Why I'm returning my Microsoft Surface RT

"The diagonally-oriented camera is strange. In the one orientation it’s optimized for, it’s slightly annoying. In any other orientation, it’s almost intolerable. "<p>"The built-in front-facing camera for Skype is angled so that it’ll work great when the kickstand is open, but again, only for Danny DeVito, or maybe for people who want to show off their chests in Skype."<p>------<p>"The Touch Cover is one of the Surface’s biggest innovations. I thought I would hate it, but I didn’t. It’s not like typing on a completely flat surface: each “key” is raised slightly, so while there isn’t any mechanical feedback, it does feel a bit like a keyboard."<p>"The Type Cover (the one with real keys) just works. I’ve got big hands that often struggle on undersized keyboards, but I can type very quickly on the Type Cover."<p>------<p>"He showed me Office, which was almost unusable: it was extremely sluggish, and touch targets were tiny and difficult to hit."<p>"So quickly, in fact, that I can outrun Microsoft Word on the Surface. I get the feeling that the Surface RT’s CPU or Word code just can’t keep up with my typing. Here’s an example video:"<p>-------<p>"The standard gestures don’t help, requiring many in-from-the-edge swipes that not only aren’t discoverable"<p>"After waiting over a minute for the machine to boot and launch the mail app, I got a blank gradient screen. User interface 101: if the app needs to be set up on the first launch, offer to do that, please. Folks from Twitter suggested that I swipe out from the right side and click Accounts"<p>--<p>So, can we conclude that these observations might be real (V. 1) problems without resorting to ad-homs regarding the author?

You'll probably return that one, too, after you see the poor battery life on it. Also, you may get <i>some</i> tablet usability with Metro on it (not many apps to choose from, though), but after using Windows 8 on a PC, I can say Windows 8 is <i>worse</i> in usability than Windows 7, so you will be definitely taking a step back when you'll be using the desktop mode.<p>After using Windows 8 I just see no good reason for anyone to use it on an old PC instead of Windows 7. I only see drawbacks, such as the forced Metro interface, and the inconsistencies in the desktop mode UI, which seem like a patched-up job done 6 months before the release or something, to make it more "Metro".

Surface with Windows RT is supposed to be a stripped down version of Windows, that runs 99% in Metro-mode, not Desktop-mode.<p>Right now there are two exceptions to this: Office (preview version - buggy) and a Desktop-mode version of IE. Everything else is 100% Metro. And I don't think you can even install anything yourself on it except via it's App Store. Hence it's Desktop-mode is not really there for the benefit of the consumer. And the Office offering will need to be further ported and refined for RT before everything is worked out. I'm not even sure why they put Office on it.<p>It's a device made mostly for browsing the internet and running some apps while holding it in your hands. Which is what the bigger market is for.<p>While this was a good and honest review, I think his use-case is off on this one and he will be better suited waiting for Surface with Windows 8 Pro.<p>I would also be curious to know what his height is, so I'd know what "for short people" means... The pics I've been able to find of the author, he's at least 6'2", maybe even 6'5".<p>If you are as toll as the author, you could probably either move the device away a bit, zoom out the image, or perhaps put something underneath it's stand to angle it properly.

