Microsoft Surface Pro 4 announced: "better in nearly every way" (The Verge)
- Thread starter Anton Sugar
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Just got to check this out at a bestbuy. The hardware is supper nice. Puts my SP2 to shame. The keyboard is 100x better than mine. I love the smaller bezels too, and the weight. It's tempting me to upgrade.
However it also highlighted why Windows 10 kind of sucks. Now that the keyboard and trackpad are amazing, the SP4 works great as a laptop. However now W10 doesn't play well with touchscreens and tablet mode. I also saw why fullscreen apps aren't fullscreen, because now there is no dedicated Windows button on the tablet, so there needs to be a bar at the bottom of the screen. This kind of screws over SP2/3 owners though.
However it also highlighted why Windows 10 kind of sucks. Now that the keyboard and trackpad are amazing, the SP4 works great as a laptop. However now W10 doesn't play well with touchscreens and tablet mode. I also saw why fullscreen apps aren't fullscreen, because now there is no dedicated Windows button on the tablet, so there needs to be a bar at the bottom of the screen. This kind of screws over SP2/3 owners though.
"I'm watching you sleep chief..."
Switching it to tablet mode will essentially make it function like it did in W8 though.
There is.. I had one for a bit.
Phanatic8390
Member
Anyone else having the touch screen stop working constantly? I'll be browsing the web or doing something and suddenly all touch input stops working. I have to restart to get it to work again and it seems to happen quicker each time I restart.
I'm not even joking it happened half way through typing that. It's getting to be outrageous. I've already had to restart 4 times in the last hour
I'm not even joking it happened half way through typing that. It's getting to be outrageous. I've already had to restart 4 times in the last hour
Yep I've had this happen a couple of times. Even more annoying if you dont have the keyboard attached. Seems like the touch driver crashes and is only fixed by a restart. Its the worst bug ive seen on Windows in years.
Phanatic8390
Member
It's sending me up a wall. It just started yesterday out of the blue and its been basically unsuable with touch ever since.
ThoseDeafMutes
Member
Mine has definitely stopped working briefly on the SB and actually gestures on the track pad have died in the arse requiring a restart at times too. Only started very recently.
Phanatic8390
Member
I just restarted to reset it after it last crashed in my previous post, logged in, touched the Edge icon... Stop responding again. I'm going to try this 2 button restart on the MS support page.
Edit: Well that seemed to work. I've used it for a few minutes now and it hasn't stopped yet. It's clearly a software issue, really hope MS gets this stuff figured out sooner rather than later. I wouldn't recommend this thing to anyone in its current state.
Edit: Well that seemed to work. I've used it for a few minutes now and it hasn't stopped yet. It's clearly a software issue, really hope MS gets this stuff figured out sooner rather than later. I wouldn't recommend this thing to anyone in its current state.
So I learned what happened was while I shut it down, I closed my type cover as soon as the screen went black, so it didn't entirely shut down, but instead went to sleep.
That must have been what happened to mine. I found it dead and I really didn't use it much and I always shut it down too.
tiredheadcrab
Member
So I have had the device for about a week and havent noticed any major glitches with the track pad or trouble waking up. Am i in the minority?
Have had my i7/8GB/256GB for about a week too and nope, no problems here either.
Phanatic8390
Member
An update. Touch screen died completely now, nothing fixed it, not even a full reset. Took it to the Microsoft Store. Gave me a new one, dead pixel right in the middle of the screen. Got a 3rd one, just brought it home. A crazy amount of light bleed. Same spots on the bottom everyone sees but now I've got some in the bottom right corner and a 2 inch long section of bleed in the top left. Probably going to go back again tomorrow 1 last time and see if I can get a good one otherwise I'll just return it. I've never been so disappointed in build quality of a device. It's a real shame.
Still on the fence about what to get. For now, they're out of the 16gig i5 sp4, so I'm just sitting on my decision. I have a decent desktop that's the years old, so I don't really want a beast, but with the cost already around 1.5k, I almost feel like I should get a surface book, Dell x13/15, or Asus zenbook.
Same model but I have had a few more quirks. Most notably:
- Sleep mode is so bloody unreliable, I feel I can't use it without the risk of losing important work. Can hardly call it a tablet in this state.
- Have had a couple of lockups. Weird thing is this has happened during basic tasks like web browsing.
- Have had the Type Cover stop working a few times, just like my SP2 use to. Annoyed this hasn't been resolve still
- Intel driver crashes have happened a couple of times, but it recovered perfectly each time.
If you fix the above, for me you have the best tech purchase I've made. But the software really isn't there in comparison to the hardware.
Oh, and where are my OneDrive thumbnails for offline files?!
You can gently swipe down on metro apps and hit the double arrows to make apps full screen and get rid of the bar at the bottom.
I am in the market for a surface pro and could use some advice.
Surface pro 3 i5 128gb 4gb ram or Surface pro 4 i5 128gb 4gb ram. Both comes with black keyboard and pen along with 1 year of office 365.
