Microsoft Surface Pro 4 announced: "better in nearly every way" (The Verge)

Status
Not open for further replies.
Fucking Microsoft.

Seems they shipped like a hundred Surfaces on launch day here. I only saw stock on Webhallen and they were quickly gone.
I have my order with Dustin Home (free version of Office Home & Business 2016) and the expected delivery date to them is on the 23rd. So plans to play with this thing during the weekend didn't turn out so well.

Fucking Microsoft.
 
Even though the iPad pro pen is better as an artist I'm still sticking with the Surface for the time being simply because of the added functionality of windows and way more professional apps. As long as I cant do things in Photoshop and import them into Maya on an iPad pro I'm not interested.
 
My Surface Pro 4 is stuck in a non-bootable loop and can't be recovered. My complaints in the thread might be due to bad hardware, so take them with a grain of salt I guess.

It's headed back to MS.. good luck to everyone sticking it out for various fixes.
 
If I buy from Amazon and run into issues, will MS Store still take care of me? Silly question, but I am fixing to just order mine from there.
 
nicoga3000 said:
If I buy from Amazon and run into issues, will MS Store still take care of me? Silly question, but I am fixing to just order mine from there.
Click to expand...

I bought my Surface Pro 3 from BestBuy and when I had a problem with it I exchanged it at the MS store. I did call MS tech support first but he told me to try exchanging at the store first before going through mail, which I did and it was no problem.
 
Worried im having another battery issue for the fourth time in a row on my surface pro 3 (Yes, Ive replaced my surface three times due to battery issues and now my warranty is out). I was watching an NBA game on my surface for about 30 minutes when it randomly turned off on me. The screen didnt dim or anything. I checked the event logs and I got a Kernel 41 error.

I fully expected this to happen since these devices seem to be so riddled with battery issues. (Please dont respond saying 'Ive never had any' cause thats just a passive aggressive way to say its somehow my fault when its not) If it really is another hardware problem then Im probably not buying another surface product again. I hope theres some other fix to prevent this and its just some bug. Its only happened once in the past month.
 
Reposting my question in this thread since I guess it was misplaced in the Book thread:

Am I dreaming in thinking that I'd be able to do some decent and frequent video editing on a SP4 i5/i7 without it being too painful?

The book is just so fucking expensive in Aus ($4K+) that the higher end Pro 4's look downright cheap by comparison.

Also, I want that kickstand.
Click to expand...
 
I got the SP4 docking station yesterday, but I am using it with my SP3. I use it at working with two external monitors, and I love that the new dock has two DisplayPorts so that I don't have to mess with putting one in my Surface every morning when I get to work. I can just stand it up and plug in the docking cable.
 
Placed an order for my SP4. Is due delivery somewhere December because its i7.
One thing though, how does the screen quality stack up against the iPad's. Because they have a retina display. Or is that just a fancy word for the same thing? I don't know the difference.
 
Looking at the unit here at Best Buy. They can't sell it to me yet. :( Something about "not available to sell". Such a bummer. I have to preorder or and pick it up on 12/4.
 
Bought one of these things slightly on a whim yesterday and been really impressed with the quality of it so far. A question for those who've had it for longer (or previous versions): does anyone use a protective sheet between the keyboard and the screen when the cover is closed, and will the screen become permanently imprinted with the outline of the keys if I don't? If I flip the keyboard to the back so it goes into tablet mode I'm pretty sure the keys will get really dirty fast which will then end up on the screen. Also, how does one keep this thing remotely clean looking with all the touching that will be going on? Should I just embrace the grease and roll with it?
 
I spent a bit of time in the Apple Store at the weekend trying out the Apple Pencil. I came off slightly underwhelmed, as I had heard really good things about it. Admittedly I couldn't use Procreate, but I used Adobe Sketch and while it felt pretty good I was probably expecting too much.

Excited for the future iPads and Apple Pencils though, but I'm pretty happy with my 4GB i5 SP4 for now.
 