I'm excited about the prospect of a Windows 8 tablet. I'm willing to spend as much as it costs to get one. Unfortunately, nobody wants my money.<p>Yesterday was the big retail launch. I was on a mission to check out what my local stores had and, if they had anything that could do the job for me, buy it. I've always wanted a tablet, but only if it could be as useful as a laptop when paired with a keyboard. The new Windows 8 tablets are supposed to be just that.<p>Best Buy had one (1) Windows 8 tablet. It was a Asus Vivo Tab running Windows RT... supposedly. I don't want an RT tab, and this store didn't even have a working floor model of the one tablet they were selling. The one they had was stuck on a "failed to automatically repair Windows" screen. It was also glued to the display stand so I couldn't pick it up and get a feel for the hardware.<p>OfficeMax had zero (0) Windows 8 tablets. Heck, they had no Windows 8 touch screen laptops either. Or price tags. Or product specs. Or anything I could play with, really. There was one employee there setting up a display model of some laptop while complaining to another about how they were supposed to have tags for the computers but had none. Their electronics section was a joke.<p>Staples had one (1) Windows 8 tablet. It was a Samsung ATIV running Windows 8. Success! I actually spent some time playing with this one. Again, I couldn't really get a feel for the hardware, or specifically the weight, given it's got a pound of security alarms and tethers bolted onto the back chaining it to the display area. Beyond that, the specs just weren't up to snuff -- with 2GB RAM and 64GB storage, I'd just barely be able to run enough software to occasionally use it as a portable development machine. With nothing installed on it, there was only 14GB of free space -- the OS and preinstalled apps were using 50GB of the 64GB out of the box.<p>So all those trips were a waste of time. There's no Microsoft Store anywhere within 4 hours of me, so those 3 were the full range of retail options here.<p>I'm basically looking for a Surface Pro (Intel Core processor, 4GB RAM, 128GB storage). It's amazing that despite knowing Microsoft would be building this, nobody else built something comparable, and stores aren't carrying even the few tablets/hybrids they did build.

I've had mine since 10AM yesterday; and I'm actually fairly pleased, at least for effectively being a new platform. Thoughts, in no particular order:<p>- Love the build. Very solid overall.<p>- 16:9 means it's one long tablet. Oddly, it's actually fairly usable in portrait; can't say the same for my old 16:10 Transformer (maybe just better balanced?)<p>- The touch cover is, like most say, surprisingly usable. Desperately needs a way to no-op Caps Lock though.<p>- Screen res lower than iPad, but still usable. Difference not near as noticeable as between iPad 2/3, but too many factors in play to make an objective call there.<p>- Metro takes getting used to, but I like it (even with KB/trackpad).<p>- It's the first time I've seen proper desktop Gmail and Google Docs usable in a tablet browser.<p>- Performance is generally decent. Not blazing, but decent.<p>- Windows RT appears to still contain far more of Windows than we've been led to believe. Even `csc` is installed, but missing a few dlls.<p>- No SSH client for Metro yet. That's one of the risks you take on a new platform (esp. a non-Unix one), but still aggravates me.<p>- Snapping is very, very handy; nice solution to bring proper multitasking to a tablet UI.<p>- When touch-scrolling over on desktop apps (what few remain), the entire window "bounces" at the head/tail of the content. Odd decision.<p>- No central notification bin (like Android's shade or iOS's Notification Center). Have to rely on scanning Live Tiles if you miss anything.<p>- The back camera seems to exist only to make the iPad 2's back camera feel better about itself. Has to be the blockiest camera I've ever seen.<p>- Handwriting recognition is pretty solid. Wacom junkies will be very pleased when so-equipped tablets ship. (Capacitive styli still suck)<p>- None of the Twitter apps have really thrilled me. Given the circumstances, I'm not that surprised.<p>- OS-level share support is a smart move; similar to Android's impl but more thorough (sharing pops up a share pane from your selected app in the sidebar, instead of bouncing you out of your current app entirely).<p>- Printing is mildly unintuitive; you have to open the "Devices" charm and pick your printer. No one is going to guess that's how to print.<p>- On the bright side, our network printer/scanner was detected and installed immediately, with zero user intervention. Very, very far cry from the WinXP days.<p>- There's no way to see your precise battery life outside of the desktop (in the classic sys-tray).<p>- Presumably due to the use of pressure sensors vs. capacitive, the Touch Cover isn't quite as accurate without a solid surface underneath.<p>- If you're not using the keyboard (watching movies, etc.), flip the cover backwards with the kickstand out and it's nearly as stable as a laptop.<p>- The intro tells you about the basic edge swipes (right for charms, left for app switcher, top/bottom for menu); not mentioned is swiping straight from top-center to bottom kills the current app.<p>- Screenshot is Win+VolDown.<p>- Wordament can be played while snapped. This is dangerous.<p>- IE lets you swipe on the outer edge of the page for back/forward, which would be smart if this didn't occasionally clash with the app switcher.<p>Questions?<p>(PS: I typed this entire post on the Touch Cover.)