Price different is about $250; there is a sale going on at Costco for the surface pro 3 and it ends tomorrow.
I am going to use it mainly for school, video record, take notes, etc. I will also be doing some light gaming and some photoshop. With that in mind, is it worth buying the newer one? Thanks!
Surface pro 3 i5 128gb 4gb ram or Surface pro 4 i5 128gb 4gb ram. Both comes with black keyboard and pen along with 1 year of office 365.
Price different is about $250; there is a sale going on at Costco for the surface pro 3 and it ends tomorrow.
I am going to use it mainly for school, video record, take notes, etc. I will also be doing some light gaming and some photoshop. With that in mind, is it worth buying the newer one? Thanks!
LyleLanley
Banned
Purchased one of these about a week ago because I wanted something portable to work with my photography work flow without using a bunch of iOS workarounds. My general impression so far is that it's a solid ultra portable laptop replacement but it's not a great tablet.
I've been using my SP4 lots over the holidays, and I'm a big fan now. I can't imagine myself going back to my laptop.
I'm considering buying the MS Arc Touch mouse to go with it. Do any of you have it? Can you recommend any other bluetooth mouse for portable use? The lack of extra buttons worries me a little, but I can live with out it.
I'm considering buying the MS Arc Touch mouse to go with it. Do any of you have it? Can you recommend any other bluetooth mouse for portable use? The lack of extra buttons worries me a little, but I can live with out it.
Osiris
I permanently banned my 6 year old daughter from using the PS4 for mistakenly sending grief reports as it's too hard to watch or talk to her
For portability I prefer MIcrosoft's Designer Mouse, the slim profile is great for just shoving into the pocket of the sleeve I have for my Surface 3 without a noticeable bulge.
Looking forward to the end of the month, going to be upgrading from my atom powered Surface 3 to a Surface Pro 4 (i5/8GB/256GB) - It should be quite the upgrade!
The Surface 3 has served me well, but ultimately the Disk I/O speeds on it are killing me.
I've had the Arc Touch mouse since the Pro 1, and I still use it now with the Book. It's obviously very portable when flattened out, so it's easy to bring with you and it works well if you have a small surface space to work with (which is when I use mine).
For normal day-to-day usage with more work space (ie. my office desk), I would use a larger mouse (Logitech MX Master is what I use) as it is not the most comfortable to use for prolonged periods. It is better than just the trackpad, I just wouldn't really recommend it as your only mouse.
Now that the Logitech MX mouse supports Bluetooth as well, I use both the Arc and MX with Bluetooth and connect which ever is more convenient for where I'm working.
I use the Wedge mouse at home and Arc touch at work (for no real reason). There's a "Surface" version of each which is simply a color match, but the Wedge supports gestures, and the arc does not, which may be important to you. Arc is obviously thinner but larger, and Wedge may feel petite in big hands.
Pops Maellard
Member
My 8gb i7 shows up today, anything I should know?
Get all the updates including the firmware updates.
I bought the arc touch. It's great for its portability and can slip in my bag with almost no footprint. There are clear trade offs though, the big one being the middle scroll. It works but I find using it always a little off: sometimes your middle finger will try to scroll but not touch the pad, sometimes it doesn't scroll as much as you'd expect, middle click not always reliable. I still carry it around because it is better than the touchpad if you need to drag select or move to hints around a lot.
I also bought the sculpt comfort mouse. This one is much better at being a mouse, although it's not portable at all. Wireless is fantastic though and the mouse feels great. Has one extra customizable button with some gestures. I bring this one in suitcases when traveling
If you are a student or teacher, you can get a 10% discount directly from MS. When I ordered the Book I used my son's school and got the discount without needing to verify anything. He is a student though, and I was getting him a new computer so it was (mostly) valid.
I would agree with this. The Arc is much better than the trackpad for precise pointing, as well as dragging, but the scroll wheel/trackpad isn't as precise. I also have it jump around sometimes, and it can be easy to accidentally page down (tap the bottom). That being said, it fits almost everywhere when travelling and is more comfortable than just the trackpad.
Well my SP4 restarted into a discolored BSOD screen that said "critical process died".
By the time I got a recovery USB ready, because reset through automatic repair wouldn't work, it was stuck in a Surface logo boot loop. And yes I messed at length with uefi settings, secure boot etc to try to get it to boot to the recovery usb or at least automatic repair. No dice.
Good thing still in return window so I can head to the store today to get it replaced...
Definitely gonna try to get a lot number higher than 1438.
Happened right before today first day of class too meh, paper notes for the day was a funny exercise.
UPDATE: MS store was able to reflash it off their USB drive, sitting here off their Ethernet installing updates. Good service despite 20~ min wait. Next step is seeing if by the end of the month it's worth upgrading to the i7...
