Good evening fellow Windows Enthusiasts!

[G+_Colin Nelson]

Good evening fellow Windows Enthusiasts!

 

I have a somewhat specific question about the Surface Pro 3. This boils down to a "recommendation" question, so there is no wrong answer.

 

I'm a Senior Developer ad a mid-sized software company, and am looking for a new personal laptop. My old laptop is a Dell XPS, and is a workhorse, but just not portable enough to travel with (15'' screen and 2'' thick at its thinnest).

 

The device I am looking for should be portable, have a decent battery life, and have the RAM and CPU to handle several tabs of Chrome, Spotify as well as Visual Studio 2013.

 

I went to a store this weekend and tried out a Surface Pro 3, and was reasonably impressed with how snappy it was and (after a little bit re-learning) how well the type cover worked. I'm excited to get more into mobile app development not only because I find it interesting, but also because I think the Surface Pro 3 might be one line of devices my company would like to target for our product.

 

In the end my question boils down to this: Microsoft has touted that the Surface Pro 3 is the "Tablet that can replace your laptop"  and I think there is a strong case to be made that it can, given what an individual actually DOES on their laptop. Does anyone think that this has a chance of replacing a high-productivity "work" laptop not only from the form side (lapability and user interface) but also from the function side (RAM, CPU)? And if it can, would it be a good choice for a Developer?

[G+_Vlad Alexa]

User interface ? get a MacBook Air , bootcamp windows on it if you must.?

[G+_Colin Nelson]

Vlad Alexa that's not a bad idea. I entertained it briefly, but abandoned it simply because it seemed a little silly to buy a Mac just to run Windows. Am I being silly? Is this done more often than I realize?

[G+_Dave Trautman]

I believer you might find the Surface Pro 3 is exactly what you are looking for.  It's a standout machine with all the CPU you need for Office and other power-hungry Windows apps.  You might find the battery life a bit shorter than your older machine.  If you're compiling code then don't expect it to be any faster than you're used to.

 

Typing on it at a table works really well.  It also seems to adjust better for use on a tray-table during flights.  But on your lap?  Not so much.

 

It connects well to a number of peripherals which means you will still be able to link it to intranet systems and secure nets.  You're still able to slide a USB memory stick into it and it will keep things updated (perhaps more automatically than you are used to).  As a tablet it seems to be a bit bigger than what many are comfortable with (lots of people like the smaller tablets) but I get the feeling you're not expecting a Surface Pro 3 to be a "lean back" kind of machine.

 

I don't think you're likely to take it back after using it for a month.

[G+_Colin Nelson]

Thanks for your thoughts,  Dave Trautman! I think you really hit the nail on the head when you said I'm not expecting it to be a "lean back" kind of machine. This is something that I want to get things done on first and relax with later. I'm encouraged to hear you think that it can be just that.

[G+_Dave Trautman]

Colin Nelson  — yes this may be happening more than you realize.  I myself prefer to operate with a VM when using Windows or Linux in someone else's enterprise (I am a consultant and work a lot in other people's dens) and this way I am not vulnerable to their proclivities.  I also ensure (for insurance purposes) I will not be introducing vulnerabilities into someone's network or servers by using a non-authorized PC laptop.  I have been able to demonstrate to all security people I've worked with how my MacBook Pro cannot be hacked and how my VM operates inside the sandbox Apple makes for it.  I'm also able to engage with pure Unix systems through the Mac's Unix-based operating system.

 

I have less success with my tablet.  But I think the Surface was meant to be a business machine first and an entertainment device only when downtime is available.  They might let you test one in a Microsoft store by loading on something you think might tax the CPU and seeing if the performance is to your liking.  I know Apple Stores will let you do that because they clean all the machines daily.

 

I also think by being a "Lone Ranger" you might be a candidate for demonstrating to your colleagues how a Surface Pro might integrate well in the current environment and run all the same custom applications their PCs will.

 

Good luck.