The experience he had trying to save the Word doc looks exactly like me every time I have to set up "Windows Live" inside a PC game.<p>Has anyone else tried the SRT? This post alone is enough to scare me away.

Ahh, so they made Word behave like it does on OS X. Standardization.

To me, the user experience issues are the biggest failures of all:<p><pre><code> - A mail app that opens to a completely blank screen with no cues on how to continue. - An infinite login dialog that doesn't allow you to cancel and back out. </code></pre> Wanting software that offers a pleasant and intuitive user experience doesn't mean that you want software that's dumbed down for grandma, and I'm sad that people are portraying it that way.<p>I've read my share of man pages and hand written my Xorg.confs many times in previous lives, I'm no stranger to complex and arcane software setup procedures.<p>But in 2012, in the world of smartphones and tablets, this is stuff that should <i>just work</i>. The answer to "the mail app is completely blank on launch" shouldn't be "sorry, you failed to read the manual". Ever.<p>And while I greatly respect Microsoft's attempt at entering this market, someone on their team, at some point, had to look at these issues[1] and say, "okay, this software is ready to ship anyway". That does not bode well.<p>[1] The alternative, I suppose, is that no one noticed. Which is even worse.

An old post from an ex-Microsoftie, which might explain some of this Windows RT mess:<p><a href="http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2011/03/24/first-windows-phone-update-only-going-out-to-unlocked-phones/#comment-7276" rel="nofollow">http://windowsphonesecrets.com/2011/03/24/first-windows-phon...</a>

I posted about this before:<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4660871" rel="nofollow">http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4660871</a><p>and I still think it is true... IMO Microsoft made a mistake by leading out with the RT. Leading with the Pro and then offering the RT as a feature-reduced lower cost version would have cut down on the confusion as to what RT really is and lessened the initial impression that the Windows 8 experience is kind of underwhelming.

This is off topic but, compare this review to the one written by Marco Arment and you will know the difference between constructive criticism and fanboy-ism.

The advice to "wait for the one due in a few months <i>that needs a fan</i>" makes me wonder if this author's sweet spot for tablets is anywhere near mine. I hate fans. (And does such advice mean the author is <i>literally</i> a fan-boy? A fan-fan-boy?)

He seems to be using the Surface RT in desktop mode in that video. I thought this was not supposed to be possible, is that untrue?

The lag in Word is more likely caused by an option that makes Office use accelerated graphics. I don't know why this option even exists - I've yet to see someone liking how typing in Office applications works with it being on...

&#62; I think the kickstand angle was designed for airplane use by short people, because the screen hardly goes back at all.<p>Huh, in the Anandtech review they thought the kickstand worked well everywhere <i>except</i> airplanes.

I think it's great to see MS trying something new and exploring interfaces that aren't just a rip-off or evolution of Apple designs.

Quote: "The problem with Windows "apps" is that they are made inefficient and un-optimized by default"<p>As a WIN32 developer for the last ten years I would have to agree that a good bit of software today for Windows lacks performance. Why ? IMO a lot has to do with mindset of not only developers, but also those who produce the programming languages developers use. I would venture to say that most programmers would admit that the computer they develop on is likely a more advanced computer than most mass market PC's. They like i5 or i7 CPU's, 8,16 or more gigs of memory, SSD's, etc. The mass market PC though, to be affordable comes far less equipped. This is why when I write software, my development PC is closer to a more mass market PC. I need to feel the problems with performance the moment I compile and run. Now if you write apps which run fast on a slow PC, imagine how they will run on the higher end devices.

I am extremely happy with the surface RT and more specifically IE10. Finally a desktop class browser on a tablet.

