Surface Pro 4

Fingleberries · 30-03-2016 4:00pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

How's the keyboard for typing? (the Microsoft one, that is)

I do a lot of typing (PhD thesis and stuff), but the portability is really appealing to me.

I have the SP4 keyboard (type cover) and it is much better than the type cover for the SP3. I find it very easy to type on for long periods - I've often used it for a full 8-hour work day and prefer it to the keyboard on my Dell Laptop (but falls just short of the feel of a good, solid desktop keyboard).

Trampas · 03-04-2016 6:23am

Ordered it yesterday.

Just have to wait on delivery.

Got it via ms uk with keyboard for £1070

Jambo · 16-05-2016 2:41pm

Does anyones have a SP4 Dock ? if so can you tell me the Microsoft Part Number and Specification of the AC Adapter as on the label ?

Many thanks.

Edit, Sorted now

Tom Dunne · 09-06-2016 8:55am

So I took the plunge and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Absolutely loving it so far. Granted, it isn't quite 24 hours old, but initial feel is of a solid build, very responsive even though I went for the Core-M processor and loving the pen.

Haven't really given the keyboard a spin, I'll try that over the weekend.

senordingdong · 09-06-2016 8:58am

Just wondering, hope long after the release of Surface Pro 3, did they release the Surface 3?

Down South · 09-06-2016 9:07am

Tom Dunne wrote: »

So I took the plunge and bought the Surface Pro 4.

Absolutely loving it so far. Granted, it isn't quite 24 hours old, but initial feel is of a solid build, very responsive even though I went for the Core-M processor and loving the pen.

Haven't really given the keyboard a spin, I'll try that over the weekend.

Got mine a week ago. Great machine but problems with wifi. Looks like a factory reset coming up according to microsoft support. Also having a lot of problems with Outlook 2016 which I didnt have on other machines, possibly a coincidence

Tom Dunne · 09-06-2016 10:12am

Down South wrote: »

Got mine a week ago. Great machine but problems with wifi. Looks like a factory reset coming up according to microsoft support. Also having a lot of problems with Outlook 2016 which I didnt have on other machines, possibly a coincidence

Aside from a slow downloads, I haven't noticed anything. I just put it down to continuous updates running in the background.

CatInABox · 09-06-2016 3:01pm

senordingdong wrote: »

Just wondering, hope long after the release of Surface Pro 3, did they release the Surface 3?

Almost a year. Considering the sales on the Surface 3 nowadays, I'd imagine that they'll announce a surface 4 in the next few months.

Tom Dunne · 10-06-2016 8:08am

A big no to the keyboard.

Just don't like it - far too flimsy for my liking. The keys feel very "springy" and make an odd sound when typing (typing this on it).

It's not the end of the world, I'll do most of my serious typing on my laptop, but I am disappointed with it.

Also took me a while to figure out why the pen wasn't working when I had the device in airplane mode.

Overall, though, I am happy with it. I did an hour or two of reading on the device this morning, it feels comfortable in the hand (without the keyboard), screen is clear and crisp and it is quite responsive.

Down South · 10-06-2016 3:54pm

Fixed my wifi. My Plugable dock was causing problems so wifi works when its diconnected.

TBH I find the keyboard pretty good

Tom Dunne · 12-06-2016 6:46pm

Down South wrote: »

TBH I find the keyboard pretty good

It's down to personal preference really, isn't it?

Battery life is impressive, I must say.

Andrew76 · 14-06-2016 1:50pm

Down South wrote: »

Fixed my wifi. My Plugable dock was causing problems so wifi works when its diconnected.

TBH I find the keyboard pretty good

Is that the official Surface Dock? The wifi doesn't work when it's connected?

Just about the only issue I have with my Surface is that the wifi stops working when you plug in a display port adapter to hook it up to a monitor. So I have to use an ethernet/USB hub on the USB3 port when I want to go big screen.

Tom Dunne wrote: »

It's down to personal preference really, isn't it?

Battery life is impressive, I must say.

Aye personal preference, I'd be in the 'I really like it' camp. For a tablet keyboard I thinks it's fantastic, definitely a step up from the Linx 10 keyboard. Won't match a full size mechanical keyboard but no tablet ever will I don't think.

Overall a great device though.

fret_wimp2 · 14-06-2016 2:33pm

There are a lot of issues with Wifi & The dock.

1. Wifi doesnt work at all when docked but works when not docked.
I had this for a while and identified that it matters how the dock is connected to the surface. for me, if i plug in the power to the surface with the cable facing down, wifi goes dead, if i plug in with cable facing up, wifi is fine. (hope that makes sense).

2. external montior affects wifi
surface is not stable with external monitors, particularly display port ones. they can and have caused wifi issues. at one point, my wifi would randomly drop. removing and plugging the monitor back into the dock fixed it each time.

I think this has been fixed with a recent update though.

3. surface doesnt see external monitor as main monitor after reboot.
have to unplug and replug the dock to make it remember the external monitor is the main monitor. this is still an issue.

4. wifi goes slow for 10 mins at a time
fixed by setting the wificard to use 2.4ghz only

In fairness, they have fixed a lot of issues. I was having major battery drain issues, even after i switched the thing off, it would be turned off wiht 100% and wake up the next day with 20% left. was a GPU issue and has been fixed.

Most of the issues are detailed here, often in fairly long threads:
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/surface/forum/surfpro4

Down South · 14-06-2016 3:27pm

Andrew76 wrote: »

Is that the official Surface Dock? The wifi doesn't work when it's connected?

