Surface Pro 3 (Off-Topic)

by cheapLEY , Sunday, August 09, 2015, 23:40 (3618 days ago) @ stabbim

I don't have a Surface Pro exactly, but I do use a Dell Venue 11 for work, which is a more-or-less similar idea. As a laptop replacement, it's fine, as long as you're not writing up lengthy essays or anything. But a screen that size is not something you want to sit down to at a desk for long periods - invest in a separate monitor and a real keyboard/mouse for extended sessions at home.

I'll probably never be writing anything more lengthy than a DBO forum post, so that's not an issue. I do have a decent 17" HP monitor if I felt I needed it, so that's not an issue, either. As I said earlier, I don't have room for a desk environment. Sitting at the kitchen table is about the most that could happen there, which would be fine if I need a big flat surface for whatever reason. I do have an Apple Bluetooth Keyboard that I could use (I love that keyboard!). I have a Magic Mouse, too, and I know there are ways to get that to work, but I might look at a normal mouse there.

That being said, I think you should consider whether you would actually USE the tablet functionality. Machines like that can work fine as a laptop replacement, but if you don't actually need the tablet part, an actual laptop ALSO works well as a laptop, and is considerably cheaper for comparable performance. And probably has a bigger screen (depending on what you get).

I'm not sure that I would really use it as a tablet for browsing stuff, but it is definitely the tablet style that is selling it, especially with the stylus. Not having to utilize a separate Intuos Tablet for art would be a huge plus in my book, especially as that would allow me to draw while lounging around, rather than sitting at a table.

I'm just trying to figure out if that trade off is worth whatever other compromises there are. It's seems like, yes, probably it is. Cost is the main reason for me to consider a laptop, but when you add the $250 (or more) cost of an Intuos, you're getting into the same territory, and the convenience factor might be enough to make that a good trade-off regardless.

I'll have to look into it more. I've played with them in stores and such, I wish someone I knew had one so I could play with it for a while in a normal setting, sort of "live" with it for an evening or something.