Ian S. Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 When Microsoft makes a thinner, lighter, less powerful device: Reporters- It has no power, it's useless, the features are novel, it can't run photoshop, only good for light web browsing, not enough ports, no full sized SD, no key travel, etc. Kevin Lee - Associate Editor, Laptops (On Surface 3) Last year the Surface 3 was a surprising no-show at Microsoft's yearly Surface event. Now the Richmond company has announced its latest tablet-PC to relatively little fanfare and it's no surprise given it's a bit disappointing. I was expecting an Intel Core M-powered thin and power-sipping device, but going with an Atom processor has removed the possibility of a fanless design. All the while, I'm not confident it'll be that much more powerful than a traditional tablet, and it sure as heck won't run as long. - TechRadar You still make considerable compromises for getting everything in one package. -WSJ on SP3 Flimsy keyboard is inferior to what you'd get on a proper laptop; worse, it doesn't even come in the box - Engadget On Surface Pro 3: Panay even went so far as to say, "Today we take the conflict away." Did they, though? - Engadget On Surface 3: is there anything about the Surface 3 that could make it a good buy, despite its underpowered innards - TechRadar Powered by a Quad-core Intel Atom "Cherry Trail" CPU, the Surface 3 is (somewhat ironically for the first non-Pro tablet to run full-fat Windows 8.1) pretty unsuitable for running the demanding desktop programs 123456789A, Stoffel, Nogib and 1 other 4 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nosense Posted April 10, 2015 Share Posted April 10, 2015 Engadget is a big apple fan boy website. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicane-UK Veteran Posted April 13, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 13, 2015 I'll reserve judgement until I try one myself. The single port still seems to me to be a ridiculous decision - I could handle one USB port and one charging port, but single port is ridiculous. But I would have no doubts about the performance of the thing. I bought my Air to replace a reasonably powerful desktop Windows PC and I've been consistently impressed at just how fast the Air is despite its diminutive specification and size. _kane81 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundayx Veteran Posted April 13, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 13, 2015 From what I'm reading though, almost all other reviews state that these machines are (obviously) underpowered and if you want to do a bit more processor-heavy tasks on them, go with a Surface Pro 3 or a Macbook Air/Pro. Pretty much all also states that there is also a heavy compromise on (the lack of) ports. Secondly, the MacBook keyboard (and trackpad) is much better than the Type Cover. Besides you have to buy the Type Cover separately. I just want to point out too that the Surface is a $499 device and the MacBook is $1,000+, which is pretty crazy. The power of marketing and how they're targeting different demographics. Students vs. those willing to pay a "premium". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Frank B. Subscriber² Posted April 13, 2015 Subscriber² Share Posted April 13, 2015 The new MacBook is a revision 1 Apple product. A design study for future Apple laptops if you will. That being said, its performance should be plenty for many users. The pricing however is a bit on the high side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sundayx Veteran Posted April 13, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 13, 2015 The unfortunate thing is, Apple knows that a lot of people are willing to pay for their design, hype, and new products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Frank B. Subscriber² Posted April 13, 2015 Subscriber² Share Posted April 13, 2015 The unfortunate thing is, Apple knows that a lot of people are willing to pay for their design, hype, and new products. See also: 1 million pre-orders for the Apple Watch in the US alone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
123456789A Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 (edited) It's well known that the tech press is owned by Apple. Maybe not literally, but these so-called "journalists" live and breathe Apple all day. T3X4S and Nogib 2 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typu Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 the macbook is an awesome device for the following people: - light, high res travel/mobile notebook - moderate cpu power for light usage such as webbrowsing, office, streaming, mails, etc. - enough battery life for a typical day of use - do not attach accessories to it, mostly use the port for charging only imo, lots and lots of such people are out there. im quite sure, the macbook will be a success. but yes, it is not for everybody. like every device, its perfect for some, less for others. there is no room for politics here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicane-UK Veteran Posted April 13, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 13, 2015 I do accept that there will be some people for whom the 'less is more' attitude may appeal. But even speaking to people I work with who are real Mac enthusiasts, even they fail to see the obsession with this endless pursuit for shaving even more weight off and dropping even more connectivity. I don't personally look at the Air and see it as a housebrick - it still seems to be an astonishingly lightweight and powerful computer. And with the Air, a charging port and two USB ports seemed a good compromise. I rarely ever find myself struggling for connectivity though it helps that as I have an Apple Cinema Display, it has a built in USB hub, and of course the Apple Aluminium Keyboard has two USB ports too - which pretty much covers the bases when I'm using it at my desk! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quillz Posted April 13, 2015 Share Posted April 13, 2015 The new MacBook is a revision 1 Apple product. A design study for future Apple laptops if you will. That being said, its performance should be plenty for many users. The pricing however is a bit on the high side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Had Apple released the Surface 3, it would be the JesusPad. The press would go crazy and people would line up for over a week in front of the Apple Store to buy it. It would be Second Coming. Nogib, Stoffel and DConnell 3 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tsupersonic Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 The new MacBook is a revision 1 Apple product. A design study for future Apple laptops if you will. That being said, its performance should be plenty for many users. The pricing however is a bit on the high side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ctebah Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Had Apple released the Surface 3, it would be the JesusPad. The press would go crazy and people would line up for over a week in front of the Apple Store to buy it. It would be Second Coming. I don't get it. Surface 3 has amazing reviews from almost all sites and hold great ratings from buyers. It's a great device. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted April 14, 2015 Author Share Posted April 14, 2015 The new MacBook is a revision 1 Apple product. A design study for future Apple laptops if you will. That being said, its performance should be plenty for many users. The pricing however is a bit on the high side DConnell 1 Share Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Warwagon MVC Posted April 14, 2015 MVC Share Posted April 14, 2015 I bought my Air to replace a reasonably powerful desktop Windows PC and I've been consistently impressed at just how fast the Air is despite its diminutive specification and size. It's all about the SSD baby! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chicane-UK Veteran Posted April 14, 2015 Veteran Share Posted April 14, 2015 It's all about the SSD baby! Yeah - that has to help considerably. 760MB/sec read and write speed. It's mental. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typu Posted April 14, 2015 Share Posted April 14, 2015 Still no excuse for the press to say that. They need to review it for what it is, not what it is intended to do. "The Future"? No way. Judge it like they judge all Microsoft and Samsung and HP and Dell and Lenovo products. Same can be said about the Surface RT, yet all (read most) reviews were negative. Then compare to the Pro 3 since the Macbook is in that price range, I am a student and I have a SP3. The trackpad is better on ALL Macs not just the new Macbook and once you go touch (even on a laptop), you never EVER want to go back. Even if you only use it to scroll, zoom, and pan websites. the macbook is clearly a notebook. nothing else. it does what it does as a notebook. the surface is a hybrid and attempts to be a viable notebook as well as a tablet. it does not excel in both tasks. that is why it earned criticism. it also earned a lot of praise, dont oversee that. but the fact remains, the surface does only excel in one thing: offering you a device with several functions. for some ppl, that is just perfect, for others, its not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 Engadget's review for the Surface 3 just came out. http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/surface-3-review/ I thought it is a fair review (except for the last three sentences). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rudy Posted April 15, 2015 Share Posted April 15, 2015 The new macbook is not for everyone. I would love to have one to work on while I'm travelling but there's no way it could replace my 15" rMBP that I use to work around the house when I don't feel like being at my desktop. I wouldn't be surprised if a later model will come with 2 usb-c ports but honestly not everyone plugs 5 devices in their laptop when travelling. I use my 15" rMBP around the house and the only thing I ever plug in is the power cord and sometimes (rarely) headphones. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 the macbook is clearly a notebook. nothing else. it does what it does as a notebook. the surface is a hybrid and attempts to be a viable notebook as well as a tablet. it does not excel in both tasks. that is why it earned criticism. it also earned a lot of praise, dont oversee that. but the fact remains, the surface does only excel in one thing: offering you a device with several functions. for some ppl, that is just perfect, for others, its not. A macbook is good because it's a... macbook? What convoluted logic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ian S. Posted April 16, 2015 Author Share Posted April 16, 2015 Compare http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/14/8409591/microsoft-surface-3-tablet-review with http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/9/8372335/12-inch-macbook-review The language he uses in the Macbook video "future of laptops" and "fast enough for most enough of what I do" and "all the apps I use the vast majority of the time" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mockingbird Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 Engadget, The Next Web, arstechnica, and Gizmodo all give the Surface 3 good reviews. The Verge is the only one to give the Surface 3 a poor review. --- Engadget: http://www.engadget.com/2015/04/15/surface-3-review/ The Next Web: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2015/04/13/review-the-surface-3-is-the-first-surface-i-can-recommend-to-anyone/ arstechnica: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2015/04/surface-3-review-smaller-slower-cheaper-better/ Gizmodo: http://gizmodo.com/microsoft-surface-3-review-the-tablet-i-want-at-the-pr-1696598172 The Verge: http://www.theverge.com/2015/4/14/8409591/microsoft-surface-3-tablet-review Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
typu Posted April 16, 2015 Share Posted April 16, 2015 A macbook is good because it's a... macbook? What convoluted logic. no, i think you misunderstood me. thats not what im saying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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