Just about the only issue I have with my Surface is that the wifi stops working when you plug in a display port adapter to hook it up to a monitor. So I have to use an ethernet/USB hub on the USB3 port when I want to go big screen.

Aye personal preference, I'd be in the 'I really like it' camp. For a tablet keyboard I thinks it's fantastic, definitely a step up from the Linx 10 keyboard. Won't match a full size mechanical keyboard but no tablet ever will I don't think.

Overall a great device though.

Its not the official hub its a Displaylink Plugable USB 3.0

Jimmy Iovine · 14-06-2016 3:30pm

To anyone getting it, buy the relevant insurance from Microsoft and get a decent cover/case for it.

Tom Dunne · 15-06-2016 3:43pm

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

To anyone getting it, buy the relevant insurance from Microsoft and get a decent cover/case for it.

Oops, did we have an accident?

Jimmy Iovine · 15-06-2016 3:53pm

Tom Dunne wrote: »

Oops, did we have an accident?

Pro 3 last year.

senordingdong · 15-06-2016 4:16pm

Are they not durable?

Jimmy Iovine · 15-06-2016 6:38pm

senordingdong wrote: »

Are they not durable?

My screen was cracked. I put it in my bag without a case. A terrible mistake.

They aren't as durable as an older laptop, but that's no reason to not get it. Take good care. It's a beautiful machine.

Fingleberries · 16-06-2016 11:08am

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

My screen was cracked. I put it in my bag without a case. A terrible mistake.

They aren't as durable as an older laptop, but that's no reason to not get it. Take good care. It's a beautiful machine.

Did the Type Cover not protect the screen?

Jimmy Iovine · 16-06-2016 9:01pm

Fingleberries wrote: »

Did the Type Cover not protect the screen?

No because the corner of the laptop hit the floor. That caused a very tiny crack in the top right of the screen. It caused havoc with the touchscreen capability of my laptop.

Because it was an accident, I had to return it and pay up. I think it was over €300. I erased the price very quickly from my memory to be honest.

It is exactly like having a smartphone without a cover. You run the risk of cracking the screen if you aren't careful.

When I say have a case for this, I mean a bag. I put mine into the bag after every use now. I take no chances.

ROS123 · 03-08-2016 9:09am

Jimmy what process did you have to follow to get the device repaired / replaced ?

senordingdong · 03-08-2016 9:13am

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

My screen was cracked. I put it in my bag without a case. A terrible mistake.

They aren't as durable as an older laptop, but that's no reason to not get it. Take good care. It's a beautiful machine.

****.
I have a sturdy laptop bag, back from when laptop bags were a thing.
I'll route that out.

Jimmy Iovine · 03-08-2016 12:24pm

ROS123 wrote:

Jimmy what process did you have to follow to get the device repaired / replaced ?

It was back in October so I can't fully remember. Contact Microsoft Ireland. Check their site for a number.

What's your issue? I broke my screen in May but it wouldn't turn on at all in October. They would have replaced it for free only for the fact that I had a cracked screen.

ROS123 · 03-08-2016 3:24pm

Jimmy, yes it is a cracked screen, it is not responding very much to touch, it wont bring up the keyboard and the pen only opens it with a double click, not to the pen on the screen. I have looked online in Ireland for someone to repair it, no success so far. I will try MS but I am alarmed that they could be so careless with your payment details, I will certainly avoid doing that if possible. I do need to get it fixed though, it is too expensive and to useful to me to leave it without fixing it.

Jimmy, thank you for getting back to me....

fret_wimp2 · 03-08-2016 3:42pm

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

I was the victim of fraud about a week after I rang Microsoft to pay for the repair. No one else would have my card details. I made no online purchases around that time.

I am certain it was because of the Microsoft call.

If you have used your card at all since it was sent to you then no, you cant be certain it was MS.
Im pretty sure an accusation like this is against the rules on boards.

I dont work for MS, however i am in IT, and like all giant companies, MS dont want or need publicity like that and so take high precautions to ensure it doesnt happen.

Suggest you talk to your bank, let them do the detective work before passing blame around.

ROS123 · 03-08-2016 4:51pm

I have just been in touch with MS about returning the Surface and its a third party company that handles the returns for MS.

Jimmy Iovine · 03-08-2016 4:55pm

fret_wimp2 wrote: »

If you have used your card at all since it was sent to you then no, you cant be certain it was MS.
Im pretty sure an accusation like this is against the rules on boards.

I dont work for MS, however i am in IT, and like all giant companies, MS dont want or need publicity like that and so take high precautions to ensure it doesnt happen.

Suggest you talk to your bank, let them do the detective work before passing blame around.

I wrote my previous post on my phone and my point may have been missed. I don't suspect that Microsoft did anything untoward. Personally, I won't be giving information out over the phone again.

I can see how you would assume that I am accusing MS. I will amend my post. Actually I just deleted that part. Not arsed making a deal about it.

Jimmy Iovine · 03-08-2016 4:56pm

ROS123 wrote: »

I have just been in touch with MS about returning the Surface and its a third party company that handles the returns for MS.

Yes. Pack it well.

fret_wimp2 · 03-08-2016 7:39pm

Jimmy Iovine wrote: »

Not arsed making a deal about it.

Its just a phone call to the bank, takes about 10 mins and 3 weeks or so later, you get your 300 bucks back. 10 minute call isnt a big deal and a refund of 300 quid for the sake of a short phonecall seems to be worth it to me at least.

You need to have your card cancelled anyway, otherwise you're at risk of this happening again, and again and again.

Surface Pro 4

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