BenjNZ: It's Here

BenjNZ: It's Here

BenjNZ: So I've just ordered the i7 256GB version.... Acquire had quite a deal including the keyboard/cover. I'll let you know if it can render a Solidworks model next week. Final question, at work everyone is still running office 2010. Will this run happily on 8.1 pro? Does anyone know where I can still find 2010?

BenjNZ: So I've just ordered the i7 256GB version.... Acquire had quite a deal including the keyboard/cover. I'll let you know if it can render a Solidworks model next week. Final question, at work everyone is still running office 2010. Will this run happily on 8.1 pro? Does anyone know where I can still find 2010?

JayADee: I've got an iPad for a tablet and a laptop running windows and I've been using both types of device since the iPad 1. Or since the first iPod touch really. Windows long before that of course. I'm thinking of switching entirely to a Surface so I can just have one device for everything computing.

I'm a bit worried how useable Windows is as strictly a tablet, given how good my iPad experience has been.

It's also time to upgrade my husband's iPad. I'm considering suggesting he try a Surface since he uses Windows PCs at work and home when he doesn't need a tablet. I'm not sure he'd like a Windows on a tablet though, we have his desktop PC set up to bypass tiles...mine too for that matter.

JayADee: What I do on iPad:

Note taking is pretty huge (just switched to OneNote on my iPad and like it very much), invoice keeping in excel which is recent for doing on the iPad, I just moved to office 365 on iPad to see what it's like and to have to use my laptop even less (but then have to convert the excel file to PDF on my laptop, there is a paid app to convert file types to PDF for iPad but I don't own it).

Email, web browsing with all that entails like online banking, use for video streaming from the TV computer to the iPad- I use Air Video for that and I use it a lot, audiobooks, podcasts, contact book which syncs with my iPhone (what does Windows use for contacts? Must Google...) calculator, reading books in various formats, writing the occasional step by step 'how to' sometimes with screenshots for disseminating to others via a printed copy. I also use the iPad as a remote keyboard for the TV PC using Keyboard +.

Cloud storage uploading of bills and invoices, taking photos of people's computer settings, router settings etc., adminning various things like Google Apps, a server. Playing Words with Friends (the windows app has less functionlaity by far) the calendar with reminders is a must too, I really need it to keep track of all kinds of stuff and I really need the monthly view. I also edit a couple web pages with it. And I use photos on it as a reference source when I paint. I had thought I might start taking more advantage of the excellent speech to text it has too instead of typing so much.

The iPad does a lot really well. When I list it like that I realise how much I rely on it!

The laptop is for things I can't download onto an iPad directly, Photoshop and InDesign, using a scanner, making PDFs to email, making the occasional bootable windows disk, putting files onto a USB thumb drive for quick file sharing and backing large files up to an external hard drive or on occasion browsing .img files on an external hard drive.

if the Surface can do everything the iPad can and everything my laptop can and be as nice in tablet mode that would be great. I could have everything on one device that I can have with me everywhere. If it's just going to be another, but smaller laptop I 'd be better off just keeping what I've got and doing the occasional Windows task on my laptop.

My other concern is security. As far as I know with iCloud and a passcode on there's no way for someone to get my data if the iPad is lost or stolen and I'm not sure it can even have the OS reinstalled without the iCloud password. I did a reinstall on one the other day and it needed the password. I haven't been keeping up on what's possible with jail breaking. I'm not sure how good Windows security is as far as if someone gets hold of the Surface how hard it is to get into the data in it. When I used to lug around my laptop I'd cable lock it down. Surface is more thievable.

So this is why I'my dithering so much. The iPad is a terrific tablet and I use it constantly and take it places. I use it more than my phone by far. I wonder if the Surface can be as good as a tablet experience and do all the same stuff.

I guess I need to go look and see what's in the Windows store for apps too.