Hi everyone. The author brings up great points and its really important for MSFT to address the kickstand's adjustability or even adjust the camera angle automatically. Regarding the other points of the author, i think he should install the updates after which Office RT becomes a productivity beast. Also, there is one aspect of the surface and windows 8 in general nobody has touched in this whole thread which is smartGlass. Coupled with Xbox, this device becomes a wonderful companion to the vastly improved xbox-kinect bundle and so far, i really don't have any complaints about it except the fact that i can't code on it although someone mentioned csc works on it sans some dlls.

What genius decided RT was a good name? Honestly.

I love my surface, and I have no slowdown in Word and OneNote after installing the 600MB or so update. I have a touch keyboard.<p>What I'm disappointed about is that the bottom edge of the glass is not completely flat. This shows poor build quality, and I expected at least Apple quality from this device. I also tried a second one, and it also has non flat glass on the bottom edge. All the demo units had this problem too. Try reflecting a straight line on that part of the screen and you will know what I mean. It does bug me a bit because I expect a high standard for a $600 ARM tablet.

We did a review of the surface tablet here - <a href="http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/review-of-the-microsoft-surface-rt-windows-8-tablet/" rel="nofollow">http://goodereader.com/blog/tablet-slates/review-of-the-micr...</a><p>also vs the ipad 3 here - <a href="http://goodereader.com/blog/good-e-reader-videos/microsoft-surface-vs-apple-ipad-3/" rel="nofollow">http://goodereader.com/blog/good-e-reader-videos/microsoft-s...</a><p>the pro might be a better investment, but most of the apps crash/buggy, not really worth being an early adopter with this product.

From the comments:<p><i>&#62; I admit, I fully expected a tablet version of my laptop. I wanted it to do everything my laptop could do, but with the added bonus of the touch screen, so I can play my games that make my phone freeze up while I’m sitting at my kids dance or karate classes.</i><p>If you're technically savvy enough to understand and follow focus of GUI elements, and don't mind a stylus, then there are a number of existing tablets that will fit this bill. In fact, they've been around since ~2000.

I was excited when I heard Microsoft was making a tablet and entering this market. Apple doesn't face any strong competition in this market, and because they are so far ahead of their nearest rival (Samsung?) they don't really need to innovate for a cycle or two, and their designs could stagnate.<p>But the Surface will not be true competition to Apple. This product fails in too many ways, and I predict that the iPad will remain dominant for at least a few years to come.

I was thinking of making this my next PC purchase, but after watching a video in this blog post I see i would be forced to use the touchscreen as there is not a built in trackpad on that cover/keyboard thing.<p>Overall the design looked cool, as I am interested in tablet with an attached keyboard with a trackpad. Though I want a tablet/PC type of device that allows me to use it as a tablet or a PC laptop. I guess the Surface is not what I imagined.

Bugginess and software weirdness aside, the thing that struck me as most awkward is the keyboard/touch interface paradigm. It required him floating his entire arm to reach out and touch specific dialogues. This seems like a huge sacrifice of touch precision and a strain on your arm. I predict that most people get a Bluetooth mouse for it and use it in either laptop mode or tablet mode - not a combination of both.

Biggest issue so far for me with Surface's WinRT - no alternative browsers, so no Adblock. I can't believe this is what the desktop web really looks like.

Welcome to the life of an early adopter. It is a bit buggier than we'd like, but you know we'll receive updates before the year is up that will address a lot of the problems. I do wish that it could've been shipped with higher performance, but Windows on ARM was a big endeavor. Achieving the amount of polish that we see on Intel's chips is going to take a bit of time.