Katzenjammer said:
Bought one of these things slightly on a whim yesterday and been really impressed with the quality of it so far. A question for those who've had it for longer (or previous versions): does anyone use a protective sheet between the keyboard and the screen when the cover is closed, and will the screen become permanently imprinted with the outline of the keys if I don't? If I flip the keyboard to the back so it goes into tablet mode I'm pretty sure the keys will get really dirty fast which will then end up on the screen. Also, how does one keep this thing remotely clean looking with all the touching that will be going on? Should I just embrace the grease and roll with it?
Click to expand...

My coworker has a 3 and used the keyboard cover since day 1. No imprint on his. As for dirty screen...Yes, even after borrowing his for one evening, the screen got dirty a lot. The only solution I had was to keep a lense cleaner nearby.
 
Yaari said:
Placed an order for my SP4. Is due delivery somewhere December because its i7.
One thing though, how does the screen quality stack up against the iPad's. Because they have a retina display. Or is that just a fancy word for the same thing? I don't know the difference.
Click to expand...

"Retina" is just Apple marketing speak for high ppi (pixels per inch, if you're familiar with the acronym). In that regard the SP4 screen is actually a tiny bit better with 267ppi vs the iPads' (both Air 2 and Pro) 264ppi. On top of that the SP4 apparently has better colour accuracy (though again, it's pretty close). Though in the iPad's favour, the iPad Pro has a slightly larger screen with an overall higher resolution to match.
 
Was tempted to go and get one today as its freezing in the spare room so I'd prefer to work from my nice cosy living room :)

Kind of holding out for the occasional 10% off deals that MS do in the UK, but that may not be until the new year. Not a huge discount, but enough to pay for the type cover.

I'd almost prefer if they'd ship with the type cover as standard and have the pen as optional.


dock said:
I spent a bit of time in the Apple Store at the weekend trying out the Apple Pencil. I came off slightly underwhelmed, as I had heard really good things about it. Admittedly I couldn't use Procreate, but I used Adobe Sketch and while it felt pretty good I was probably expecting too much.

Excited for the future iPads and Apple Pencils though, but I'm pretty happy with my 4GB i5 SP4 for now.
Click to expand...

Will definitely grab an iPad Air 3 if it has pencil support next year. I just feel the iPad pro is a bit too large for what I use mine for.
 
Found out that SP4 can play D3 and Dota 2 decently..

And it just launched here in Malaysia..

Looks like I'm getting one! Just the i5 256gb, 8gb ram version.

My other option was the Dell XPS15 which is twice the price here.


Now to choose which color of the type cover..
 
Is there a way to get the extended warranty package after purchase? Would I have to go to a MS store? Don't see an option on the website.
 
Some initial videos showing gaming on the i7


http://youtu.be/NiF_af3RQpI

This is skyrim but he has others on his channel Including furmark testing. Showing basically no throttling due to thermal issues, but in the GTAV video he talks about power throttling - the i7 wanting to use 25W and MS throttling available power to keep it down at 15W.
 
mrklaw said:
Some initial videos showing gaming on the i7


http://youtu.be/NiF_af3RQpI

This is skyrim but he has others on his channel Including furmark testing. Showing basically no throttling due to thermal issues, but in the GTAV video he talks about power throttling - the i7 wanting to use 25W and MS throttling available power to keep it down at 15W.
Click to expand...
Maybe he explains that in the video, but why would that be? The i7's TDP is 15W, just as the i5's, isn't it?
 
My i7 runs very hot when outputting to two monitors. My i5 would not get nearly as hot doing the same exact tasks. Then when in a silent room while browsing the web in bed, I can hear a sort of quiet spinning noise coming from the tablet.

Is it really that hard to get decent working hardware? :/
 
mrklaw said:
Some initial videos showing gaming on the i7


http://youtu.be/NiF_af3RQpI

This is skyrim but he has others on his channel Including furmark testing. Showing basically no throttling due to thermal issues, but in the GTAV video he talks about power throttling - the i7 wanting to use 25W and MS throttling available power to keep it down at 15W.
Click to expand...

Not sure why people would do this...I personally think you are risking a lot of money trying to game on these things. They just get too hot.
 
Picked up an i5/8/256. I figured I would try this out and see if it does what I need before spending so much extra cash. Best Buy's return policy for the holidays makes it almost a no brainer.
 
