Got myself a Surface Pro for when I'm on the road

CincyTriGuy wrote in post #16518492
They're the same resolution but I'm pretty sure they're different pieces of glass due to the Pro's active digitizer support. I may be wrong too but I've read a lot about these and watched the live stream of the Surface 2 / Pro 2 announcement and I've not seen any mention of them being the same glass. But if all the specs are the same on both of them I guess it doesn't matter much anyway.

That very well could be too I haven't paid too much attention to screen quality, as my Surface Pro has more than enough resolution and gamut for me.

So, to be clear, we are talking about a Microsoft tablet that is currently bouncing around $1k retail? But you guys are recommending it as a good "portable" photo workstation?

I'm askin' because the last "portable photo workstation" I bought was a 17" laptop I bought a number of years ago at about $2k, so it's interesting to see what's out there!

lsquare wrote in post #16515536
According to the reviews, MS just reused the SP1 Pro's screen. It's not really an issue as it's a pretty decent display. Without a doubt, the Surface RT was poor value at $499.

I agree, I think the screen on SP is really nice.

lsquare wrote in post #16515536
Anything less than 1080p isn't really worth buying today. I guess that's why MS is trying to clear stock by having retailers selling them at massive discounts especially during BF.

Agreed they need to sell off the original S/RT in-fact the model I bought for $99 back in June at the time was selling for $749 at the Microsoft Store.

You wouldn't be able to get a very nice ultrabook for $999 anyways.

You are right, but to get an SP2 that is competitive you are going to have to spend $1,299 and you can get some pretty good ultrabooks (specked higher than the surface for that price.

Don't get me wrong, I like many things about the SP. I am giving my Son my HP Envy laptop, I just don't use it that much now that I have the SP. But I am only happy with my SP because of the price I paid. If I had paid anything near retail I would not be very happy. My three biggest issues have been somewhat addressed on the SP2.
1. More memory (I have no ideal why MS shipped a computer in 2010 with only 4 GB of RAM and no way to upgrade).
2. More storage (I have a 64 GB microSD card in mine and it helps, but still would have preferred a 256 GB SSD.
3. Better battery life, still not great on the SP2, but better than my SP. I generally get 5 to 6 hours if I am careful. They new battery keyboard will also help the SP2.

I have just put Photoshop on my SP so I will report on performance later. I have been running LR and it performs fine for me on the SP.

tonylong wrote in post #16519163
I'm askin' because the last "portable photo workstation" I bought was a 17" laptop I bought a number of years ago at about $2k, so it's interesting to see what's out there!

A 17" laptop with a much higher spec that a Surface can be had for less than that.

hollis_f wrote in post #16519277
A 17" laptop with a much higher spec that a Surface can be had for less than that.

And a desktop with even higher specs can be had for less than that... The idea behind the Surface is its a tablet hybrid... not a full on work station replacement. When I'm packing 30+ lbs of camera gear on a shoot, the last thing I need is a bulky 17" monster laptop that takes up half of my traveler.

Trent Gillespie wrote in post #16519286
And a desktop with even higher specs can be had for less than that... The idea behind the Surface is its a tablet hybrid... not a full on work station replacement. When I'm packing 30+ lbs of camera gear on a shoot, the last thing I need is a bulky 17" monster laptop that takes up half of my traveler.

Exactly Trent. My desktop is a beast over my 17" 1080P laptop which is way more powerful than my iPad. All way different for different purposes. I need something to take with me on trips, to do culling and first edits, backup my photos, share online, etc.

I tried the SP2 at Best Buy today and loved it. Beautiful screen, very responsive and nice size. I think I'll splurge and go for the 256GB model with 8GB ram. I can leave the iPad and bulky laptop at home and save a ton of weight and extra cords and cables. Just need to sell a few prints to pay for one....

