade-offs, but the simplicity of form, the excellent design, and the promising OS make the Surface Pro a real treat – and threat to other manufacturers."
Engadget
- "That keyboard slowed us down and its trackpad continued to frustrate."
- "Photos [from two 720p cameras] are incredibly full of noise and the sensor seems to be completely unable to manage contrast, resulting in images that are either totally washed out or far too dark."
- "If you're the type who likes to quickly pop on your tablet to check for new email or Facebook messages every few minutes, you may find yourself forced out of that habit here."
The Microsoft Surface Pro releases on February 9 and comes in a 64GB version for $899 and a 128GB version for $999, with the Type Cover an additional $129 and a Touch Cover an additional $119.
The overall consensus is that while the Surface Pro does have some good features, it's ultimately brought down by trying to be both a tablet and laptop at the same time.
Image via ArsTechnica ReviewHere is a collection of some of the early reviews:
The Verge
- "There's something really weird about running Windows on a tablet, though. I never think about getting a virus on my iPad, or making sure to comply with constant system updates."
- The Surface Pro comes with a Wacom-made pressure-sensitive and capacitive stylus that attaches to the device and is a "useful companion to the device."
- "It's too big, too fat, and too reliant on its power cable to be a competitive tablet, and it's too immutable to do everything a laptop needs to do."
AllThingsD
- In battery tests, it lasted under four hours - less than half the stamina of the iPad and three hours less than Surface RT.
- "Of the 64 GB of solid-state storage on the entry-level $899 model, only 30 GB of that is free for the user, according to Microsoft. On the $999 model, 90 GB of the 128 GB total is available for the user."
- "As with the original Surface, the Pro is solidly built, with the same innovative metal kickstand that keeps it upright on a desk or table."
Gizmodo
- "Its Ivy Bridge i5 processor, the same you'll find in most ultrabooks, launches apps almost instantly (another big upgrade from Surface RT)."
- "Its screen is too good. Which is to say, its 1080p resolution is so dense on the 10.6-inch screen that desktop programs seem too small, too cramped."
TechCrunch
- "As a laptop it is excellent. I was able to do nearly everything I needed to do including the editing of large documents, photo management, blogging, some minor gaming, and plenty of email and web browsing."
- The physical $129 Type Cover and the capacitive $119 Touch Cover are "essential to the Surface Pro experience."
- "There are obviously trade-offs, but the simplicity of form, the excellent design, and the promising OS make the Surface Pro a real treat – and threat to other manufacturers."
Engadget
- "That keyboard slowed us down and its trackpad continued to frustrate."
- "Photos [from two 720p cameras] are incredibly full of noise and the sensor seems to be completely unable to manage contrast, resulting in images that are either totally washed out or far too dark."
- "If you're the type who likes to quickly pop on your tablet to check for new email or Facebook messages every few minutes, you may find yourself forced out of that habit here."
The Microsoft Surface Pro releases on February 9 and comes in a 64GB version for $899 and a 128GB version for $999, with the Type Cover an additional $129 and a Touch Cover an additional $119.
[ 555 comments ]
Top Rated Comments
(View all)
79 months ago
So it's worse than a tablet, worse than a laptop and more expensive than both with less than half the battery life and no keyboard. Apple has nothing to worry about. Zune.
79 months ago
Or...
Or just buy an 11" Macbook Air. I know it's not a tablet, but it would get the job done better and would be cheaper!
Or just buy an 11" Macbook Air. I know it's not a tablet, but it would get the job done better and would be cheaper!
79 months ago
First comment from The Verge says it all.
People treat a tablet like an appliance, they want to just be able to pick it up and use it, not fiddle around with settings and updates.
I'm loathe to say it, but for tablets, there needs to be an "It just works" :apple: mentality.
People treat a tablet like an appliance, they want to just be able to pick it up and use it, not fiddle around with settings and updates.
I'm loathe to say it, but for tablets, there needs to be an "It just works" :apple: mentality.
79 months ago
Microsoft Surface = Microsoft Zune 2.0
We've all seen this before... it will die a death much like the Zune.
Laptop>Surface>Tablet
Surface Price>Laptop Price>Tablet Price
Something seems wrong here.
We've all seen this before... it will die a death much like the Zune.
Laptop>Surface>Tablet
Surface Price>Laptop Price>Tablet Price
Something seems wrong here.
79 months ago
I can just see all 192 people who bought the Zune lining up at my nearby Microsoft kiosk to get their hands on this baby!
79 months ago
Maybe that's the reason Apple decided to come out with a 128GB version of the iPad. I know you can't compare two different products meant for different things, but iPad 128GB @ $799 vs Microsoft Slate 128GB @ $999. I think we can all agree that the 128GB iPad is a much better deal
79 months ago
When they're charging that price, the cheap piece of polyurethane keyboard shoukd be thrown in for free.
79 months ago
Maybe that's the reason Apple decided to come out with a 128GB version of the iPad. I know you can't compare two different products meant for different things, but iPad 128GB @ $799 vs Microsoft Slate 128GB @ $999. I think we can all agree that the 128GB iPad is a much better deal
Although the 64gb iPad still has more actual storage than the 128gb surface ;)
79 months ago
So just remember that even if the first version sucks (and for any product, it's almost bound to), the revisions are what you really need to watch out for.
Hmm, I recall the first version of the iPad in 2010 being pretty awesome, and not "sucking" very much at all. :)
[ Read All Comments ]
Google's "Keep" app for taking notes and making lists today expanded to the Apple Watch, allowing the app's users to use the note taking and list making functionality right on their...
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming macOS Mojave 10.14.4 update to its public beta testing group, one day after seeding the third beta to developers and two weeks after releasing the...
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming tvOS 12.2 update to developers for testing purposes, two weeks after seeding the second beta and a month after releasing the tvOS 12.1.2 update.
...
Apple today seeded the third beta of an upcoming watchOS 5.2 update to developers, two weeks after seeding the second watchOS 5.2 beta and a month after releasing watchOS 5.1.3.
Once the proper...
GM was one of the early adopters of CarPlay, with the feature debuting on a few 2016 Chevrolet models and rapidly spreading across the company's various brands including Buick, GMC, and...
Following an announcement last year and launch in Europe, Eve Systems today released the portable LED lamp Eve Flare in the United States and Canada. Similar to Hue Go, Eve Flare lets you pick up and...
SoundCloud today announced a new feature that allows creators to distribute their music directly to major streaming music services like Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music (via Billboard). The...
Printer company Epson today announced the launch of voice-activated mobile printing support for Siri, Amazon Alexa, and Google Assistant. With the addition, iOS users can snap a photo and ask Siri to...