Irminsul said:
Maybe he explains that in the video, but why would that be? The i7's TDP is 15W, just as the i5's, isn't it?
Click to expand...

I assume the TDPs are designed around expected usage scenarios. The GPU is significantly more powerful than the i5, plus the CPU turbos higher, so it wouldn't be that surprising that if both CPU and GPU are stressed then the total power could exceed the 15W target for a short time.



Is the SSD in the m3 model a lot slower too? The tech tablets link I posted has a side by side with the m3/i5 and the SSD is noticeably slower on benchmarks. But that was the 128GB m3 vs 256GB i5, so it could just be the larger SSD being faster?
 
nicoga3000 said:
Picked up an i5/8/256. I figured I would try this out and see if it does what I need before spending so much extra cash. Best Buy's return policy for the holidays makes it almost a no brainer.
Click to expand...

Does it let you use it? I'd buy from the Microsoft store in the UK as they offer a 30 day return,mbut its online only here. For retail I seem to be limited to PC world and John Lewis, and I don't know if they allow returns if I've used it.
 
mrklaw said:
Does it let you use it? I'd buy from the Microsoft store in the UK as they offer a 30 day return,mbut its online only here. For retail I seem to be limited to PC world and John Lewis, and I don't know if they allow returns if I've used it.
Click to expand...

Yeah - I asked and they said if you don't like it or aren't happy with it, just bring it back. As long as it's in excellent condition (so that they can sell it as open box I imagine), they take it back. So given how I take care of my stuff, I can use it how I want for the next few weeks and decide if it's good for my needs.
 
nicoga3000 said:
Yeah - I asked and they said if you don't like it or aren't happy with it, just bring it back. As long as it's in excellent condition (so that they can sell it as open box I imagine), they take it back. So given how I take care of my stuff, I can use it how I want for the next few weeks and decide if it's good for my needs.
Click to expand...

I checked with the online MS store and they have extended returns from December 1st, allowing you to return by Jan 31st. Pretty good to see how I get on with it.
 
I got the SP4 (i5 / 128GB) last week because you couldn't get the Apple Pencil from anywhere. I'm planning to use it for a few weeks and then decide if I'll keep it or get the iPad Pro + Pencil.
I haven't done any extensive work yet, most of my time has went to configuring the thing to suit my workflow. I'm planning to post more impressions later.

After 5 days, I think SP4 (for art) is pretty good. There are pros and cons. Hardware is pretty amazing and W10 enables so many possibilities. Firmware / OS has bugs, but I'm not concerned about those, they will be ironed out sooner or later.

The pen isn't as good as my Wacom or the iPad Pro I tried, it's not nearly as sensitive (initial activation force) which makes it feel a bit janky and then there's the famous jitter problem. But I draw fast lines so the jitter does not concern me personally, and I'm getting used to the pressure issue. I just don't have as much line control as on my Intuos.

Then there's the software side. I've tried maybe a dozen different applications and sadly none of them come close to Procreate in UI touch experience AND functionality / line quality. One of those has always lacked.
And if I whip out a BT keyboard to the side so I can use all my Photoshop / Painter hotkeys, it's not that ultramobile sketchbook anymore.

But if you're a technical person and don't mind the configuration hell, you can get around that problem. You got options like the touchscreen hotkeys (or that BT keyboard, if it's okay for you).

You can also use autohotkey to remap the eraser button of the SP4 pen. Frankly, the other "button" is a useless piece of crap, it's just disgusting to press, very stiff and low profile.
But you can add 3 functions to the eraser button (one press, press twice and hold), it's nice.

Or you can get creative and attach some cool, very small bluetooth gadget with just a few buttons to handle your usual hotkeys.

I have the type cover for SP4, but I think it's useless for drawing because of the ergonomics. If you could use it separately via BT on the side, it would be better. But it's a nice cover and keyboard when you do a lot of typing.

Here's my Photoshop workspace, and a very quick doodle I did just now.
I'm using this Japanese software called TouchKey which looks crappy compared to something software like Procreate has, but it's functional and reliable. Like Japanese cars. You can see the toolbar I built on the left.

q3EwKl7.jpg
Click to expand...

I tried also other similiar programs but they didn't feel as reliable to me. With this I can create toolbars for every app I use, they load automatically when I switch programs, and they are solid.