By the time I got a recovery USB ready, because reset through automatic repair wouldn't work, it was stuck in a Surface logo boot loop. And yes I messed at length with uefi settings, secure boot etc to try to get it to boot to the recovery usb or at least automatic repair. No dice.
Good thing still in return window so I can head to the store today to get it replaced...
Definitely gonna try to get a lot number higher than 1438.
Happened right before today first day of class too meh, paper notes for the day was a funny exercise.
UPDATE: MS store was able to reflash it off their USB drive, sitting here off their Ethernet installing updates. Good service despite 20~ min wait. Next step is seeing if by the end of the month it's worth upgrading to the i7...
Pops Maellard
Member
Done. Have used it for about an hour so far, and the only thing that sticks out is the trackpad inconsistency. Two finger swipes to scroll in chrome work like, 50% of the time? It's a bit weird. I'm also not able to get two finger taps to right click to work in all programs.
Edit: also insane fan speed increase when just using chrome.
I'm considering an i5 8gb version, especially for Illustrating needs. I'm having trouble getting past seeing stuff like this, though. Can anyone here tell me if this is your problem as well? It's kind of a deal breaker if so.
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...s/1166c1db-1779-4be6-afc6-7c5ca63868be?page=1
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/...s/1166c1db-1779-4be6-afc6-7c5ca63868be?page=1
Future and ElNino - thanks for the reports regarding the Arc mouse. Disappointing to hear the middle mouse is wonky, as I intend to use it for 3D modelling where it's pretty important. 
I need something more portable though.
I haven't had any tapering problems personally, but it's possible that I'm missing something. I mostly use Clip Paint Studio, and this is my most recent finished work. I'm using the 4GB i5 version, and I've been drawing on it almost every day for about a month.
I need something more portable though.I haven't had any tapering problems personally, but it's possible that I'm missing something. I mostly use Clip Paint Studio, and this is my most recent finished work. I'm using the 4GB i5 version, and I've been drawing on it almost every day for about a month.
Thank-you! The SP4 has really pulled me out of a multi-year art slump, as I'm able to pick it up and keep working pretty casually when sitting at home, or out during my lunch break.
See I'm in the same position (slump) as a stay at home dad right now. I only occasionally do charcoal commissions nowadays. I need something portable, but I want to make sure it's not too inferior to my Intuos 3. I need to be creating more, but at the end of the day, I'm wiped, and staying upstairs with my wife while creating is what I'm looking for.
Precisely the same situation. I even set up a desk downstairs, but it was too uncomfortable to set up a laptop with small tablet, so I never want to draw there while I'm relaxing with my GF in the evening. My A4 intuos goes unloved right now because this is a better working setup. Definitely recommend Manga Studio though for keyboardless drawing.
edit: using it on my lap at home, and on a flight. I also use it a lot in the mornings in bed when I wake up early, but my GF is still asleep. The kick stand propped on my stomach is pretty comfy.
I'm honestly not sure if that's a problem with the device/OS or if it's just Chrome being Chrome.
Chrome has been a desktop only browser for me because of the performance cost
Chrome should be a benchmarking tool itself.
Forsete
Member
Edge seems to be much better optimized. I can watch Youtube videos in 1080p without the surface getting hot. When using Chrome and doing the same the device gets warm and sometimes the fan starts to run.
Just one thing keeping me from using Edge more, AdBlock support.
Please add extension support ASAP. I refuse to surf the web with ads.
Just one thing keeping me from using Edge more, AdBlock support.
Please add extension support ASAP. I refuse to surf the web with ads.
I am in the market for a surface pro and could use some advice.
Surface pro 3 i5 128gb 4gb ram or Surface pro 4 i5 128gb 4gb ram. Both comes with black keyboard and pen along with 1 year of office 365.
Price different is about $250 (Costco).
I am going to use it mainly for school, video record, take notes, etc. I will also be doing some light gaming and some photoshop. With that in mind, is it worth buying the newer one?
I got the surface pro 3 and having around 5 tabs open in chrome turned on the fan and it got really hot. A few tabs open with Netflix turned the fan on and also got really hot. Is that normal? Should I return and get the 4? Thanks.
Surface pro 3 i5 128gb 4gb ram or Surface pro 4 i5 128gb 4gb ram. Both comes with black keyboard and pen along with 1 year of office 365.
Price different is about $250 (Costco).
I am going to use it mainly for school, video record, take notes, etc. I will also be doing some light gaming and some photoshop. With that in mind, is it worth buying the newer one?
I got the surface pro 3 and having around 5 tabs open in chrome turned on the fan and it got really hot. A few tabs open with Netflix turned the fan on and also got really hot. Is that normal? Should I return and get the 4? Thanks.
I've switched away from Chrome entirely in favour of Opera. Runs great on my SP4. No regrets.
Forsete
Member
Thanks, will give a try.
Does it work well in tablet mode? Does it call up the keyboard on its own, unlike Firefox?
Shogmaster
Member
"I've been going through your pr0n collection on your computer, chief..."
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