Surface Pro 3 review/AMA

The Coffee Shop
21

I have the Surface Pro 2.

The Touch keyboard sucks. Type one is still a little flexy if you’re used to a regular laptop, but a vast improvement. I can type on it as fast as a regular keyboard now.

Mousepad on the Type pad still isn’t great but I almost never use it. I have a bluetooth mouse (the Microsoft Arc which is a very smart little bit of kit), which I use when at a desk/table, when there isn’t (E.g. on a plane) I generally use some combo of the pen (press the button on the side to right click) or fingers instead of using the mousepad. I think there is a bit of a learning curve with both Windows 8.1 and with these new hybrid devices like the Surface. There are so many options for interacting with it that you kind of need to play with them all over time to figure out the right combo for you, and also play with the settings (e.g. Office apps have a touch-friendly option where the buttons are bigger) to evolve the most efficient style of working. So requires more investment from the user, but that’s rewarded over time as you can finetune how you interface with it.

22

I completely forgot all about the stylus. It’s in the box never used once. I’ll have to check that out when I get to work tomorrow.

I am getting used to the keyboard. Even the mouse. Right clicking sucks but just tap on the mouse pad anywhere lightly for a left click.

I’d still prefer an actual laptop.

23

Depends what you use it for I guess. Suits me very well because I move about a lot and am always carrying it with me - travel overseas about 1 week in 4, and the 3 weeks that I’m in my home city I’ll be flitting about between home, our office and client offices. So the size and weight is good for me (fits nicely in my backpack for cycling, as is the ability to use it for taking notes in meetings, meaning that I’ve almost eliminated paper from my life. When I need to do some serious work I generally base myself either at home or in our office, in both places I have a good monitor, wireless keyboard and mouse waiting for me.