Overall, right now I'm pretty happy with my SP4. It has some things it could do better, and there's a lot of things the app developers (Adobe, Corel) could do better to support the W10 tablet experience.
But because it's Windows I could hack my way through most problems I've had, thanks to limitless customization options via 3rd party software.
 
Regarding Procreate....I'm still looking for something affordable on my SP4 to use for art. Suggestions?

mrklaw said:
I checked with the online MS store and they have extended returns from December 1st, allowing you to return by Jan 31st. Pretty good to see how I get on with it.
Click to expand...

I'm really happy with the lenient return policies right now, especially for an expensive device like this.
 
nicoga3000 said:
Regarding Procreate....I'm still looking for something affordable on my SP4 to use for art. Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Photoshop ($10 / month), Paint Tool Sai ($43) and Clip Studio Paint ($49) are pretty good IMO.
Then there's ArtRage for $49, I don't like it that much but some do.
 
artsi said:
I got the SP4 (i5 / 128GB) last week because you couldn't get the Apple Pencil from anywhere. I'm planning to use it for a few weeks and then decide if I'll keep it or get the iPad Pro + Pencil.
I haven't done any extensive work yet, most of my time has went to configuring the thing to suit my workflow. I'm planning to post more impressions later.

After 5 days, I think SP4 (for art) is pretty good. There are pros and cons. Hardware is pretty amazing and W10 enables so many possibilities. Firmware / OS has bugs, but I'm not concerned about those, they will be ironed out sooner or later.

The pen isn't as good as my Wacom or the iPad Pro I tried, it's not nearly as sensitive (initial activation force) which makes it feel a bit janky and then there's the famous jitter problem. But I draw fast lines so the jitter does not concern me personally, and I'm getting used to the pressure issue. I just don't have as much line control as on my Intuos.

Then there's the software side. I've tried maybe a dozen different applications and sadly none of them come close to Procreate in UI touch experience AND functionality / line quality. One of those has always lacked.
And if I whip out a BT keyboard to the side so I can use all my Photoshop / Painter hotkeys, it's not that ultramobile sketchbook anymore.

But if you're a technical person and don't mind the configuration hell, you can get around that problem. You got options like the touchscreen hotkeys (or that BT keyboard, if it's okay for you).

You can also use autohotkey to remap the eraser button of the SP4 pen. Frankly, the other "button" is a useless piece of crap, it's just disgusting to press, very stiff and low profile.
But you can add 3 functions to the eraser button (one press, press twice and hold), it's nice.

Or you can get creative and attach some cool, very small bluetooth gadget with just a few buttons to handle your usual hotkeys.

I have the type cover for SP4, but I think it's useless for drawing because of the ergonomics. If you could use it separately via BT on the side, it would be better. But it's a nice cover and keyboard when you do a lot of typing.

Here's my Photoshop workspace, and a very quick doodle I did just now.
I'm using this Japanese software called TouchKey which looks crappy compared to something software like Procreate has, but it's functional and reliable. Like Japanese cars. You can see the toolbar I built on the left.



I tried also other similiar programs but they didn't feel as reliable to me. With this I can create toolbars for every app I use, they load automatically when I switch programs, and they are solid.

Overall, right now I'm pretty happy with my SP4. It has some things it could do better, and there's a lot of things the app developers (Adobe, Corel) could do better to support the W10 tablet experience.
But because it's Windows I could hack my way through most problems I've had, thanks to limitless customization options via 3rd party software.
Click to expand...

Thanks for posting your impressions.

I used to enjoy drawing a lot back in the day so aside from being a sweet tablet/laptop hybrid I would definitely try my hand at digital drawing and stuff again. Like your art style as well.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

Pornhub is now blocked in nearly 20 states
2 3 4
150
9K
Escape Goat replied
Nearly half my body weight gone. 💪
2
66
3K
Solarstrike replied
Will every country eventually have the same westernised culture?
Opinion Business 
43
2K
RetroGamingUK replied
Invincible Season 4 Announced
News 
7
1K
jason10mm replied
Microsoft is finally shutting down Skype in May
41
2K
MakeMudosGreatAgain replied
Top Bottom