The Surface Pro price makes sense to me. Why does everyone else seem to respond in disgusted shock?

Posted by mindofmoses on December 3, 2012 03:08 pm 32

Consider these scenarios.

First of all, I agree with those who have said that the keyboard should be included. I'm not sure why Microsoft insists on holding consumers hostage for that extra $100. It's ridiculous, especially when you consider the way they market the device. Also, the exclusion of Office - absolutely bizarre.

That said, I see the Surface Pro as a new class of computing device altogether... with a price that falls in line with what it can do for you.

At work

I'm at work (coding job, mostly logging into terminals & typing, some web browsing & basic image manipulation) - right now I use a 5lb Thinkpad & it gets the job done just fine. When there's a meeting in a nearby conference room, I unplug a few cables (power, external monitor) & carry the laptop to the meeting. Meetings rarely last more than an hour, so I leave the power brick at my desk. It would be so cool to unplug a 2lb tablet and bring it's touch screen + type cover + digitizer magic to the meeting instead of my old laptop. I couldn't do my job (well) on an android tablet or an iPad and there are no laptops (by nature of having a fixed keyboard) that offer this same slick multi-function.

At home

If I'm on the computer at home, I'm either in at my desk (doing work), in bed, or on the couch. For the desk - the surface pro is perfect. It's the smallest form factor desktop you can get w/ an i5 in it. Worth spending a little extra money. I see it as satisfying some of the same minimalist needs as an all-in-one machine. The difference here, of course, is that when I want to move to the couch or bed, I can do so with no problem. Maybe I'm alone on this, but I much prefer a tablet in the bed or on the couch to a laptop.

On the go

All in all, I see the Surface Pro almost like a portable desktop replacement. When I'm on the go, I use my phone. When I'm on the go and need a larger screen, I can use the Surface. Rarely am I on the go (away from a power outlet) and need a larger screen for more than a few hours at a time... so all this wailing over short battery life... idk. The way I see it, if you need that, get a Nexus 7. It's only $200. A dedicated tablet is the absolute wrong item of comparison when you're talking Surface Pro.

Just my thoughts...thrown together over a lunch break. I'm hoping to pick one up early next year.