Surface Book Discussion Thread

True! It can absolutely be both hardware and software. Luckily, in this case, Microsoft makes or at least engineers both.

 

9 hours is a lot more then I've been getting (5-6 hours) I wonder if I got a dud on the battery side?

 

While owning the Surface Book for nearly a month, I had a bunch of micro scratches on the bottom side of the keyboard base.

This is being very gentile with my unit. Build quality is good, but durability is poor.

My Thinkpads have always been tanks and took quite a beating. Maybe its the black and carbon fiber material. I honestly wouldnt mind if there was carbon fiber in the Surface series.

 

I have to second your opinion. When I had my SB, I always felt like I had to be really careful with it (to avoid scratches & dings). Frankly, I always felt a little uptight just carrying it around. When I got the TP Yoga 14, I felt a lot more relaxed with it. I was careful with both, but with the TP it felt much easier hauling it where I needed to go. Nevertheless, I didn't like the added weight of the SB or TP, so they both eventually went back (unfortunately the SB had many issues and went back for those as well - have to say the TP only had a couple of display driver episodes, otherwise it exhibited no other issues).

 

Firmware Update for the Surface Book is now available....

Microsoft Surface Book update history | Surface firmware updates
January 2016 updates
The following update will be listed as “System Firmware Update – 1/27/2016” when you view your update history.

Note
When Surface updates are provided via the Windows Update service, they are delivered in stages to Surface customers. As a result, not every Surface will receive the update at the same time, but the update will be delivered to all devices. If you have not received the update then please manually check Windows Update later.

• Surface Embedded Controller Firmware (v88.899.256.0) adds battery charging enhancements and thermal tuning.
• Wireless Network Controller and Bluetooth driver update (v15.68.9037.59) improves access point compatibility and throughput on 5Ghz networks.
• Surface DTX driver update (v1.3.202.0) improves detection of the Surface keyboard to the clipboard.

In addition to the updates list above, the following additional update is available for Surface Book devices that have the optional NVIDIA GeForce GPU discrete graphics chip:

• NVIDIA GeForce GPU update (v10.18.13.5914) improves stability.

 

I finally got a chance to hold one of these.

But it might as well have been in a war zone. The local "Staples" (the Canadian version of "Best Buy" but with a focus on business supplies), had one on display, but the MS counter looks like nobody has bothered to clean up since Boxing Day. If I was the manager there, I'd probably be universally despised for making people do their jobs, but damn it! The computer display area bloody-well wouldn't look like a kindergarten finger paint table on a rain day.

I was delighted to be able to try the SB screen release button, have it work, and hold the tablet portion in my hands! Cool! But when I plugged it back in, the whole system locked up with no apparent way to re-start it. Just.., locked on the desktop screen with no cursor. Holding down the power button did nothing. How the heck do you get past that? It was BRO-KEN.

Also, it had no pen to try out. And the anti-theft cable was so short I had to stand awkwardly when trying to hold it to see if it was comfortable in hand.

But, even bent waaaay over and cranking my shoulder around, it felt nice to hold (I think), and the keyboard was good. It's too bad the screen can't open all the way and lie flat. That's how I arrange my current TPC when I take it out to places where I'm going to be doing a lot of work, standing it up on end in a homemade bracket with a second keyboard plugged in so that I can look straight ahead at the screen at eye-level. -Perhaps the most comfortable way to use a laptop I've ever encountered.

How do you arrange any of these new tablets like that? The Yoga looks like the only one which can perform that trick.

Whatever.

Also, as a side-note and comment on "Staples", when I asked if any "Pencils" for the iPad Pro had come in, I was told, "Yes! We have one left!"

"Cool! That's great! Can I try it?"

dirty look.

"No, sir. We can't take it out of its package. There's no demonstration model."

I don't think I even got the "sir" part. I just made that up.

sigh.

 

Our local Staples has a display of Surfaces. The tablet is locked down about an inch above the keyboard which is also affixed to the display. You can't either hold the Surface of try out the keyboard. It is the single worst tablet display I have ever seen. I will bet that they haven't sold a Surface in that store yet.

 

There is a reason it's called "Staples"...they staple everything down!!
Doh...lol. What did you expect?lol.

 

I the "silence" around here "golden" - in other words is the Surface Book a safe(er) choice now?

 

Maybe everyone sold theirs?


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