Trent Gillespie wrote in post #16519286
And a desktop with even higher specs can be had for less than that... The idea behind the Surface is its a tablet hybrid... not a full on work station replacement. When I'm packing 30+ lbs of camera gear on a shoot, the last thing I need is a bulky 17" monster laptop that takes up half of my traveler.

Yup. And you cant use that 17" laptop to watch movies on the plane (unless you're in first class). Or use a digitizer with it for editing, taking notes, etc. Or handhold and use as a tablet. So if you've got that 17" laptop you likely have a companion tablet anyway. Which means from a cost comparison perspective it's really Surface Pro Vs. (laptop + tablet) because SP is replacing 2 devices, which has downstream impacts of less devices and cables to travel with, potentially less software to buy, etc. We tend to focus on the SP price tag but when you consider its TCO over its lifespan it can easily save you money compared to the multi-device TCO that it can replace.

May want to take a glance at the Samsung 15" "New Series 9" 3.5 lb laptop.

Trent Gillespie wrote in post #16517859
I do believe the display in the Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 are the same screens. There was a different in the RT and the Surface Pro 1... and I may be wrong.

IIRC, the Surface 2's screen support 5 point multi-touch while the Pro 2 support 10.

Edshropshire wrote in post #16519236
I agree, I think the screen on SP is really nice.

Agreed they need to sell off the original S/RT in-fact the model I bought for $99 back in June at the time was selling for $749 at the Microsoft Store.

You wouldn't be able to get a very nice ultrabook for $999 anyways.

You are right, but to get an SP2 that is competitive you are going to have to spend $1,299 and you can get some pretty good ultrabooks (specked higher than the surface for that price.

Don't get me wrong, I like many things about the SP. I am giving my Son my HP Envy laptop, I just don't use it that much now that I have the SP. But I am only happy with my SP because of the price I paid. If I had paid anything near retail I would not be very happy. My three biggest issues have been somewhat addressed on the SP2.
1. More memory (I have no ideal why MS shipped a computer in 2010 with only 4 GB of RAM and no way to upgrade).
2. More storage (I have a 64 GB microSD card in mine and it helps, but still would have preferred a 256 GB SSD.
3. Better battery life, still not great on the SP2, but better than my SP. I generally get 5 to 6 hours if I am careful. They new battery keyboard will also help the SP2.

I have just put Photoshop on my SP so I will report on performance later. I have been running LR and it performs fine for me on the SP.

I still think the Pro 2's price is competitive with other ultrabooks with similar specs. You're getting a fairly powerful mobile device in a nice and small package.

James33 wrote in post #16519546
Exactly Trent. My desktop is a beast over my 17" 1080P laptop which is way more powerful than my iPad. All way different for different purposes. I need something to take with me on trips, to do culling and first edits, backup my photos, share online, etc.

I tried the SP2 at Best Buy today and loved it. Beautiful screen, very responsive and nice size. I think I'll splurge and go for the 256GB model with 8GB ram. I can leave the iPad and bulky laptop at home and save a ton of weight and extra cords and cables. Just need to sell a few prints to pay for one....

Right and that's why it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to compare it to a desktop. My Core i5 2500K @4.0ghz machine with 16GB of RAM will obliterate any 17" laptop out there.

Get the SP2 if you're looking for a laptop replacement. For a 2lbs device, it sure provides a lot of capability to get things done.

Still trying to decide if I need the 8gig of ram or if the 4 is fine............ Running Photoshop CC and LR5....

Also - anyone know what the max size of SD card it will hold for additional storage?

James33 wrote in post #16521228
Also - anyone know what the max size of SD card it will hold for additional storage?

I thought I read 64GB. I've got a 64 in mine so I can confirm that it at least supports that.

So; random; but related anecdote on what I recently did for the same usage; a mac book air for a bit more money

No touchscreen and lower res being the cons; while pros being faster, battery life and a bit more useful in my day to day (software engineer). I think the Surface would win hands down if the Adobe suites were fully touch aware; but they aren't yet. (I bring mouse or wacom with me when traveling) (i7, 256gb, 8gb)