Surface Laptop 2/3/4 Discussion Thread

My guess is
a) people can start associating WinS with "safe" or "speedy", and
b) OEMs can offer it on low cost devices without having to pay MS for the full pro version.

I think it makes sense to have WinS, it just doesn't make sense to make it the default on a premium laptop.

 

Well, think 10 years ahead and W10S may be considered a Trojan Horse. Right now it is just another option. But to me it is clear that the Windows Store would be Microsoft's preferred way of getting software to the people. Their store, their control, their revenue share.
Today's kids and teens are tomorrow's 20-40-year olds with money to spend which is the the core demographic MS et al. are after. MS wants future generations to grow up not with an open software-ecosystem, but preferably with something that MS itself has the control over. The more successful the crippled W10S would become the higher the risk that regular Windows will become less "open". MS is already increasingly taking control of the OS away from the user with W10, so I fear a decade from now or whatever "regular" windows would look more like the walled-garden style W10S.

 

I know what you mean. On the other hand, without pushing WinS Microsoft might have their lunch eaten by Chromebooks and iPads. It's a defensive move, and it makes sense. If in the distant future MS take the 'skimming off the top' too far, perhaps competititve forces will right the ship. Ten years is a long time though, and for now I'm all in favor of this move. The marketing .. not so much!

 

Wow. Only $50. That is a drop in the bucket compared to the $100 and $200 that we thought it would have been.

I am just so incredibly disappointed in this product. For everything it offers, I would knock off $200 from the asking price. No SD or Micro SD card slot means zero expandability. Yet in spite of this and everything else, you can be sure its minimalist style and premium fashion is hip certified.

 

Tin foil hat much? I don't see this as a Trojan horse. I just see this as an alternative for people who want a hassle-free ecosystem, iOS-style. Besides, traditional x86 programs (just virus free!) also can be delivered via Windows Store. I strongly believe Microsoft will always maintain a Pro ecosystem for professionals and techies like us. Besides, with Android and Linux, you can have an open ecosystem. They will never close themselves completely when the competition and demand is there. Besides, that was the antiquated Gates and Ballmer mentality and I just don't see Nadella as the same sort of proprietary, closed source brute.

 

If my parents were still around I'd do the same thing. At least for my father, who always got into trouble with viruses. It wouldn't really work for my mother, who enjoyed games ever since she got hooked on Infocom adventures in the 80s. W10S is hostile to people like her. Or like me, for that matter.

As for me, during the past 35 years the only malware that ever infested my computers was a) iTunes on Windows, b) Flash, and c) Windows itself, at various times. People who have a clue don't need nannyware like Windows 10 S to avoid nasty stuff. Others clearly do, so it's probably a good thing for it to be an option.

 

Finally a Microsoft laptop that an humanities or coding students can use thanks to it's utterly indispensable 14 hours battery life, necessary for students who have to attend 12 hours of lectures (happens in India). But it is far from what a STEM guy/gal needs because it lacks 360° hinge (a very regressive and disappointing move) and quality pen tech like Wacom EMR/Apple. Ntrig is already bad as it is, now one will have to write with the screen propped up.

After Ground breaking works of beauty like Surface book and Surface studio, it was disappointing to see Microsoft aping Apple MacBook.

What Microsoft needed was to release coreM models of Surfacebook running windows 10 S for students and get Wacom EMR.

I would still rate Galaxybooks as better machines.

 

I'm sorry for the only loosely related rant, but Sigh... I'm starting to wonder if I need to start researching pen capable linux devices before the walled garden is complete. Seems like it will eventually be the last stronghold of freedom for computing. Why are all these software companies intent on pushing me to linux, I don't feel like being spied on and marketed to, but at least we could still run whatever apps we wanted, if they are making plans to take the final step and close down my choice of applications to only what they deem appropriate or not, its time to jump ship. It seems like consumers are way too ready to just bend over and let these companies do whatever they want with our information and electronic freedoms. I don't know what the answer is though... I love the functionality of win10, and its kindof within MS right to have whatever policy they want if you want to use their software :S They take it much further though, and it will be a rage quit to linux for me.

 

@cbutters even Linux may collect your data and sell it to the highest bidder - should I remind about Ubuntu Amazon scandal? =p

 

It does have an sd card slot.