I bought one of those Microsoft touch mice. I was getting ready to install the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, and after watching the video, it looked like a great option...and simultaneously, my Logitech Mouse had a dying mosfet switch so I was in the market for a new mouse anyway. [Really, I wasn't just rationalizing buying sexy technology].<p>It wasn't the first time I've bough I Microsoft mouse. I bought one back about a decade or so ago when another Logitech mouse died. It suffered the same fate as the Microsoft touch mouse. It was returned to the store and exchanged for another Logitech - for exactly the same reason.<p>Neither was acceptable for my workflow. Unsurprisingly, I spend a meaningful amount of time using CAD/BIM software. The touch mouse zoomed in when I adjusted my grip ("drawing" with a mouse largely involves holding it). There was no way to program the gestures. Likewise, the earlier Microsoft mouse had lots of buttons, but no way to program the middle button as a middle button - as an early "many button" mouse, the middle button had some dedicated function and I had about a decade of muscle memory and projects to push out the door.<p>The author is experiencing the same thing. The new device isn't tailored to his workflow. It probably isn't reasonable to expect it to be. It's competitors aren't; most people don't have a similar workflow; and it's still version one of the software (Word for RT).<p>This doesn't excuse the devices performance. But it also puts the author's experience in perspective. Right now, he's somewhat of an edge use case.

Still waiting on decent linux-capable tablets...

People are using the surface primarily without a mouse, the way a tablet is supposed to be used. Yet there's still so many tiny touch targets all over the place when classic Windows stuff pops up. I cringe when I see video reviews of people trying to laser-tap these and miss a few times until they get it.

And this is one of the reasons I despise modal dialogs <i>of all kinds</i>: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&#38;v=Wwhv8U614Vo&#38;t=2m10s" rel="nofollow">http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&#38;v=W...</a><p>When they go bad, they're catastrophically bad.

I played with Microsoft Surface and my problem with it is that IT IS A LAPTOP. The interface is pretty much made for laptop (you need to have keyboard), and size is a little too big for tablet. It is not something I might be using while watching TV.<p>It is weird combo of laptop and tablet.

tl;dr - microsoft word on a brand new cpu architecture, ui style and input system is a bit laggy.

In the email video he could be seen typing his password. Even though you cannot see the actual keys the reflection gives some idea about what is being pressed. Do you think you could guess his password from that?

qwerty keyboards were designed to slow down the typists thus preventing typewriter jamming. Perhaps MS should redesign it again to make it even slower, so the Surface would be able to keep up?

Brent, thanks for this. It is odd because Windows 8 Pro is really smooth. Lets hope someone at Microsoft gets a hold of this and they release an update sooner-then-later.

I don't think his post and reason are highly analytic. Rather its result of working so hard to find out even smallest issue with Microsoft's new product No product are perfect in that regard. Remember first iPhone ? first Android ? first iPad ?<p>Camera viewpoint doesn't cover your face when you put tablet on kickstand mode? put it little away. what's wrong. Other leading tablets in market doesn't even have one. Its been stated design wonder along with cover with keyboard. Should appreciate instead.<p>All issues noted in this article are exaggeration except the live sign-in bug while saving office doc.

So...this is a good opportunity to write a word processing app for the Windows 8 store. Score! It's well known what people like with those...

I hope someone works around the UEFI secure boot soon, I would be very interested in having this as a Linux tablet.

I hope he's changed his password. In one of the vids it's fairly easy to workout what he was typing to login.

It's as if the author really hurried to return the device so that he can write the blog article. Insane.

Update of Office for final version was available at the day of launch. Why you did not install it?

This is the risk you take by being an early adopter.

I want a video of people using these as <i>lap</i>tops. That's my biggest fear about springing for something like these.<p>Even RT could be tolerable with the right apps as a remote machine with that keyboard, similar to what people do with Android+Transformer. I can program on it, work on remote machines.<p>That having been said, assuming it's somewhat usable on a lap, I'll wait for the Pro too, I have several things that need x86.

Are all the HN upvoters are retarded? This is not Surface RT. RT does not have a classic Windows Desktop environment. It only has metro.<p>This is a Surface Pro, which has not been released yet. Slowness is totally understandable because that guy installed an OS X on an iPad, which is the same thing as using Win8 full desktop environment on Surface RT hardware.